Women: King of Sex?

In this day of age, many people take “love” for granted, and let alone, take sex for granted. Sex is an emotionally attaching bond in which women are provided a fulfillment in which they feel loved. This is the value that Dawn Eden vividly expresses and argues in “Casual Sex is a Con: Women Just Aren’t like Men.” Eden feels that unfulfilled need and emptiness as a result of casual sex and untrue love. Her basis for argument is not so much that women can’t “shag” like men, but that women should not try to due to its harmful, emotional consequences. Eden strives to convince women, through her own trials and tribulations, that sex is worth the wait and not worth the pain

In Eden’s opening paragraph, she begins with a comparison to catch her reader’s attention. By stating water is now $5 a bottle when it once was free, she attempts to set the bar for a comparison. That comparison is to display how even the simplest things in life are so costly, and yet, “the price of free love was even higher.” This is short attempt to put love in perspective.

Eden carries a tone of remorse and regret throughout her essay. This is obvious by the word selection in the first two paragraphs. Words such as “sacrificed” and “dissatisfied” conveys her overall attitude on how her sexual mistakes make her presently feel. She is stern in her description of her life story, and this adds to her credibility in her argument.

Therefore, by telling her own story, Dawn establishes herself as her own source. There is no need for statistics or revelations, because she is her own expert. She firmly sticks to her story and nothing else. This is a good way to earn her readers’ respect and attention. It’s these personal anecdotes that give Eden much more power and credibility. She also must have faith that the reader will realize that there is no more credible source than being a living part of it. This is a risk that may make or break her essay. Readers could very well assume that she is just scornful that she missed out in finding true love because she can’t provide statistics to help her cause, or they could take her side and understand where she is coming from as a woman.

Moreover, Eden’s sex connects her to her primary target in this essay, women. This is clear by the strong use of emotional relations to sex that women have. This is especially true towards the middle of the essay when she states:

“We’re not built like that. Women are built for bonding. We are vessels and we seek to be filled. For that reason, however much we try and convince ourselves that it isn’t so, sex will always leave us feeling empty unless we are certain that we are loved, that the act is part of a bigger picture that we are loved for our whole selves not just our bodies.” (Eden)

The repetitive use of the word “we” is essential in her case to relate to her readers. They are bold statements and ones that only women can particularly vouch for. In addition, Eden recalls teenage years in which being a virgin was complicated. Again, she is addressing those women who either contemplated sex like she did, or those who are possibly still contemplating sex. Eden rationalizes her mistakes in the