Real Live Nude Girl: Chronicles of Sex-Positive Culture

by Carol Queen

Hop on the express train to sexual enlightenment with sex educator and self-avowed whore Dr. Carol Queen. Whether writing about the joys of being spanked into erotic bliss, performing in a red-light district peep show, partaking of the pleasures of the new safe sex clubs, or lobbying for the pro-pornography platform, Queen is an enthusiastic advocate for sexual pleasure.

Genres: Sexuality, Feminism, Nonfiction, Queer, Sex Work, Memoir, Essays

241 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Carol Queen is an American author, editor, sociologist and sexologist active in the sex-positive feminism movement. Queen has written on human sexuality in books such as Real Live Nude Girl: Chronicles of Sex-Positive Culture. She has written a sex tutorial, Exhibitionism for the Shy: Show Off, Dress Up and Talk Hot, as well as erotica, such as the novel The Leather Daddy and the Femme. Queen has produced adult movies, events, workshops and lectures. Queen was featured as an instructor and star in both installments of the Bend Over Boyfriend series about female-to-male anal sex, or pegging. She has also served as editor for compilations and anthologies. She is a sex-positive sex educator in the United States.

Reviews

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me realize I'm an unpaid sacred whore, and by that I mean the kind of love I exchange with men is a lot like the expansive, ritualized, circumscribed, creative, affectionate, un-shockable, divorced-from-the-rest-of-reality, mothering, but not-the-kind-you-bring-home-to-mama love of a devoted prostitute. Do I wish this were not the case? I don't know. Like a diagnoses, sometimes a name, a description of the shape of reality, is enough. I've always been fascinated with the lives of courtesans, concubines, and sex workers in general. I struggle with "traditional" relationships and am not at all sure I want what I'm supposed to want from romance. I love sex and feel my intimacies are profound, but I also feel I'm lacking in something important, never having been deemed an appropriate partner for a long-term stable relationship. In the face of what's expected of me, I feel like I am an incomplete woman and therefore less human because I have failed at securing a mate, and privately I feel like a powerful sad witch. There's a lot more to explore in that tension than belongs here, but this is the beginning of my response. I recognized much of my relationship to and feelings about sex in this book and I can't thank Carol enough for being bold enough to write it and being articulate enough to make it worth reading.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

No matter what your sexual proclivities, Carol Queen probably describes something you never thought of. This book pushed my boundaries. It made me reconsider my own assumptions about sex and the ways that I have espoused sex-negative messages from the dominant culture.

[Incognita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met Carol back in May of 1997 at DreamHaven, she autographed this copy for me. It had honestly been a while since I popped it open, and immediately my book fell open to her epitaph of Bob Flanagan, aka the man known as the Super Masochist from the RE: Search books, a man who succumbed to cystic fibrosis and who did a lot of performance art centered around the transformative power of pain.

The kind doctor was seriously dropping science vis-a-vis sex positivity back in the 1990s. It still floors me how forward thinking and amazing she is, and here, sixteen years later, there's Pussy Riot, and Femen, and the conversation's still going in the right direction, and rape culture is a part of the national dialogue, and it gives me hope.

This woman, along with Susie Bright, and Pat Califia, and others, were pretty inspirational to me.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating read. I have been passing it amongst friends since I finished it. A great reminder that our culture in the US restricts sexual freedom and that there is no such thing as "normal" in the world of sexuality.
Highly recommended. ;-)

[Coleen Singer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fabulous release from pioneer sex-positive educator, activist and author, Carol Queen.
I always enjoy her "shooting from the hip" style which imparts a great deal of valuable information in a fast-paced and light-hearted manner.

The publisher description pretty much sums it up, saying "Hop on the express train to sexual enlightenment with sex educator and self-avowed whore Dr. Carol Queen. Whether writing about the joys of being spanked into erotic bliss, performing in a red-light district peep show, partaking of the pleasures of the new safe sex clubs, or lobbying for the pro-pornography platform, Queen is an enthusiastic advocate for sexual pleasure."

I would recommend that book to anyone that is simply tired of "talking about sex" as a rather boring and academic monologue, or pushing some sort of post modern feminist agenda!

[Tobi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An array of essays written by Carol Queen. Includes experience in the sex industry, queer theory, and comes up with a name for the sexual compulsion of conservatives who get off by condemning queers.

[Spellbind Consensus]

* The book is a collection of essays and personal reflections exploring the meaning and practice of sex-positivity in contemporary culture.
* Queen, a sex educator and activist, draws from her own experiences as a bisexual woman, writer, and worker in the adult entertainment industry to illustrate the complexity of sexual identity and expression.
* Essays discuss topics such as stripping, pornography, masturbation, bisexuality, and the politics of desire.
* She confronts the stigma surrounding sex work, arguing for recognition of sex workers’ voices and experiences as valid and central to discussions of sexuality.
* The book presents detailed, concrete stories from Queen’s own life: performing in strip clubs, working in adult media, and navigating relationships and community activism.
* Queen critiques the cultural tendency to shame or silence open discussions of sexuality, especially those outside heteronormative norms.
* She links personal sexual experiences to broader political and cultural debates, showing how sexuality intersects with feminism, queer identity, and social justice.
* The text emphasizes the idea of sexual diversity and freedom of choice, insisting that all consensual expressions of sexuality deserve respect and visibility.
* Queen also reflects on the challenges of being a public advocate for sex-positivity, including the personal scrutiny and backlash she has faced.

---

### Tone and Writing Style

* **Tone:** Bold, unapologetic, thoughtful, and activist-driven.
* **Style:** Accessible and conversational while also analytical, blending memoir, cultural criticism, and political commentary.
* **Support for Content:** The mix of personal storytelling and critical reflection reinforces the book’s central message: that sexuality is both a deeply personal and highly political domain. The candid style makes complex ideas about sexual politics approachable.

---

### Author’s Qualifications

* **Carol Queen** holds a Ph.D. in sexology and is a long-time sex educator, writer, and activist.
* She is a staff sexologist at the San Francisco–based Center for Sex and Culture, which she co-founded.
* Queen has been a prominent voice in the sex-positive movement since the 1990s, bringing academic expertise together with lived experience.
* Her professional background and personal history uniquely qualify her to discuss the intersections of sexuality, culture, and politics, grounding *Real Live Nude Girl* in both intellectual rigor and experiential authenticity.

[Jason Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a pretty amazing book. It had a very mind-opening effect on my view of sex. The author makes a defense for things like sex work and sexual fantasies that are viewed as immoral or just weird by most of society. She also addresses the history of various groups' views on these sorts of things, as well as the struggles of bisexuals to find a place of belonging. Carol Queen has helped me feel more secure about some of the curiosities I have had about sex and sexual fantasy and has made me interested in discovering more perspectives that, like hers, isn't always socially acceptable.

[Xavier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sex positive but there are a lot of generalizations. The observations are good and thought-provoking and I definitely agree with the idea that a lack of sexual education is extremely harmful to our youth and even people who have been having sex for years, including medical doctors!

My issue with this style of writing is that it feels like a stream of consciousness where statements seemingly come from thin air. The middle piece where she's describing her sex work was what I was expecting the entire book to be, but still good stuff all around.

[Milo Perone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found in my university library, this book opened my eyes to the many different sexual attitudes one can experience. I loved that Carol Queen made me reevaluate my own views on sexuality and exposed me to the many different kinds of relations a person can have, and what that may or may not say about them.

[Renetta Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind expanding and such an open honest sharing....... I would say not for the narrow minded but then I think perhaps it is especially for them actually!

[Alicia Pearl Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I’ve ever read in my entire LIFE.

[Travis McKenzie]

Travis McKenzie

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

a great introductory read to a lot of sex related topics/sex positivity. bit too many insensitive uses of schizophrenia however.

[okyrhoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a challenging read, and I recommend it to anyone who thinks that they -so far- have an open mind.
Carol Queen presents her socio-political views in a personal, frank, and yet thorough manner (there are several pages of bibliographical references). I appreciate her positive view of sexuality, and her efforts to empower women, even if it is through a radical line of reasoning.
For a while I am tempted to go along with her unorthodox views on "sex work." But I fear that Dr. Queen is not taking into account the conditions of that line of employment for women beyond the borders of the U.S., conditions which are far more prevalent and far more problematic than the idealized ones she seems to have personally experienced, and which shaped her views presented in this series of essays. It's like capitalism - it functions to a satisfactory extent in the U.S. and Europe, but can often be an inefficient (and cruel) system when exercised elsewhere.
Yet reading this book has got me thinking, and I am now more willing to consider somewhat radical views of the conflict/controversy over sex as a commodity.

[Terrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read Queen for her candor, or not at all. I seriously debated whether or not I should include this book, because I find certain essays in it incredibly irritating. First off, she positions herself as a super-enlightened, progressive sexual thinker, but has absolutely no problem mocking straight men in downright cruel ways (ways that, if a man said the same about a woman, would earn him the unadulterated wrath of progressives). I don't take kindly to hypocrites, and Queen definitely qualifies, but you have to be impressed by her honesty in revealing her sexual tastes, some of which tend toward the extreme.

[Peace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book, both theoretical and a memoir. I learned about "erotophobia" and "whorephobia," the existence of the sacred prostitute, and how exhibitionism can inspire someone to be a sex worker. I think it's really cool that Queen has both the practical knowledge of sex & sex work, as well as a doctorate in sexology. The only other person I know of with a comparable experience is Annie Sprinkle.

I would probably have given this book 5 stars if I didn't really dislike the essay on "absexuality," in which Queen's argument is based on unsupported arguments.

[Sheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book and I don't seem to have my copy anymore!
It's a memoir of sorts of my favorite sex positive crusader, Carol Queen. She talks about her bumpy journey through various sexual identities, mirroring my own so closely sometimes that it makes me jump!
Very entertaining, frank, real writing. Read everything by her you can!

[Loreldonaghey Donaghey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of interesting points of view. Our culture is uptight about sexuality. But, she could have been a little less crass and lewd and her point might have been better made. And it made me sad that the only thing she could say about her mother's death was that she wondered what her reaction would have been to her coming out.

[Valissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"As I grew, I took lovers the way I devoured books: hungrily, expectantly, looking for information as much as pleasure."

"But the hunger that sexuality creates gnaws more in the brain than between our legs, and I would like to make a meal of that."

[Rooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not rating this three stars because I didn't like it, or because Carol Queen isn't an enjoyable and amusing author. I did and she is. I just . . . wasn't quite set on fire by it, and it's a bit dated. Absolutely a fun, interesting, and worthwhile read, though.

[Ed Bierman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvelously well written and inspiring this series of essays on sex-positive culture is a classic must read on the topic.. I was especially inspired by the chapter on pornography and the new age man and being true to ones desires.

[Mark Farley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carol Queen is a resounding expert on sexual freedom and the politics surrounding the still taboo culture in America. This is a smart and clever memoir that will turn your head and change your mind. Great anecdotal arguements and points that will dismiss the righteous.

[Suzyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is best read as a 1990's historical peice, and yeah, she goes a little far with the temple prostitutes thing, but well worth reading for Queen's perspective on where gender and sexuality was five minutes before the internet changed everything.

[Jaina]

I need to finish reading this actually...

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This woman is my hero.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminded me of books I used to read for psych/sociology classes in college. Not quite what I expected but I enjoyed her view of the world.

[Dominick]

it was educheional cuzz i know more thing and i know how 2 eat a gril out

[Dominick · Rating 5 out of 5]

i like it because i know how 2 eat a gril out and make a gril happy

[Nash · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an eye opener for the sexually clueless! (BTW, that may or may not be a HUGE understatement)