Women are told they should be sex-positive, yet they are still policed for embracing desire on their own terms. Women who embrace their sexuality-who take charge of their desires without apology-are still met with scrutiny, judgment, and even shame. Conversations about female sexuality have evolved, yet outdated expectations persist, reinforcing the idea that “good” women don't prioritize their own sexual pleasure.Meanwhile, purity culture is rebranding itself in the form of “body count” discourse, sex shaming on social media, and narratives that still tie female sexuality to morality.

Wanton Women is a bold, necessary intervention in this conversation. It centers the voices of women who refuse to apologize for their desire, challenging cultural norms and redefining what it means to be a sexual woman today. These women push back against the idea that female sexuality should be constrained, sanitized, or policed. Their stories-complex, messy, unapologetic-offer a new way to think about sexual autonomy and pleasure. Weaving together case studies, cultural commentary, and sociological analysis, Wanton Women offers a fresh perspective on gender, desire, and the way sexual scripts shape women's lives.

Alicia M. Walker, PhD, is an associate professor of sociology at Missouri State University. Her research focuses on intimate sexual relationships, and specifically behaviors we tend to keep secret, exploring the complexities of desire, infidelity, and sexual identity. Her career has centered on those behaviors we've been told we're not supposed to do, but we can't help ourselves but to do, and then we keep them a secret from, well, everybody.

Dr. Walker is credited with the creation of a sociology of infidelity, a field that explores the sociological patterns and meanings behind extramarital relationships. She is the author of The Secret Life of the Cheating Wife: Power, Pragmatism, and Pleasure in Women's Infidelity (Rowman 2017) and Chasing Masculinity: Men, Validation, and Infidelity (Palgrave Macmillan). Her work has been featured in multiple outlets-radio, television, print, and internet (e.g., Redbook, CNN, New York Times, The Cut, Daily Mail, Bustle, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Vice, Men's Health, USA Today, Psychology Today, The Independent, The Sun, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, The Sun, Business Insider)-both within the United States and internationally without the benefit of a PR team.

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Weekly Psychology Today Column: Hidden Desires (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hidden-desires)