Chapter 11: Bashful V

“I want to come at this straight. I want to bring my own baggage and unpack it in front of you. I am one of the Bashful Bunch—or at least I’m still working my way out of membership in the group. To many of my friends, I am a walking contradiction. I appear extroverted and at ease with myself, which for the most part I am. I have taught women’s studies in college and have spent the better part of the last decade facilitating women’s groups and writing books on women’s empowerment. Yet, I still revert to the early conditioning of my Middle Eastern culture when it comes to matters of sex.

I believe that every woman should have the opportunity at some point in her life to set down and unpack her sexual baggage among those she trusts and respects. That is the first step to reclaiming our bodies, our health, our pleasure, and our wholeness as feminine beings. It is because of that belief that I am grateful for the work that Dr. Sherry does every day. She has devoted her life to the female body—how to talk about it, protect it, and value it. In this book, Dr. Sherry ventures into topics about which most of us women are curious to know and understand but may be too embarrassed to verbalize.”