Since the dawn of civilisation, we have obsessed over women who cheat. From ancient Greek tragedies to tabloids and TV dramas, our appetite for the appetites of promiscuous women is nearly insatiable. They fascinate, engage, and outrage us - sometimes all at once. But why, in this age of celebrated female autonomy, empowerment, and sexuality, do we continue to judge and condemn female cheaters so harshly while giving their male counterparts a pass? The answer is more complicated than it seems - and it is wrapped up in fundamental misunderstandings of female sexuality that are as old as humanity itself.
In Untrue, author and social researcher Wednesday Martin explores what we've been getting wrong about unfaithful women and the evolutionary impulses behind their desires. Blending personal stories from Martin's own history with accessible social science, cultural theory, and interviews with sex researchers, psychologists, primatologists, anthropologists, and real women from all walks of life, Untrue reveals startling insights about female sexuality, and challenges our deepest assumptions about ourselves, monogamy, and the women we think we know.
From recent scientific findings suggesting that women struggle more with monogamy than men do, to the revolutionary idea that women evolved to be 'promiscuous,' Untrue will change the way you think about women and sex forever.
About the Author
Wednesday Martin is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Primates of Park Avenue, which has been optioned as a feature film by MGM, and Stepmonster. She has appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, Nightline, Dr. Oz, CNN, NPR, NBC News, BBC Newshour, and Fox News. Her writing has been featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Time, Psychology Today, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, Harper's Bazaar, and The Observer. Wednesday studied anthropology at the University of Michigan and earned her doctorate in comparative literature and cultural studies, with a focus on anthropology, from Yale. She taught cultural studies and literature at Yale and The New School for Social Research. Wednesday lives in New York City with her husband and their two sons.
Industry Reviews
`Scientifically literate and sexually cliterate ... an exuberant unfettering of female sexuality that challenges us to 'think outside her box.' Viva la Vulva!' -Ian Kerner, sex therapist and author of She Comes First
`If you have ever felt different, other, or just weird when it comes to love, sex, or intimacy, read Untrue. In it, Wednesday Martin bulldozes the sexual stereotypes that have silenced and constrained us for centuries, bringing the voices of women who love in a range of ways to the surface. Dazzling.' -Rachel Simmons, co-founder of Girls Leadership and author of Odd Girl Out
`Wednesday Martin understands female sexuality - from the #MeToo movement and polyamory to women's prehistoric and cultural heritage. She goes far beyond our current psychological understanding of women's infidelity to tell the real story of women's ubiquitous, tenacious, and primordial sexual strategies. And her writing is not only informative, timely, and refreshing but wonderfully engaging. Brava, Wednesday.' -Helen Fisher, author of The First Sex and Why We Love
`For centuries, men have been telling the story of female sexuality. Unsurprisingly, it was riddled with condescension, bias, and sheer ignorance. With Untrue, Wednesday Martin sets the record straight, shining a light on some of the female researchers reshaping our understanding of what turns women on, and why. This is an important story, beautifully told. Highly recommended.' -Christopher Ryan, co-author of Sex at Dawn
`A simultaneously frothy and substantive tour of female sexual desire ... An indispensable work of popular psychology and sociology.' (STARRED REVIEW) -Kirkus
`Wednesday Martin deconstructs many of the false beliefs that have negatively affected the way women's sexuality is viewed ... This book turns everything we think we know about women and sex completely on its head, essentially undressing the falsehoods of female sexuality to reveal what lies beneath the layers of distortion women operate under.' -Kerri Jarema, Bustle
