10/22/14
Why No Blowjobs Can Be a Dealbreaker for Men


photo via flickr

Last week we published reader Sara’s impassioned comment about blowjobs, and how they are not an inalienable right. This week, we are publishing two responses to her by two of our equally thoughtful, passionate, intelligent male readers, Derek and Steve. Can we just say how much we love that a debate like this can take place on our site, with no flaming and no name-calling? It’s positively revolutionary! So please, keep it coming.

And yes, we will admit to a little bias when it comes to discussing an absence of cunnilingus in a relationship vs an absence of blowjobs. There is one fairly big difference, though: We don’t know any (many?) men who are able to climax via oral sex alone. For women, on the other hand, it’s a different story. Cunnilingus is often the closest women come to experiencing the kind of guaranteed climaxes that men take for granted. Sometimes it’s the only way they can climax. Also, we happen to think that the way cunnilingus is dismissed in our culture is a lot more problematic than the way blowjobs are discussed. Simply put, there’s a power differential.

That all said, we will do our best to bear these comments below in mind. And we will do our best to treat men in blowjob-free lives as sensitively as we do those women who are starved for cunnilingus. A little more empathy never hurt any blogger, after all!

Here are the responses to the original post, “Your Call: She Doesn’t Like Going Down” and the follow-up “Comment of the Week: Blowjobs Aren’t an Inalienable Right”:

Derek: Good points, Sara. No one should feel that they have to do any specific sex act. Now, I think it is a good idea for any committed, monogamous couple to try and explore things that their partners really enjoy, but if you really don’t like it then don’t do it.

That being said, I also think the other partner has every right to say good bye to a relationship that does not include things that they really enjoy and would miss greatly if there was a lack of it. I don’t want to be with a woman who doesn’t make me laugh, who isn’t loving, who wants to spend her weekends at work, who doesn’t like giving blowjobs, that hates dogs and won’t let me adopt one, and who can only orgasm after being urinated on. All are valid reasons to not want to be with someone who you otherwise love a lot.

For me, blow jobs give me the opportunity to relax and just feel pleasure and joy. Thrusting is hard business, and there are a great many things to keep track of (back pain, arms about to give out, sliding knees, etc). Not to mention, the anxiety a lot of men feel about maybe coming to soon or their dick not helping a woman have an orgams and all the attendant feelings of failure and unmanliness.

Fellatio allows me to not have those worries. I don’t have to make decisions. I don’t have to worry about anything. All I get to do is feel, to experience amazing sensations. I don’t think I could be married to a woman who would not provide that opportunity to me. It is far to blessed and amazing experience for me to never do it again.

Now, if your man is willing to pay the price of admission (no blow jobs) then great, but if he is unwilling, as I would be, then he has every right to end the relationship and find what he needs elsewhere. Just as you are free to leave a man who demands fellatio from you constantly, or a man that does not fit your needs.

And it is not because I don’t care about the woman. We all have needs and wants and they are all valid things. If I loved a woman who hates dogs and never, ever wants one of the damned things, I don’t think I could marry her. I love dogs and I want one very much. Likewise, I don’t want kids and a woman who wants kids has every right to leave me so that she can get the things she wants and needs. Sex is no different. Unmet needs cause all kinds of problems and it is important for everyone to be honest with themselves about what they need and desire. So, I don’t think shaming someone for really liking and wanting/needing a sexual act is a helpful thing to do.

P.S. A lot of these issues might be solved if we just all got into being monogamish and opened up our relationships!

 

Steve: Great post, Derek. There is a striking contrast between many of the responses provided in this thread and those in the one entitled “My Husband Won’t Give Me Oral.” Several posters here have emphasized that no one should feel forced to do do something that he or she does not want to do. In that thread the husband is treated as a jerk for having the same views that the letter writer here expresses. Double standards, anyone?

I agree that no one should feel forced to perform any specific sex act. On the other hand, sex IS important to many people, and no one should be obliged to stay in a relationship if his/her needs are not being met. This is not an issue of “entitlement” – it’s about whether each person’s wants and needs are being satisfied in the relationship. It’s up to the participants to try to reach a satisfactory solution. If this proves impossible, both will have to decide whether the relationship is worth maintaining.

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4 Comments

  1. If I give (and I’m VERY willing), I expect to receive. That said, while women expect to receive, in my experience they believe that giving is gross and makes them sluts and whores. I have never found a woman willing on her own volition to give me oral. A few would do it halfheartedly once or twice and resist every time after. When I discovered this in my partners, I stopped giving. The relationship would deteriorate, and I’d move on.

    And women ask where all the good men have gone. They know better than to get involved with disappointment.

    1. Agreed. It doesn’t matter how nice or good a woman is if she can’t be what I need sexually. Instead, she’s relegated to friend status. I will never give up pleasure to “satisfy” a woman’s sexual Hangul.

  2. 😀

    I cannot express how honored I feel to have my post featured. There is a big smile on my face! Hopefully, the post helped some people understand things a bit better.

    You bring up good points about cunnilingus, and I highly encourage anyone who loves female bodied people to gleefully engage in it at every opportunity.

  3. This is a very interesting debate. I was separated from my wife for about a year. During that time, I met several woman. Many of those woman had expressed a strong desire to receive oral sex. Being fairly open about things, and having some very frank discussions on the subject, I learned how much most women enjoyed oral sex. It seemed to me, most women where able to orgasm during oral. And, to me, there is is nothing more of a turn on, than turning on a women! Nothing! During that time of my life, I was asked several times by different women, about what turns me on? My response was always the same. Turning you on is the hottest thing on the planet! Yes, I really enjoy receiving as well, and I agree with the above post, who described just being able to relax, and not worry about performance issues is very true. I think it’s the same for women. Since then, I have reunited with my wife, one of the the most beautiful, sexual people on this planet (see my previous post: “how to fall in love with your wife again”). She loves oral, and I would gladly provide her with it every single day, if called upon.

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