the women who wrote the first erotic guides.
Long before modern guides, these women were writing the rulebook for pleasure.
When it comes to sexual knowledge, history often credits men. Doctors, philosophers, or self-proclaimed experts dictated the rules of intimacy. But long before today’s guides or TikTok tips, women were quietly and boldly writing the first erotic manuals for couples. These were not just tips on positions or foreplay. They were lessons in desire, consent, and mutual pleasure.
Breaking the Taboo
In the 17th and 18th centuries, conversations about sex were rare, secretive, and often one-sided. Women’s voices were nearly invisible. That is what makes these early guides revolutionary. They centered women’s experiences and perspectives, challenging the notion that pleasure was something to be endured or ignored.
Authors like Alcina Feliciana in Italy and Mary de la Rivière Manley in England wrote with candor and wit, giving couples practical advice while also empowering women to claim their desires.
Few surviving illustrations capture the work of these early women authors, but their voices endure. While we may not have abundant visual artifacts of their books, the guidance they offered was revolutionary—and the words themselves speak louder than any image.
Their guides often included:
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How to communicate openly with a partner
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Understanding mutual consent and boundaries
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Techniques for pleasure that prioritized both partners
It was not just erotica. It was relationship guidance ahead of its time.
Lessons That Still Matter
Fast-forward centuries, and their lessons echo in the work maude champions today. Intimacy is best when it is mutual, playful, and informed. Women speaking up about desire, requesting what they want, and advocating for their own pleasure was radical then and it remains transformative today.
These guides remind us that sexual education can be joyful, empowering, and informed, just like the women who first put pen to paper. At maude, we carry that legacy forward, inspired by the women who came before us, with guides for couples:
- how to make consent sexy.
- telling your partner what you want in bed.
- Intimacy beyond sex.
- the dos and don’ts of the bedroom.
- everything you need to know about natural lubrication.
- a beginner’s guide to role play.
So this Women’s History Month, consider this. The next time you are sharing a tip or exploring pleasure with a partner, you are part of a centuries-long lineage of women who taught the world how to ask first, give freely, and enjoy fully.
