Black Women’s Pleasure Mapping

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to explore pleasure mapping among (N=215) Black women living in the South using Black Feminist Thought and Cite Black Women critical praxis. Participants identified 78 activities that were most pleasurable. There were nine distinct themes of activities including oral sex, foreplay, clitoral and combined stimulation, masturbation, penetration, sensuality, shared intimacy, self- and partnered body awareness, and power and control. Findings from this study inform a pleasure mapping technique. Implications for sexualities educators are provided.

“I believe our imaginations—particularly the parts of our imaginations that hold what we most desire, what brings us pleasure, what makes us scream yes—are where we must seed the future, turn toward justice and liberation, and reprogram ourselves to desire sexually and erotically empowered lives.”

—Adrienne Maree Brown,

Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good

Introduction

The study of Black women’s sexualities has historically been viewed from a sex negative lens, with a focus on disease, pregnancy prevention, and omission of sex positive aspects such as pleasure, orgasms, and desire (Hargons et al., 2020; Jones, 2019). By only highlighting the deficits in Black women’s sexualities, we dangerously create a narrative that erases their possibilities of pleasure (Nash, 2012; Adichie, 2009), fails to advance Back sexology (Hammond, 1994: Hargons et al., 2018, 2020; Townes et al., 2021), and goes beyond the dominant narrative of trauma and violence (Jones, 2019; Nash, 2012). By refraining from discussing pleasurable sexual activities, we further stigmatize Black women (Townes et al., 2021) and encourage a “politic of silence” where Black women refrain from discussing their sexualities (Hammonds, 1994). Encouraging Black women to explore what pleases them (e.g., pleasure mapping), especially without centering their partner’s pleasure, is liberatory in the Southern United States social context where Black women’s sexualities are rooted in stereotypical images from slavery such as a hypersexualized Jezebel or unsexual Mammy (Collins, 2004; Stephens and Phillips, 2003) and where religious sexual shame often hinders sexual exploration and freedom (Davis & Tucker-Brown, 2013; Harris-Perry, 2011; Lomax, 2018). The exploration of Black women’s sexual pleasure counters predominant sexual scripts that heteronormative sex revolves around men’s sexual pleasure and ego, and men’s orgasms are more valuable than women’s (Alarie, 2019). These traditional gendered scripts are constraining and serve as barriers to Black women’s sexual well-being (Ward et al., 2019); thus, over the past two decades, sexual scripts have changed as a result of Black women becoming more liberated (Alexander, 2021). This study is the first to our knowledge to examine pleasure mapping among Black women empirically. While Black women’s pleasure has been explored in conceptually, theoretically, and philosophically including more recently the exploration of their entitlement to pleasure (Chmielewski et al., 2020), there is a dearth of empirical research on what specific activities bring them sexual pleasure. To center Black women’s voices in sex research and pleasure narratives, this study uses Black Feminist Thought as a theoretical framework, the Cite Black Women critical praxis, and Pleasure Mapping as a research method.

Black Feminist Thought

Black feminist thought integrates, validates, and centers Black women’s unique realities including their sexual experiences (Collins, 1989; Few et al., 2003) and stems from the belief that Black women are constantly co-constructing the world around them as they navigate multiple oppressions (Stephens & Phillips, 2005). The gendered racism and sexual socialization of Black women creates a shared experience that may influence how Black women view their sexualities. Black women are constantly navigating sexual scripts and stereotypes of being hypersexual, promiscuous, and freaks (Stephens & Phillips, 2003) that affect their sexual expression and pleasure worthiness. As a result of sexual scripts and stereotypes, Black women’s sexualities, particularly their pleasure, is often pathologized or rendered invisible (Morrison, 1992; Hammonds, 1994).

From a historical view, the politics of silence around Black sexualities are used to denounce the hypersexual stereotypes, myths, and tropes White people created by encouraging Black women to refrain from discussing and embracing their sexuality (Collins, 2004; Cooper, 2017; Harris-Perry, 2011). Many Black women are taught by society, and reinforced by other Black and White people, to shield their truth about their sexuality, value secrecy, and never discuss their pleasures and desires for sexual intercourse with others (Hammonds, 1994; Higginbotham, 1992; Hine, 1989). This silence can also be seen within early Black feminist writings that focused primarily on restriction, repression, and danger, failing to acknowledge domains such as exploration pleasure and agency (Vance, 1984). More recent work, however, has addressed Vance’s (1984) call made over 30 years ago for more research on pleasure and exploration (Hargons, 2018; Townes, 2020; Townes 2021; Thorpe et al., 2021a;2021b). Resisting adherence to the politics of silence, Black feminist thought centers Black women who are constructing (e.g., conceptualizing and verbalizing) what sexual activities, behaviors, and experiences are pleasurable to them. This includes acknowledging that Black women have agency over their own bodies and are not just receptacles for the pleasure of others (Robinson, 2012; Garner et al., 2019). In turn, this study honors Black women who counter the hypersexualized stereotypes by embodying aspects of them, suggesting that their voices are valid too. This progressive stance of Black sexual politics roots Black women’s sexualities in agency, ecstasy, and pleasure instead of respectability politics and epistemologically urges women to embrace pleasure and articulate what is pleasurable to them (Lomax, 2018). Additionally, this progressive stance requires the use of frameworks that center the voices of Black women such as Cite Black Women critical praxis and Black Feminist Thought.

Critical Praxis of Cite Black Women

The hashtag #CiteBlackWomen has become popular on social media. However, Cite Black Women is more than a hashtag: “Cite Black Women is a movement dedicated to highlighting the expertise of Black women scholars (organically and academically trained) who are often undercut and undermined” (Smith et al., 2021, p. 3). By citing Black women, researchers engage in an antiracist practice of centering voices that are often left behind and erased from academic citation practices by purposefully recognizing the intellectual labor and knowledge that Black women produce (Smith et al., 2021). The Cite Black Women movement combats what Black feminist theorist Evelyn Higginbottom (1992) refers to as a feared hypervisibility of Black women academics, which reinforces a politics of silence that fails to advocate for social and systemic change within the academy (Settles et al., 2019; Walkington, 2017). Additionally, Cite Black Women acknowledges that although Black women have historically been sexualized and rendered as inauthentic knowledge producers (Hammonds, 1994), they can, and must theorize Black women’s sexualities and pleasure. Although literature on Black women’s sexualities has often been viewed from a deficit lens (Hargons et al., 2020), Black women scholars have been diligently working to shift this narrative over 30 years (Vance, 1984) despite the sexology scales still leaning towards sex negative than sex positive. This manuscript uses this critical praxis by making a conscious effort to cite mostly Black women’s scholarly perspectives on sexual pleasure.

Pleasure Mapping

Morgan’s (2015) “politics of pleasure” insists scholars should amplify pleasure when referring to Black women’s sexualities. This includes operationalizing Black women’s sexualities from a sex positive framework, addressing the power of the erotic, and using joy-filled language that introduces pleasure as a priority of Black feminism (Morgan, 2015). “Politics of pleasure” acknowledges that Black women’s erotic maps demonstrate a spectrum of behaviors including, but not limited to, submission, aggression, exhibitionism, voyeurism, non-heteronormative activities, and sexual expression that resists binaries (Nash, 2012). Erotic mapping (also known as pleasure mapping) presents the opportunity for individuals to deeply explore and become specific about what brings them the most pleasure. In a world that is often sex-negative toward Black women (Hargons et al., 2020), being able to identify specific activities that lead to pleasure may be difficult. Sexual orientation can also create barriers for Black women to identify their pleasure maps. Heterosexual Black women are often taught to put their partner’s pleasure before their own (Bowleg, 2004), so they may be uncertain about what brings them pleasure because they are not encouraged to provide feedback to their partners. In turn, heterosexual women often become passive recipients of pleasure, who possibly hope for pleasure rather than feeling entitled to experience and engage in the activities that bring them the most pleasure (Hargons et al., 2018). This is also evident in the orgasm gap between Black men and women (Townes et al., 2021). Although heterosexist scripts and gender roles may still be present within Black same sex relationships (Moore, 2006), Black women in these relationships experience more pleasure, and their pleasure is often prioritized more often if not equally as often as their partner (Wilson, 2009).

Current Study

Due to the unique experiences of Black women depending on their social location and varying identities, Black feminist thought allows for the validation and centering of Black women of various sexual orientations and sexual identities’ pleasure maps (Few, Stephens, & Rouse-Arnette, 2003). Relying on Black feminist thought as a theoretical framework, this study seeks to expand the knowledge of Black women’s pleasure maps by exploring the sexual activities that Black women ages 18–50 perceive to be most pleasurable. Our research question was “what type of sex or sexual activities make you feel the most pleasure?” Findings from this study inform a pleasure mapping technique, wherein Black women can identify and implement practices that bring them sexual pleasure.

Methods

Participants and Procedures

These data are from phase one of a larger explanatory sequential mixed-methods study (Pain and Pleasure Study) on sexual pain, pleasure, and anxiety among pre-menopausal cisgender Black women in the Southern region of the United States (US). Following institutional review board approval, participants were recruited in November 2020 through social media platforms (e.g., Instagram and Facebook) and word-of-mouth. To be eligible for this study, participants had to be (a) between the ages of 18–50, (b) pre-menopausal, (c) live in the Southern US, (d) have had sexual intercourse, and (e) identify as a Black cisgender woman. An online survey conducted via Qualtrics consisted of Likert scale, multiple-choice, and open-ended questions about participants’ sexual activities, sexual pain, and sexual pleasure. The survey took approximately 10–15 minutes to complete. Participants who entered their email at the end of the survey were entered into a raffle for one of three $25 Target gift cards. The current study focuses only on participants who answered the open-ended question on the survey, “what type of sex or sexual activities make you feel the most pleasure?” resulting in a final sample of n = 215, whose ages ranged from 19–47.

Analysis

Due to the brief text participants were able to provide on the survey modified structural tabular thematic analysis (ST-TA) was used (Robinson, 2021). ST-TA allows researchers to calculate theme frequencies among larger samples. It is suited for mixed methods research, especially to be used to analyze open-ended questions within a survey (Robinson, 2021). For the purposes of this study, we analyzed the responses to the question, “what sexual activities do you find most pleasurable?” Participants then listed between 1–6 activities. Transcripts were coded by the first, second, fourth and fifth authors, where all members read over the answers and then processed the findings with other team members (Berends & Johnston, 2005; Robinson, 2021). Team members then counted each time a sexual activity was mentioned. For activities that contained descriptive words (e.g., rough, gentle, etc.) these descriptive words were coded separately from the activities. Following coding, team members compared counts and recounted. Then a figure was created by the authors to display the frequencies of activities reported instead of using thematic mapping (see Figure 1). Although there is general opposition against counting in qualitative research, qualitative research depends on counting and numbers as much as it depends on meaning making (Sandelowski, 2001). Counting is an integral part of the analysis process to recognize patterns in data. Pattern recognition means seeing something repeatedly (Sandelowski, 2001). Displaying information numerically presents summative clarity on the sample’s emergent themes, and it can display data in a way that is not overloaded with words and allows the reader to focus in on key findings (Sandelowski, 2001).

Fig. 1.

Word Cloud of Pleasurable Activities. Note: The size of the word indicates the number of people that endorsed the activity.

Data were counted by the first and second author and coded by four team members individually. The first and second author discussed the counts and re-counted the data again to reach inter analyst agreement. During two lab meetings themes were discussed and modified based on our results of the first, second, fourth, and fifth author. The first, second, and fourth author then pulled quotes to highlight each theme. Throughout this process the first author memoed about any potential quotes that may overlap and the first, second, and fourth author discussed their feelings about each quote.

Authors’ Subjectivities Statement

The survey portion of this study was conducted by a research team of four cisgender Black women. Two Black women faculty members served as mentors to the primary investigator, providing guidance on the study’s conceptualization, methodology, and revisions of the manuscript drafts. The first author is trained as a public health educator and the third author is a trained epidemiologist. The remaining authors are all trained in counseling psychology. Five team members identified as heterosexual, one as queer, and one as bisexual. Given the interest in the research regarding Black women, the team was purposefully composed of only Black women.

Results

Participants reported 78 activities that are most pleasurable during sex (see Table 1; Figure 1). The top 11 activities were receiving oral sex (n = 129), foreplay (n = 31), clitoral stimulation (n = 22), kissing (n = 22), masturbation (n = 20), vaginal sex (n = 20), fingering (n = 18), doggy style (n = 16), anal sex (n = 13), missionary (n = 11), and using toys (n = 11). Data analyses indicated most of these activities could be divided into nine themes: oral sex, foreplay, clitoral and combined stimulation, masturbation, penetration, sensuality, shared intimacy, self- and partnered body awareness, and power and control. Some of the quotes and activities were included in multiple themes. One aspect worth mentioning but was not large enough to be its own theme, was uncertainty (n=2). One participant stated that they did not know what brought them pleasure (age 34), while another reported that the activities depend on the partner (age 31), in which one could assume that there are not consistent behaviors that bring these participants pleasure regardless of their partner’s identities and relationship status.

Table 1.

Frequency of Reported Pleasurable Sexual Activities

Frequency	Activity
129	Receiving oral
31	Foreplay
22	Clitoral stimulation
	Kissing
20	Masturbation
	Vaginal sex
18	Fingering
16	Doggy style
13	Anal sex
11	Missionary
	Toys
9	Nipple play
	Touching
8	Massage
	Breast play
7	Giving oral
	Riding
6	Penetrative sex
	Passionate sex
	Rough sex
5	Kink Intimacy
4	Dirty talk
	Emotional connection
	Eye contact
	Vibrator
	Slow
	Deep strokes
	Aggressive
	Control
3	Connection
	Rubbing
	Mutual masturbation
	Role play
	Simultaneous
	Spontaneous sex
2	Legs on shoulders
	Reverse cowgirl
	Feeling powerful
	Caressing
	Cuddling
	Comfortable with partner
	Communication
	Holding hands
	Bodies intertwined
	Vanilla sex
	Choking
	Lingerie
1	Rubbing legs
	Interlocked legs
	Crab walk
	Power exchange
	Care
	Body kisses
	Teasing
	Mind and body
	Dominant
	Spanking
	Facing each other
	Everything
	BDSM
	Verbal sex praise
	Love making
	Anal pressure
	Hair pulling
	Showering together
	Hearing partner moan
	Body worship
	Virtual play
	Respect
	Love
	Biting
	Sucking
	Lubricated
	Threesomes
	Varied locations
	Taboo things

Oral Sex

The most frequently reported pleasurable sexual activity was giving and receiving oral sex (n=136). A participant stated, “oral sex [which] is the only way I’ve ever reached orgasm with a sexual partner” (age 24) and “I enjoy oral sex because I’m guaranteed to orgasm. I’ve never had a vaginal orgasm” (age 44). Six participants reported that they gained pleasure from reciprocated oral sex as well, “I love it when my partner gives me oral, and I love pleasuring him with oral as well,” (age 32) and “holding hands while giving / receiving oral” (age 24).

Foreplay

Foreplay was the second most frequent theme (n=53). Kissing was considered a major part of foreplay. Participants reported desire for foreplay that engages the entire body, “emotional foreplay that engages the mind and body” (age 25) and “… attention to erogenous zones” (age 28). Foreplay was often paired with other activities, with only two participants reporting that solely foreplay was the most pleasurable sexual activity. Participants reported foreplay in conjunction with firm sex, rough sex, passionate sex, kissing, and touch.

Clitoral and Combined Stimulation

Twenty-two participants reported that clitoral stimulation was their most pleasurable sexual activity. Participants stated “… vibrator with focus on clitoral stimulation” (age 28), “any type of clitoral stimulation (toys, oral, etc.)” (age 27), and “I love … using toys focused on the clitoris as I orgasm 99% via clit stimulation and not penetration” (age 28). Eleven participants reported using toys as pleasurable. Two participants also reported multiple types of stimulation simultaneously as their main source of pleasure: “sexual stimulation on several parts of my body at a time” (age 23), “clitoral stimulation, boob stimulation, and penetration combined” (age 31), and “getting my nipples sucked while having my butt grabbed and my clitoris stimulated” (age 33). Nine participants specifically said the combination of clitoral stimulation during vaginal sex was their most pleasurable activity, while one participant also mentioned the pleasure from fingering while using a clitoral vibrator (age 22). Finally, along with clitoral stimulation and/or vaginal sex, eight participants reported combining nipple and breast play/stimulation.

Masturbation

Twenty participants reported that masturbation brought them pleasure. Participants stated, “masturbation is probably the most pleasurable!” (age 27) and “I enjoy masturbation the most if my goal is to achieve orgasm” (age 40). Three participants reported mutual/partnered masturbation were the most pleasurable activities for them.

Penetration

Many participants found penetrative sex, including specific positions, tempos, and intensities pleasurable (n=105). More participants reported vaginal sex as pleasurable (n=20) than anal sex (n=13). Participants also specified positions such as doggy style, riding, being on top, reverse cowgirl, crabwalk, and missionary as pleasurable activities. They also indicated variations in tempo (e.g., slow and deep) and intensity (e.g., rough, hardcore, passionate, aggressive).

Sensuality

Twenty-eight participants talked about pleasure as sensuality, or the fulfillment of the five senses. Participants also reported the pleasure they received from sexual touch such as sensual massages, light touch, caressing, grabbing, and spanking. Touch was described through “body worship” (age 25) and “foreplay followed by very passionate sex (e.g., kissing, rubbing, touching, etc.)” (age 27). Arousing through auditory senses was frequently mentioned, which included being called demeaning terms, dirty talk, verbal affirmations, and verbal sex praise. In the following quote, sound was paired with touch, “Hearing someone talk to me while rubbing on my legs and kissing” (age 24). One participant in particular mentioned touch, sight, smell, and taste in her description of sexual activities, “Breast play, dirty/sensual talk, kinky acts like being called names that would be considered “demeaning” outside of sex, giving and receiving oral, especially receiving oral from the back, lots of kissing during sex, affirming and hearing what feels good, how our interactions feel, being fingered, having my salad tossed” (age 39).

Shared Intimacy

Shared intimacy was highlighted in conjunction with having an emotional connection by twelve participants. One participant stated, “I experience the most pleasure when I have strong feelings for the person. There’s a level of intimacy there” (age 23). In some situations, intimacy was the most important part of sex, “If I’m romantically involved with my partner then I enjoy our intimate connection even if it’s vanilla sex” (age 38). Intimacy was also paired with connection and sensuality through eye contact as participants mentioned, “Slow, intimate, connectedness. Eye contact, lots of touching with hands” (age 24) and “Deep passionate sex. Eye to eye emotional connection …” (age 34).

Shared and Partnered Body Awareness

Participants also engaged in shared and partner body awareness, which included touching, body worship, and skin to skin contact. Shared body awareness includes being in tune with one’s body as well as their partners during sexual experiences while partnered body awareness is when the partner is in tune with the participant’s body. Quotes about body awareness illuminated touch and care, “When he rubs my thighs and runs his hands along me firmly, but with care. When he stimulates my clitoris with his fingers” (age 39). Participants also found their partner’s knowledge about their body as extremely pleasurable, “… when my partner knows my body and can fully satisfy me” (age 30). Finally, two participants mentioned being intertwined with their partner as their main source of pleasure, “I love when our bodies intertwined together and we hold each other before, during, and after sex.” (age 35) and “When my partner and I are intertwined naked, facing each other, staring into each other’s eyes, and giving each other passionate kisses” (age 29).

Power/Control

Fourteen participants reported dimensions of power and control, including power exchange, feeling powerful, kink/bdsm, dominance, and submission. Although no participants specifically mentioned the word submissive in their responses, one participant reported that they liked “hardcore rough sex where the guy takes control” (age 27). However, five women reported that being dominant and in control were their main sources of pleasure. “I like the power of control, and that turns me on the most. I also enjoy wearing lingerie in a sexual interaction as it again makes me feel powerful in the most sexy way” (age 26). Another participant said “… positions where I can control the penetration” (age 24).

Discussion

Seeking to expand Black sexology research, the current study sought to explore the sexual activities and behaviors Black women perceive as pleasurable. Our results revealed Black women enjoy many aspects of their sexual experiences, including 1) oral sex, 2) foreplay, 3) clitoral and combined stimulation, 4) penetration, 5) masturbation, 6) sensuality, 7) intimacy, 8) shared and partnered awareness, and 9) power and control dynamics. In attempts to amplify Black women’s voices surrounding Black female sexualities (Nash, 2012), this study offered Black women an opportunity to engage in erotic and pleasure mapping. Previous research shows that Black women found activities that enhance physiological sexual satisfaction as well as physiological satisfaction as the most satisfying (Townes et al., 2020). Our findings support prior investigative efforts by focusing on the emotional, physical, psychological, and sensual components of sexual activities. Findings have implications for assisting Black women, who are typically viewed from a deficit and risk-focused lens, with the ability to articulate and explore their sexual desires.

Receiving oral sex was reportedly the most pleasurable sexual activity among Black women. Past research has shown that Black women are less likely to give and receive oral sex than women of other racial groups (Laumann et al., 1994; Staples, 2006), despite it being reported as the most pleasurable behavior by adolescent girls and adult women (Bay-Cheng et al., 2009; Ritchers et al., 2006). Our findings instead align with national statistics showing the prevalence of Black women who engage in pleasurable oral sex (~45%) (Townes et al., 2021). Additionally, more Black women reported receiving oral sex from their partner compared to giving oral sex (Townes et al., 2021). These findings may indicate a generational shift, where Black women are receiving oral sex more frequently that previous generations. Over the last decade it has become more normalized for men to give oral sex to women based on shifts in societal norms around cunnilingus, social media messages, and R&B and hip-hop music lyrics (Ward et al., 2019). For example, hip-hop in the early 80s and 90s asserted that Black men did not perform cunnilingus and referenced it as disgusting and not masculine (Lewis, 2016); however, as women entered the hip-hop industry cunnilingus began to be praised in hip hop music (Alexander, 2021). Women in our sample discussed the benefits of mutual sexual pleasure as they received pleasure from cunnilingus and gave fellatio to their partners. Given that some participants relied on oral sex as an avenue to experience sexual pleasure and achieve an orgasm, it is imperative to interject the opposing narrative that Black women enjoy receiving and giving oral sex into the Black sexology discourse (Hargons et al., 2018).

Many Black women in our sample reported enjoyment of foreplay during sexual encounters. Adequate foreplay increases women’s sexual pleasure and arousal (O’Reilly & Stewart, 2020). In research in the late 70s Black sexologists noted a lack of sexual foreplay as a common complaint among some Black women (Staples, 1978), with more than half of Black women in a previous study reporting that they would like more foreplay before, during, and after sex (Ashby, 2005). However, the results from this study suggest the frequency of engagement in foreplay may have increased since then. For women in our sample, foreplay seemed to be an activity that began before and created excitement for sexual intercourse. Special attention provided to Black women’s erogenous zones facilitated arousal and desire for pleasurable sex. Foreplay seemed to be an important, and even necessary, part of their sexual encounters.

A sexual activity that likely serves as foreplay and increases pleasure among Black women is stimulation, particularly in the clitoral and nipple areas. Women’s pleasure was enhanced if there were multiple forms of stimulation occurring simultaneously, such as clitoral, breast, and anus play, during sexual encounters. Our finding indicates clitoral and nipple stimulation enhances sexual arousal and pleasure among some Black women. This idea may be especially true for some Black women who use sex toys such as clitoral vibrators to experience pleasure. Our findings are consistent with a recent study of Black women’s partnered experiences, indicating that their most recent sexual experiences were pleasurable and that they had engaged in a variety of sexual activities (Townes et al., 2021). In fact, some Black women perceive sexual variety to be an important aspect of relationships and/or marriages (Townes et al., 2020).

Our fourth theme highlights the value of masturbation for Black women’s sexual pleasure. Based on puritanical religious teachings, masturbation has long been considered a sinful behavior that could lead to sexual deviance (Gerressu et al., 2008). In a contradictory way, society is both sex negative and hypersexual. Although masturbation, also referred to as solo sex, has historically been rejected as a healthy sexual practice among Black women (Jean-Charles, 2015), women in our sample revealed masturbation is enjoyable, pleasurable, and increases their likelihood of experiencing an orgasm. This finding aligns with a previous study that showed most of a sample of Black women (62%) engaged in masturbation and had generally low levels of guilt regarding masturbating (Robinson, Bockting, & Harrell, 2002). Shameless masturbation is an important sexual activity that can increase body awareness and further understanding of individual sexual needs (Meiller & Hargons, 2019). Masturbation can be pleasurable because it can occur without the presence or pressure of partner sexual expectations.

Similarly, Black women discussed the role of penetration in their sexual pleasure. Recent research from a U.S. nationally representative sample of Black women found high rates of penetrative sex across age cohorts (Townes et al., 2021). More than two-thirds of Black women (ages 18 to 92) reported having penetrative sex and most women wanted the sexual experience to occur (Townes et al., 2021). Combining our results with this study’s findings, we can surmise vaginal and anal penetrative sex are pleasurable activities to Black women. Additionally, some women recalled their most pleasurable positions for penetrative sex such as missionary, doggy, and reverse cowgirl. Various sex positions can boost sexual pleasure based on increased access for penetration and manual stimulation of nipples, clitoris, and anus. Furthermore, certain penetrative sex positions can provide pleasure to women as they are able to control the pace, speed, and depth of the penetration, ultimately intensifying their experiences of pleasure (Nagoski, 2015) and minimizing the likelihood of unwanted sexual pain.

Sexual behaviors that activated one’s primal sense of touch, sight, sound, smell, and taste were reported as pleasurable among Black women. Our fifth theme of sensuality suggests Black women attend to their bodies during sex, which heightens their arousal and pleasure. Many women described their sexual experiences by mapping erotic areas of their bodies—as one participant called this “body worship”. By highlighting sensitive areas that need attention and bring feelings of pleasure, Black women also awakened their sensuality and reclaimed their bodies. This is a necessary practice of self (Black Girl Bliss, 2018; 2020) that can help Black women reconceptualize sex as less of a performance and more of an experience.

Many of our participants discussed the role of intimacy in their sexual experiences. For example, women spoke about the desire for emotional intimacy with their partner to optimize sexual pleasure. Studies focused on sexual pleasure among Black people have shown that intimacy, especially combined intimacies, can enhance pleasurable sexual experiences due to feelings of closeness, trust, and vulnerability (Dogan et al., 2018; Hargons et al., 2018). For some women, sustaining eye contact communicated a deeper level of care with their partner. It is speculated that Black women often view sex to build intimacy with their partners and maintain and strengthen romantic relationships (Rose, 2004). Thus, shared intimacy can demonstrate an emotional connection that make sexual encounters both pleasurable and meaningful.

A component of sexual intimacy that participants emphasized as a sixth theme was shared and partnered body awareness. This sexual activity featured women and their partners’ learning each other’s bodies to discover ways to please each other sexually. In a way, partnered body awareness bred familiarity, which is reflective of the intimacy shared only between women and their partners. This type of partner awareness appears to be and feel different than sexual objectification or fetishization for Black women (Thorpe, under review), such that there is a genuine interest and investment from their partner to support their sexual pleasure. Countering concerns of appearance monitoring, Black women experienced more sexual arousal and pleasure when they and their partners were sensate focused and practiced awareness of each other’s erotic sensations. Body awareness, particularly sensate focus and mindfulness have been showed to enhance the overall sexual well-being and arousal for women including those with low arousal and those that experience sexual pain (Seal & Meston, 2020). Increasing body awareness during solo and partnered may result in increases in sexual satisfaction as well as sexual pleasure.

Our final theme of power and control demonstrates that Black women have the agency to examine and articulate their sexual desires. According to Audre Lorde, Black erotica needs a space to explore power and control, pleasure, and desire (Lorde, 1984). Some participants toyed with the power dynamics of sex as givers and/or receivers in dominant, verse, and submissive roles. Hargons and colleagues (2020) assert healthy and empowered Black sexualities embodies pleasure, autonomy, and agency to ensure that individual and mutual sexual needs are met. In highlighting their sexual likes and dislikes of power and control, Black women can develop their sexual vocabularies and subjectivities, becoming erotic revolutionaries in the process (Nash, 2012). Black feminist theory suggests sexual freedom among Black women includes their right to sexual exploration and sexual pleasure to ultimately achieve pleasure worthiness (Cooper, 2018; Nash, 2012).

Implications

Pleasure mapping allows for the exploration of one’s pleasure. Pleasure mapping can be offered as a tool in a variety of educational and clinical settings to improve the sexual experiences of Black women. While sexualities research and educational materials seldomly mention pleasure, there has been a promising shift toward promoting sexual exploration, knowledge, and agency among Black women. Sex-positive messages about pleasure are critical and need to begin early to reverse the socialization messages that sex is inherently bad and leads to negative health outcomes. Educational settings provide an avenue to suggest pleasure mapping as a tool to explore one’s sexual arousal and desire. But first, it is important that educators provide explanations for the various types of arousal, stages of the sexual response cycle, and the body’s physiological response to pleasure.

We encourage the development of lesson plans that include pleasure and promote mapping as a tool for self-discovery and sexual agency. And while there remains a significant need to increase the visibility of pleasure in sexuality curricula, non-traditional educational settings (e.g., social media, community workshops) may be a convenient avenue for educators due to the controversial nature of discussing pleasure in formal educational settings. Further, it is critical that we amplify pleasure-centered research, data, and resources(for example, Afrosexology’s Solo Sex: A workbook for your erotic self). Similar to the promotion of masturbation in clinical settings, the promotion of pleasure mapping can be used to improve self-acceptance, cope with sexual difficulties, and serve as a form of resistance to sexual trauma (Bowman, 2013; Annon, 1973). Sexuality professionals serve as a resource in the development and enhancement of healthy sexual communication about sexual and gender identity, sexual desires and fantasies, and body autonomy (which can include but is not limited to sexual agency). Careful consideration to include pleasure mapping to the repertoire of tools used by sexuality educators and clinicians to improve the sexual well-being of Black women is strongly recommended.

Conclusion

Black feminist thought and a critical praxis of citing Black women present a valuable opportunity to center Black women’s sexualities in a way that departs from the dominant sex-negative discourse. This paper forwards Black women scholars’ previous work that asserts Black women’s pleasure worthiness and invites them to articulate their sexual desires. Our results indicated Black women participate in a variety of behaviors they find pleasurable. Additionally, findings demonstrated support for the use of pleasure mapping as a liberatory tool in the sexual lives of Black women.

Biographies

Shemeka Thorpe, PhD, is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology at the University of Kentucky. Her research focuses on the sexual well-being of Black women using sex positive and intimate justice frameworks.

Jardin N. Dogan, M.Ed., Ed.S, is a doctoral candidate in Counseling Psychology at the University of Kentucky. Her research interests connect to race-related trauma, and drug and sexual health-related disparities. Jardin hopes to explore coping strategies to combat the impact of racism, substance abuse, and incarceration on the functioning of Black couples and families.

Ashley Townes, PhD, MPH is an epidemiologist and sexual health researcher. She is an ORISE Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Atlanta, GA. Her research focuses Black women’s sexuality, including partnered experiences, accessing health information, and utilizing sexual health services.

Natalie Malone, M.S. is a fourth-year counseling psychology doctoral student at the University of Kentucky and advised by Dr. Candice Hargons. Broadly, her research interests include social justice topics and love, sex, and spirituality among Black folx.

Jasmine K. Jester is a second-year Counseling Psychology Ph.D. candidate. She is a two-time graduate of Tennessee State University, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, with a minor in Africana Studies and a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. Jasmine’s research interests include the intersecting identities of gender and race, health disparities, and social justice issues.

Candice N. Hargons, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology at the University of Kentucky. Her research focuses on sex, social justice, and leadership—all with a love ethic.