Dear Level
Yes, Women Are Still Faking Orgasms
Not all the time, but it happens. Don’t stress
Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com.
Thirty years ago, a single scene in a romantic comedy changed sex lives forever.
I wasn’t sexually active quite yet, but I remember watching When Harry Met Sally with intrigue. In an iconic moment, the will-they-or-won’t-they couple is in a New York City delicatessen, debating whether women ever fake orgasms. Harry, certain as ever, says that women never fake orgasms with him. If someone did, he continues, he’d surely be able to tell.
In response, Sally puts down her sandwich and puts on a show to make a point. For a full minute, she groans, moans, tosses her hair, slams the table, and tops it all off with an orgasmic finish. It’s a pseudo-sexual tour de force, a marvel of deli dramatics — after which she goes right back to her lunch with a sly smile, as if nothing had happened. Harry is stunned, as is everyone else in attendance.
Ever since the release of that film, the question of whether women occasionally fake orgasms has become commonplace, feeding the anxieties of men everywhere. I can’t speak for all women, but the short answer is: hell, yes…
