Sexuality In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World

After women in Britain obtained the right to vote in 1918, they took on a whole new position in society. They had more power and were a step closer to being socially equal to men. This also affected sexuality in the home. Women were more assertive of their own sexuality. Huxley takes this and intertwines it into his novel by making it commonplace for women to have sex with anyone they wanted. In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, women are empowered by promiscuity because it gives them more control in society and over their own lives.
During the 1930s, sexuality was less taboo and created more of a balance between men and women In "A Review of ‘Making Marriage Modern: Women's Sexuality from the Progressive Era to World War II’”, Ann Marie Nicolosi

Huxley writes, “The lift was crowded with men from the Alpha Changing Rooms, and Lenina’s entry was greeted by many friendly nods and smiles. She was a popular girl and, at one time or another, had spent a night with almost all of them.” (Huxley 57) Lenina’s sexuality makes her popular. The casualty of sex in their society turns it into a social outing. Sexuality empowers Lenina because by freely sleeping with a plethora of men she is highly regarded in society and has a good reputation.
The empowering aspect of sexuality in women is a double-edged sword. This is exhibited when John refuses to sleep with Lenina after their first date. Huxley writes, “Drying her eyes, Lenina walked across the roof to the lift. On her way down to the twenty-seventh floor she pulled out her soma bottle. One gramme, she decided, would not be enough; hers had been more than a one-gramme affliction.” (Huxley 171). By turning Lenina down, John has damaged Lenina’s pride and she turns to soma to heal her pain. In Brave New World, sex is one of the most prominent aspects of their social structure. Because sexuality gives women a heightened place in society, withholding sex can damage their confidence. This further exemplifies how promiscuity empowers women in Brave New World because it shows how powerless they can become without