(Photo from here.)

Maybe she's a Simon & Garfunkel fan...?

Faye Weldon argues in her new book, "What Makes Women Happy?" (according to Broadsheet) that women should fake orgasms to make men happy and out of gratitude for all the great progress women have made (yeah, like in Japan).

...She seems to base this argument on the fact that "eighty percent of women only sometimes -- or never -- experience orgasm." Even kindly bypassing the fact that the difference between sometimes having an orgasm and never having an orgasm is, uh, monumental, there's something genuinely wacky about solving a lack of orgasms by faking them. But Weldon seems OK with the idea that most women will largely go orgasmless and expects that any thoughtful woman will accept this and redirect her attention to soothing the male ego. After all, why upset his sense of manliness over something that is likely unattainable? You've already won your high-powered career -- to the detriment of his ego -- so stop your complaining and shut up already!

Some feminists are outraged, calling Weldon an unrepentant misogynist. But her argument reeks of nasty disdain and condescension toward men, depicting women as higher intellects stuck with the sorry task of looking after apelike males who think only in primal terms of defending their egos. This isn't just antifemale, it's antimale!

Not sure I agree with Salon on this.

Weldon’s advice may be, more than anything, the reflection of a huge generation-gap. Weldon came of age during the 1950's, when sex was not a proper topic of discussion for polite, young ladies. Without sex-education for men or women, misinformation was widespread.

Moreover, partners were not expected to talk about what they wanted, and thus clear up misconceptions. It’s not surprising that Weldon might hold outdated notions.

That she would in the 21st century, however, get a book past editors that advises women to fake orgasms is as maddeningly frustrating as her advise is sad and misguided. While I question the reliability of the “80%” figure (I hope it’s not true!) fact is, a lot of women do NOT orgasm with a male partner. So, is stating the truth “antimale”?

If men are ever to reach a better understanding of women’s bodies, and thereby be able to assist in attaining the big O, lying about orgasms is a really bad idea. Throws your partner way off base, so to speak, in addition to undermining the foundation of honesty and communication between partners.

Broadsheet snippet here (requires subscription or ad-viewing).