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The topic of this piece was rather foreign to me (as I'm lesbian, have a severe physical disability/mobility impairments, and zero to no interest or ability when it comes to childbearing). Nevertheless, the underlying issue of the piece spoke deeply to me. This essay spoke to that point in life that everyone eventually encounters, where we realize that much of our previous ideas of who we were emanated from a place of low self-esteem, of desperately needing to meet high standards to win the approval/admiration of others because that's the only time we feel good about ourselves. This is especially true of highly intelligent Type A's, who often throw themselves (ourselves) into academics or the law or medicine or, in this case, mastery of sex, in order to "be the best," to get the positive feedback from external sources that they don't feel internally.
And then the day comes when that just doesn't work as a coping device anymore, for whatever reason. Some people, the less thoughtful among us, simply throw themselves into a new pursuit -- they change lanes, but they're still on the same road. But what the author did (and what I did, when my day came) was about healing, not sex: she became aware of the reasons she felt compelled to be the best, and she made a conscious decision to get off that path once and for all. The result is inspiring -- she has found her own voice and is no longer trying to meet standards that no longer suit her. She's learned to trust her intuition, to listen to her body, to speak her truth -- and I'd be willing to bet that this shift in the way of being in the world has affected much more than her sex life.
Some people resist such a difficult transition and prefer to live their lives with their heads in the sand; I'd guess that it's many of these that are posting such harsh criticism of this piece. Clearly it pushes people's buttons, which is what good writing should do. And I would submit that this piece is good not only because of its quirkiness and humor dealing with what seems to be a very painful and nearly universal topic, but also because it uses that experience to illuminate one that is truly universal: personal growth and acceptance, and the depth of character we achieve when we finally embrace our own power.
