About Betty Dodson

Betty Dodson, Ph.D., artist, author, and sex educator is an international authority on women's sexuality. Dodson achieved international recognition with three ground breaking erotic art exhibitions in the sixties and seventies before she left the art world to become a feminist activist and public advocate for women's sexual liberation. In 1973, she began running sexual CR (consciousness raising) groups for women which later became her Bodysex Groups. In those groups, women learned to appreciate the beauty of their genitals as well as to explore the varied experience of orgasm through practicing masturbation skills.

In 1974, Betty Dodson wrote, illustrated, and self-published her first book, Liberating Masturbation: a Meditation on Selflove, which by the 80s had become a feminist classic. In 1986, she sold the book to Crown Publishing Group and it was renamed Sex for One; the Joy of Selfloving. In 1996 after doing a major revision, Sex for One became a best-selling trade paperback and was chosen for the Quality Book of the Month Club. By now Betty had been called "America's first public masturbator" on national Television (the Phil Donahue show). Sex for One has been translated into eight foreign languages.

Dodson received a Ph.D. in sexology from the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in 1992. Her bold, innovative teaching methods have been documented in a series of videos: Selfloving; Portrait of a Sexual Seminar, Celebrating Orgasn; Women's Private Selfloving Sessions, and Viva la Vulva; Women's Sex Organs Revealed. Dodson wrote, directed and produced all three. Her latest book, Orgasms for Two: the Joy of Partnersex, was published in 2002 with 25 pages of drawings by Betty. She has been interviewed, featured, or quoted in numerous sex books and national magazines, and has appeared on many national TV talk shows. Dodson has a private practice in New York City and maintains an active website: www.bettydodson.com.