The Rise of Viagra: How the Little Blue Pill Changed Sex in America

Book Preface

Like Viagra, this book has been a collaborative endeavor. In volunteering their time, energy, space, colleagues, and advice, the following individuals and institutions have made this book what it is.

There would be no project without the generosity and assistance of my informants—the doctors, consumers, pharmacists, pharmaceutical representatives, and senior women who took time out to talk with me about Viagra and what it means to them. Additionally, the twelve original members of the “Working Group” helped me to realize where I stood in relation to my project. Thank you all for trusting me to represent your views fairly and honestly. Your influence is on every page of this book.

My academic mentors at the University of California at Santa Barbara read this work over and over, and supported and encouraged its development over the years. Beth Schneider grounded me, and assisted tremendously in guiding and organizing my fieldwork, my writing, and my calendar. Laury Oaks always provided consistent, indispensable feedback and nudged my thinking in new directions. Mitch Duneier’s passion for ethnographic methods encouraged me to capture this emergent phenomenon. Constance Penley’s lesson that consumption is production forms a basis for this project. And Sarah Fenstermaker’s theoretical lens and wisdom inform this work as a whole. These individuals use their own research to promote positive social change, and this continues to inspire me.

My colleagues at the University of California at Santa Barbara were invaluable for their thoughtful feedback at all stages of the game. For help in writing, chapter by chapter, my sincere appreciation goes to Mary Ingram, Lisa Torres, Michele Wakin, Hazel Hull, Lyn Gesch, and Christopher Kollmeyer. Additionally, the gender studies proseminar participants at UCSB were essential in helping me organize, analyze, and theorize my data. I must thank Juliet Williams, Joanna Davis, Susan Dalton, Tricia Drew, Rachel Luft, Rani Bush, and Sara Jones for going out of their way to advise and encourage me in the field and at my computer.

This project changed shape as I met and had stimulating conversations with inspiring people along the way. Ilene Kalish and the production staff at NYU Press as well as my generous reviewers at Duke University Press and Routledge helped me enormously in revising this book for a general audience. For their guidance, I also thank Leonore Tiefer, Christine Williams, Paula Treichler, Carol Tavris, Peter Conrad, Peter Nardi, Jodi O’Brien, Verta Taylor, Michael Kimmel, Ken Plummer, Harvey Molotch, Howard Becker, Jack Sutton, Chris Bobel, Jennifer Reich, Heather Hartley, Jennifer Fishman, Laura Mamo, Annie Potts, Amy Allina, and Rafael Peres. Gratitude goes to Jessica Kinstlinger for her generous hospitality in Boston, and to the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, the University of California at Santa Barbara, and Colgate University, for making this project possible. My favorite librarians, Sherri Barnes and Ellie Bolland, have been extremely helpful.

Most recently, I’m indebted to my supportive colleagues at Colgate University for advice and encouragement in the last stages of writing. This includes my research assistants, Meg Lyons and Laura Lyman, who were terribly dedicated to the end. Special thanks go to Carolyn Kissane, Mary Moran, Diane Williams, Christopher Henke, Ellen Kraly, Adam Weinberg, Don Duggan-Has, Carolyn Hsu, Marilyn Thie, Warren Blumenfeld, Karen Luciani, Molly Ames Baker, Don LaFrance, Vige Barrie, Tim Sofranko, and Charlie Melichar.

And finally, this project would not have been possible without the family members and friends who have believed in me and this project from the beginning, helping with my day-to-day stresses, asking after me, talking about this project with their friends and doctors, sending me articles, doing the dishes night after night, and helping me to keep this project in perspective. This book is dedicated to you—how lucky I am to have you all in my life!

Content

Acknowledgments ix
Preface: Bob Dole, Bill Clinton, Bazooms, and Me 1
1 Introducing Viagra 7
2 The Rise of Erectile Dysfunction 29
3 Fixing the Broken Male Machine 63
4 The Pill Doesn’t Always Thrill 95
5 The Search for the Female Viagra 125
6 A Pill for Everything? 167
Epilogue: A Hard Act to Follow 183
Appendix: Studying “Up” 191
Notes 217
Index 269
About the Author 289