The Evolution of Gender in the 20th Century

According to Anne-Claire Rebreyend, author of *Dire et faire l’amour*, the French—once famous for their skills in literature and film—are no longer the best lovers.

Paris in the 1920s, famous for its sexual freedom, where gay people began to enjoy greater freedom, and whose experiences are chronicled in Hemingway’s novels.

The author notes that “the immediate and often anonymous sexual activity” made possible by the internet has brought about almost “a second revolution.”

Although we are experiencing these changes today, the invisible revolution began in the late 1940s and early 1960s, and—albeit underground—sex and love began to lose their taboos.

Her book reveals intimate writings, diaries, letters, and emails from anonymous French people as well as others identified by their full names, dating from the early 20th century to the present day. “It’s easier to obtain the older documents,” the author acknowledges, and she adds that young people are more reluctant to share details about their sex lives compared to adults, noting the high level of discretion in today’s messages,

“They talk more easily about sexuality and love among friends and even with family, but they find it harder to share their personal diaries—the ones they’re currently writing,” the author also notes. “There’s a sense that, when it comes to sexuality, anything goes, as long as the other person consents.”

The author suggests—though does not assert—that there is a second sexual revolution, driven by the use of email, text messages, WhatsApp, and so on, which facilitate immediate encounters and even pinpoint locations.