The defining difference is that sex can be consensual and non-consensual, while lovemaking is always consensual. Sex also includes many physical positions, such as positions that change how you do things, like holding your partner. Making love can be anything from an embrace to a sexual act and does not require any specific place or movement.
Sharon Olds defines “sex” as any act that involves genital or other bodily contact. She also distinguishes between sex and making love, stating that many people are accustomed to thinking of sex expressly in genital intercourse. At the same time, she views all forms of physical intimacy as being potentially sexual, depending on the parties involved (Booker et al. 35). She points out that while not having intercourse, it is possible to have a mutually satisfying experience with another person by cuddling, hugging, and many other acts.
Her feminist views on how the distinction is made between sex and making love include several different perspectives. From her point of view, sexual behavior does not exist for its own sake but is instead the result of larger frameworks shaping various aspects of our lives. Focusing on a particular area can help one reveal how other factors are interconnected to the concept of sex.
According to Sharon Olds, sex is something you do rather than something you feel. It means it becomes more about the physical act than emotional intimacy. Roughly speaking, she believes that “sex” should be reserved for passionate penetrative intercourse between members of different sexes within an explicit monogamous relationship with both partners genuinely committed to the welfare and satisfaction of each other. She defines “making love” as an emotionally intimate sexual activity outside a committed relationship without guidelines or agreements.
Work Cited
Booker, Malika, et al. Penguin Modern Poets 3: Your Family, Your Body. Penguin UK, 2017. pp. 34-40.