Brooke Brownlee, APCC is an Associate Professional Clinical Counselor at Modern Intimacy under the supervision of Dr. Kate Balestrieri. Brooke is passionate about helping clients heal from trauma, feel more empowered sexually, and repair relationships. Brooke is continuing her education and working towards becoming a Certified Sex Therapist.

“Where such men love, they have no desire, and where they desire, they cannot love.” This quote directly from Sigmund Freud describes a phenomenon he called the Madonna Whore Complex. 

The Madonna Whore Complex is deeply rooted in misogynic beliefs and is damaging to women on both an individual and societal level.

The Madonna Whore Complex (MWC) is a psychological complex often perpetuated by heterosexual, cisgender males which places women into two categories the “Madonna, “ a woman who is pure, virtuous, and nurturing, or a “Whore,” a woman who is deemed as overly sexual, manipulating, and promiscuous. The dichotomy of MWC creates a rigidity that limits women’s sexual expression, agency, and freedom by defining their sexuality into one of two categories.

Dr. Kate and Brooke discuss the origin and effects of the Madonna Whore Complex in this podcast: the effects on women and men.

Brooke wrote a blog on the Madonna Whore Complex that can be found on the Modern Intimacy website.

https://www.modernintimacy.com/the-psychology-of-the-madonna-whore-complex/

Website: www.modernintimacy.com 

Dr. Kate Balestrieri 

Modern Intimacy

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