Sex and the Single Girl Sex and the Single Girl Sex and the Single Girl is a 1962 non-fiction book by American writer Helen Gurley Brown, written as an advice book that encouraged women to become financially independent and experience sexual relationships before or without marriage. The book sold two million copies in three weeks, was sold in 35 countries and has made the "Los Angeles Times", "The New York Times" and "Time" bestseller lists. In 1960 Brown's husband, David Brown, suggested she write a book that discusses "how a single girl goes about having an affair". The book was rejected by several publishing houses
Sex and the Single Girl to seek professional advancement...to use gender, and to varying degrees, sexuality for their own gain." Berebitsky also contrasts "Sex and the Single Girl" with "The Executive Secretary", a guidebook published in 1959 by Marilyn Burke, secretary to Dale Carnegie and Dorothy Carnegie, that cautions against demonstrations of female sexuality in the workforce. Scanlon suggests that "Sex and the City" is "the most direct descendent of the sexual politics Helen Gurley Brown introduced in "Sex and the Single Girl"" and Jane Gerhard argues that ""Sex and the City" pays direct homage" to "Sex and the Single Girl", as both present the