OP: Sexual Repression and Glamification in our culture

The most sexually repressive parts of Europe are those that have the strongest religious influence, such as the Hebrides where I was raised. In spite of the fact that European movies, magazines, adverts all are more sexually open than most of the world, sex education is spotty within and across individual countries. Perhaps the entire industrialized world is still recovering from Victorian values and that takes several generations because those old tapes from our childhoods keep on playing.

Consider that only fifty years ago, sex research was not a completely acceptable science. When the Joy of Sex was published it became an instant best seller but was not in evidence anywhere outside bookstores. Seems that most copies were kept in dresser drawers under the bras. It is rather schizophrenogenic.

Brandye

Posted: 03 Oct 08:18

It is rather typical how to a lot of us anything remotely sexual makes us hide it in the dark and little corners, except when it's in pixels :rolleyes: I sometimes believe people have become unnaturally fixated on sex. Meaning that nudity equals sex, instead of appreciating bare skin for just what it is in all it signifies. Meaning that thinking of something as even slightly sexual, takes it's innocence and could pervert it. Like: though I've met a lot of who women react with enthusiasm, some say it's "perverting" birth, when we say it has a sensual/sexual component. Because sex is still considered "dirty" in the back of our heads? :confused:

I think we throughout history have tried to block sexuality from the brought daylight in society so hard, that we've forgotten to see it as a normal part of it. We now do dare to say sex is normal, but we don't act like it. And the lack of it's visibility in "true form", makes us run to seek it through entertainment. Entertainment that actually gets more "perverted" by the minute. Which in it's turn sets the example to our children, who are getting more accepting of sexual violence as "normal" behavior. And to make things worse: a bunch of idiots tries to rebalance this by saying we have to return to proper Christian values; making television-shows that encourage youngsters to go without sex (including masturbation) for at least 40 days and see what "good" people they have become after... Right, that's just great! :(

I come from a society that is considered rather "open" about sexuality... Though there are several things that makes you think again. Like: the translation of the book "Orgasmic Birth" is not being published under that name in the Netherlands, because it would be too offensive (it will be "ecstatic birth", if I'm correct). Think again when half of us don't want to see a mother breastfeed a baby in public and so we have to make up campaigns and a "you-may-breastfeed-here"-logo for restaurants. And yes; we do have sexshops openly displaying their merchandise. Just don't try to be an environmental organization that is concerned about the sales of toys made from dangerous materials that are unhealthy to both humans and nature, cause you'll lose members significantly. How dare they discuss such a perverted subject, when all we wanted to talk about was the safety of baby-seals! And even though over 85% of us Dutchies think gay-marriage is ok, half of us thinks that two men kissing is gross and shouldn't be done in public. In the city that used to be gay-capital of the world, gay-couples are being beat up every night. Are you interested in the first price for the worst response ever? The head of the Amsterdam police encourages gay-couples to no longer hold hands! When will the police turn us back in time and tell raped girls that they shouldn't have worn short skirts? :mad: Which brings me to that there is still a massive taboo on sexual attacks, as only an estimated 11% actually gets reported. Of the sexual attacks that get reported, it becomes clear the offenses in itself are getting more horrible each year. And what about our system of justice? A "regular" rapist -IF rape is proven and not turned into a play of BDSM- gets back on the streets after a minor jail-time or even something as little as community-service... So how bad do we feel about such sexual violence, really? Or do we think of it as the "normal" behavior getting just an insignificant little smudge of a tiny bit out of hand?

I do realize I'm better off than people in many other societies on this planet. At least we've come as far to say sex is normal and beautiful, that imposing sex on an unwilling other is wrong, that explicit pictures of birthing women can be shown to adult audiences without the teacher being possibly sued. Which is a lot more than many other societies would be able to say. But I do get very tired of such hypocrisy as described above sometimes... I think Brandye is right in saying we as industrialized world still suffer greatly from our historical legacy. Which may be our Christian or Victorian values or our "old" cultures in which it was ok to smack the women around and let sex be his urge that she needs to comply to (less than 40 years ago, it was still part of the marital contract for women to obey their husbands!). Either way; it influences us more than we dare admit.

RedRoses

Posted: 03 Oct 08:18

Why? FEAR is why. As if they could contaminate us with their perversions.
Also some people are just stupid, backward, ugly on the inside twisted up with hate, or so set upon their view that they refuse to see any good in anything not in their view ala religious fundamentalists.

We have also all been taught 'sexual scarcity', "one per customer" that is - men compete for the best women and women carefully guard their goods against wasting it upon unworthy males - monogamy -yadda yadda yadda. And it is all such BS.

Half the time I wonder why I bother. "Men will always be jealous." and this was told to me by a swinging male who gets more sex than most newlywed men! Honestly, dude! Do you listen to yourself? Cognitive dissonance much?

It has always amazed me that those aspects of freedom applicable to human sexuality are precisely those freedoms that are curtailed - as if it were anyone else's business what goes on between consenting adults. Yet those same people would be up in arms if someone else even tried to curtail their sexual fun. Cognitive dissonance much...again?

Sexualized media? What specifically are we talking about? Fox News? Pornography? Discovery Channel? SimCity? the latest tune from Nickelback? The Washington Post? or that billboard along side the Interstate that reads "Head down, left arm straight. No, Not now!" for the local golf course? BTW if you think it is 'sexualized' now - you haven't studied your history.

EvilEvilKitten

Posted: 03 Oct 08:19

Yes EEK i know that past civilizations have been more sexual then ours. what i mean by sexualized media is what i see is acceptable to talk about and display compared to a generation ago before the sex revolution. on tv we went from lucy and ricky sleeping in separate beds even though they were married, to shows like rescue me on FX(a fox channel) showing soft core porn sex scenes. music groups had to be more creative when lyrics became risky. now nearly anything can be said in music. are you familiar with the phrase "superman that hoe" which is a song by a new rapper? it is act of cumming on a girl's back and putting a blanket on her, when she wakes up it looks like she has a cape on.

my motivation for asking is because even after the revolution people are still uptight to talk about sex. is it because it is hard to talk to kids about sex, so then the kids grow up thinking it is weird to talk about sex, thus continuing the circle. i have watched movies like porky's and fast times at ridgemont high and it is weird to see my parents' generation have the same vulgar humor my generation has, yet there is still this uptight feeling about sex.

big916

Posted: 03 Oct 08:19

But how could it be otherwise?

Face it, you have Christianity and other religions here all pretty much saying "Don't". You have those of who aren't "uptight" saying "Be Prepared". You have schools boring everyone to death discussing the effects and actions of the lutenizing hormone upon the human reproductive system. You have the teenagers running about betwixt and between with parents torn between preparing them to be effective responsible adults and protecting their children who don't but do want/need to know anyway. Confusion runs almost as rampant as hormones.

Then we get to 'culture' and we have a LOT of them in the US. For example: no one in this house listens to rap or hip-hop or country & western. We don't wear colors such as puce or magenta or odd clothes. We're not quite total WASPs as a family since hubby is of Slovenian descent but I am as WASP as they come with ancestors Pilgrim, Puritan and Patriot. General Ethan Allen is/was my 6th cousin once removed. It makes a difference.

My daughter married another WASP but one from an entirely different culture since they're from Alabama and I'm sorry to say it hasn't worked out all that well. Same ethnic group but totally different outlooks, habits of mind, and goals.

Then there's the ugly fact of "class" or, if you prefer, socio-economic groups. The fact remains that money equals options and that what you're willing to do to make money tells everyone all about your character.

And that's just in the US - add in the rest of the world and you can understand that confusion is to expected.

EvilEvilKitten

Posted: 03 Oct 08:19