Friday, September 21, 2007
Sex sells in America, but views on sex vary widely around the world. What is taboo in one culture is considered normal in another, and cultural and religious traditions often dictate what is socially acceptable.
In Germany the teen magazine Bravo contains nude photos of teenage boys and girls along with a column that answers teen’s questions about sex, sexuality and their personal lives. These photographs are not intended to be pornographic. The goal of the magazine is to help teens feel more comfortable with their bodies.
During the 1960s and 1970s, many people in the West discovered tantra, the ancient Indian culture of sexual liberalism. It was a source of the Western free love movements and neotantric philosophy.
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Today India’s sexual culture is an embodiment of Victorian sensibilities that originated from conservative Muslim attitudes. India is going through a Western-influenced sexual revolution of its own, especially in cosmopolitan areas.
During ancient times the tantric school of Indian/Hindu philosophy held the idea that sex, a basic and powerful desire experienced by all humans, could be utilized as a way of achieving enlightenment. Sex played a large part in tantra’s philosophical system.
Today India’s sexual culture is an embodiment of Victorian sensibilities that originated from conservative Muslim attitudes. India is going through a Western-influenced sexual revolution of its own, especially in cosmopolitan areas. Until recently even kissing scenes in movies were frowned upon and considered taboo.
Sex in general is social taboo in conservative Islamic countries. Unmarried couples must hide their sexual relationships from society or they will be ostracized by the community. Books and other media that cover sex are promptly banned.
In 2000 the Brazilian government began a program that allowed low-income Brazilian families to get free plastic surgery. A recent Avon-sponsored survey of 21,000 women in 24 countries showed that Brazilian women focus more on improving their looks than women in other countries. They also consider beauty products essential items rather than luxury items. The study says 50 percent of Brazilian women would undergo plastic surgery to keep their good looks. This obsession with beauty has allowed Brazil to boast a national aesthetic of beautiful women.
Sex education has been taught in Swedish secondary schools since the 1950s. During that same time, contraception was first added to American medical school curricula. Contraception was illegal to obtain throughout most of the U.S., and sex education wasn’t taught in secondary schools for many years to come.
Sweden’s age of sexual consent is 15 years, and since 1975 abortion has been free. Condoms and oral contraception are less expensive there than in America.
In Japan anyone can buy lingerie and magazines featuring nude and semi-nude women on the cover from vending machines in many public places. There are many “love hotels” in Japan. The hotels have rooms furnished to suit various kinky themes and can be rented for a few hours at a time. In Japan, the floorplans of many houses make it difficult to have sex without being heard. Parents can use the love hotels to avoid being heard by their kids.
Doujinshi, or amateur anime publications, are commonly sold in Japan. They often feature characters from popular anime shows but shown nude and in various sexual situations.
Some of the sexual ideas in other cultures seem strange to us, but that is only because it’s not what we’re used to.
— Edited by Luke Morris
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