If the shoe fits: The Electronic Fetishization of Janet Jackson's Breast and European Sexual Attitudes
"To some a shoe is simply a shoe. Its function is to protect the foot and allow us to walk on surfaces we might not otherwise be able to. To foot fetishists, however, the shoe is an immensely sexual object, even a source of sexual gratification."
Madeleine Somerville in Gauntlet: Our Sexual Selves
Forget spam. Forget the latest virus. You want to get pretty much every electron in the US of A stirred to a frenzy? Get a singer's breast exposed on Super Bowl Sunday, then watch the phone lines buzz with moral indignation, hear TIVOs whir into overdrive replaying the pivotal moment in Super Bowl History, and wait while internet routers hum with a sexual buzz. All fixation, all the time, it seems.
Is Europe different? After all, just about everyone who's traveled to Europe from the US reports on the difference in sexual attitudes "over there."
You can't walk far along many European beaches without encountering a naked female breast or two. And there are some pretty famous metropolitan areas where a body can strip down and enjoy the sun au natural--like the Englischer Garden in Munich. Look closely in Europe, and you'll find all manner of naked statuary in medieval churches. Flick on the television in your European hotel room late at night and you're likely to see people in various states of undress, many during the commercials. In Amsterdam, legal prostitutes in skimpy lingerie knit in front of picture windows while waiting for customers. In Italy, a porn star bares her breasts...and gets elected to Parliament.
That doesn't mean that there aren't odd attitudes about sex or breasts in Europe, it's just that, taken as a whole, the attitudes about sexuality and the human body are a bit more relaxed than they are in the US; so there's no need to get fixated on an object like Janet Jackson's right breast. You've see 'em before--even, quite likely, as an infant.
The open attitude of Europeans seems to produce more cultural benefits than the puritanical view that is currently allowed the bulk of political power in the US. Besides being allowed to see humans in their pure form so that a breast becomes just a breast, experts find that many Europeans recognize the inevitability of their adolescents having sex, and have decided that the best strategy is to give them all the info they need to make socially responsible decisions:
"European countries are very comfortable with the idea of teen sexuality. It’s not considered taboo, as is the case here in the U.S. Society doesn't view adolescent sexual behavior from a moral perspective in these countries. They don’t debate whether teen sex should or shouldn't occur, but they discuss the ways to keep teens as educated and safe as possible."
Barbara Huberman, director of outreach and education at Advocates for Youth, in Washington, D.C.
This strategy seems to work. Average age at first intercourse is higher for teens in Europe. Teen birthrate, abortion rate, and instances of AIDS are all far lower. Just imagine, in "amoral" France, legendary land of mistresses and noontime sexual encounters, the teen pregnancy rate is a quarter of what it is in the US.
Traveling and asking questions can give you alternative perspectives on a lot of social issues. If your mind is open, you might find that other cultures have searched for and found acceptable solutions to problems that plague yours. Below are some resources to get the inquisitive traveler started.
European Sexuality Resources
Besides the European Sexuality Resources and Nude Beach Resources you'll find on this site, here are some tours, activities and statistics about European sexuality.
Amsterdam Prostitution
You'll find that some Amsterdam prostitutes will talk to you about their craft. A better way might be to head on over to the Prostitution Information Center (PIC), located in downtown Amsterdam. Study groups (and I presume individuals) are welcome to discuss whatever they want about prostitution in Amsterdam for 7.50 Euro a head for an hour and a half or so session.
Nudity in the Englischer Garden
Info on nudity in Munich's Englischer Garden is available here. You can find out about Munich in our Munich Travel Planner.
Take a tour to explore European Approaches to Adolescent Sexual Behavior and Responsibility Check out the 18 day study tour by Advocates for Youth.
Get the Stats
Advocates for Youth also features a statistics on teen pregnancy, birth and abortion rates and more for the US and European countries in PDF form.
"I am here not showing my breasts. Now I am speaking about poor people so it is not necessary -- not because I don't have beautiful breasts ... even now. But it's not necessary showing because poor people have no interest in my breasts."
Cicciolina, once a member of Italian Parliament, campaigning for the common folk in Hungary in 2002, quote from rotten.com
