(no subject)

[bubosquared]

Melle: *kicks Ann Landers* dude, okay. <<I do not believe it is wise to have your teenage daughters running around nude in front of their father and adolescent brother. >> WHAT THE FUCK?
Tri: Um, you did hear that Ann Landers died, right?
Melle: My dad and brothers have seen me naked THOUSANDS of times! They're not SCARRED or anything, and neiter am I!
Melle: And yes. But I still want to kick her.

Comments

Well, it's not quite so easy

[msallegro.livejournal.com]

It all depends on the standards of the culture in which you're raised.

Most of US culture automatically sexualizes nudity, especially the nudity of young women. Nearly everything that is supposed to represent sex is represented by images of nude or near-nude young women. This is what young women in our culture are faced with, so they are faced with automatically considering their own bodies sexualized as well. And, of course, men see this the same way, too. At the same time, we also stigmatize sexuality, especially healthy sexuality between mature and loving partners. So basically, the only concept of sex most people here have is 18 year old nubile sluts doing something "naughty" and "forbidden" and the only image of nudity--especially that of young women--is as something sexual. (which is also why so many older or non-conventionally attractive women fear their own nudity even in non-sexualized contexts)

Of course, this sucks, and a lot of well-meaning parents have tried to combat this, but it's very hard, and what unfortunately tends to happen is that because of the culture in which they reside, even family nudity takes on a sexualized air, and sometimes intimacy lines can get crossed. It's possible for people to get beyond this, but it takes an awful lot of work because you're fighting a very subtle and pervasive sort of cultural brainwashing. It takes a very mature child who has been very well conditioned to ignore all the messages about sex and nudity she gets in her surrounding culture to not have some ill effect from nudity in a family situation, even in the best-intended circumstances. Until the larger culture changes (hopefully by starting to expand on the idea that sex isn't just for young, slender strangers) it's going to be hard for Americans to accept completely non-sexualized nudity.

Re: Well, it's not quite so easy

[bubosquared.livejournal.com]

Well, yes, I mean I understand that cultures differ, and even in Belgium we're a rather exceptionally free family--my folks are ex-hippies, which explains a lot.) BUt to me, whan AL is/was saying implies two things:

1) Any guy will potentially turn into a molestor upon seeing his daughter/sister naked; and
2) Walking around naked will make one's father/brother be tempted to molest you

and both of those things are, basically, putting the blame on the victims, which is just indescribably wrong to me. People who molest their daughters/sisters, or even see them as anything but their daughters/sisters, are just sick fucks, and saying that the girl walked around naked is no excuse.

(Did all of that make sense at all? It's too early for me to be coherent. I swear, I should not be allowed to communicate before coffee ...)