America's double standard on Sexuality

It seems not a week goes by nowadays without some minor celebrity getting naked, either in a badly shot sex tape, or a photo "leak." My first memory of this was the Paris Hilton sex tape, it seemed the public was so blown away by the fact that this media whore had filmed herself having sex. For years on end now, the tapes and leaks have continued. Newscasters interview media experts, books are written, and lawsuits abound when the celebrities decide to sue for the rights to their images. Throughout the process, the masses are obsessed.

Flashback: The 38th Superbowl: Halftime, Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson are performing a "medley" of songs, including Timberlake's "Rock your body" during the last line of the song, I'm gonna have you naked by the end of this song, Jackson's nipple is shown for 9/16's of a second. This simple act resulted in over $500,000 worth of fines from the FCC, not to mention mainstream America's horror, resulting in talks of society corrupting the youth of the country. After this, the means of broadcasting were changed, resulting in signal delays, more laws against nudity, and a general crackdown. What I find so damn appalling, is that these puritans who couldn't stand the sight of a nipple, said nothing about the constant sexual gesturing, subliminal sexual messages, and suggestive clothing worn by the performers throughout the rest of the performance. Every frazzled soccer mom had absolutely no problem with her son or daughter listening to Timberlake's CD, with its songs about sex, bondage, etc, yet as soon as a nipple was shown, society is indecent.

I'll agree with those who say this generation is growing up in the most morally destitute society in America's history, yet brief harmless nudity isn't to blame. On European television, it's no surprise to see male and female nudity, yet their culture isn't filled with hyper-sexualized celebs or a culture of perversion.

There's such a double standard here. Americans are obsessed with sexuality, yet punish small amounts of harmless nudity in public. To sing about oral sex is acceptable, to watch glorified porn on Cinemax after 10:00 is acceptable, to talk endlessly about the most recent celebrity sex scandal is perfectly normal, yet to show breasts on television? It's indecent for the children! The same tikes whose eyes are shielded from the hideousness of the naked body are busy pretending to blow each other up in video games that cheer death, gore, and debauchery.

I can't help but feel that this trend is just one of the standards left unturned by the sexual revolution. Although most baby boomers would like to say their generation paved the way for equality amongst genders and sexual rights, all it seems to have did was create an unhealthy, yet delicate balance in society. No nudity in public, but let repressed sexuality abound.

I'll leave with a question, what is so indecent about our bodies, that we have to impose laws against letting them be seen?