There is a multitude of sex linked social norms. Just as many entail negative connotation, telling what shouldn’t be done. It leads to a paradox, sex is such pleasurable activity, but enshrouded in a string of concerns, sexual prohibitions, sex taboos and so on.
The best way of looking at ourselves is through someone else and not through the mirror. Perhaps the so-called other is up and close, being a member of our society. Or else, might be from other culture, contemporary to ours, or from other age. We cam compare everything , from feeding customs to sex and sexual practices. In the nineteenth century Brazil, the catholic church used to strongly interfere in the intimacy of people. Sex should be under control even between couples. In this case, the chastity of feelings should prevail. Being deemed as sinful any given loving manifestation that resulted in plain pleasure. Eroticism should be kept away from a lover’s bed, since sexual intercourse should only serve procreation purposes. For a simple reason- semen shouldn’t be let astray from its basic sexual purpose. Based on this line of logic, a string of new sex practices got forbidden as deemed sinful- masturbation, anal sex and homosexuality. Thus, puritan England could be viewed as an example of repressive society towards sex. At the time, a decent woman’s prime goal was to marry a respectable chap and bear as many offspring as possible. And, of course, any respectable lady worth her tea wouldn’t admit feeling pleasure during sexual intercourse. By the way, sex and sin would be almost the same, in case procreation wasn’t necessary. Among some oriental cultures clitoris sectioning still much en vogue. Vis-a-vis, neglect to female pleasure is taken to extremes. Lately, there’s been worldwide a lot of flak on female sex mutilation and the feminine frame-work in the Middle-East. Roughly speaking, women should hold up such bashful posture in such cultures. In some cases sexual behavior should be total isolation of public premises. Otherwise, walk on public thoroughfares when necessary should be done with no exposed any sexual related body parts. The westernized societies gone and being currently going through a process of liberalization of customs. In fact, living in these societies so far described takes a great deal of submission to society by the individual. Individual liberty was undermined even on intimate and private sphere. Cheerfully, nowadays a notion prevails in the general consensus that people should have sex with whoever they feel like, whichever way they please. In other words, sex is good though. We can reach sexual pleasure with it.
This new manner to perceive sex is truly quite dated for some early cultures. There is in hinterland Brazil an indigenous population called-“ the nhambiquara”. Although extremely poor as far as staple resources go, the nhambiquara lead quite rich sexually and affective live, ruled by a few rules. All knowledge about relations between genders could be unpretentiously sum up in one short phrase- taminge mondage. Or translating: to have sex is good.
By Jonatas Dornelles
Anthropologist
| 
