Sexual Decency In The Ninetieth Century

Albert Kinsey helped change the American Public’s preconceptions on sexuality by publishing two bestselling books from 1947 to 1953 on the topic. Titled “American Sexual Behavior” and “Sexual Behavior in the Human Female”, these books both confirmed and challenged the generally held beliefs dealing with marriage, sexual gratification, and sexual orientation. Sex was deemed important for a healthy marriage, adultery was frequent and homosexuals weren’t weird anomalies.

During the early 1800s into the nineteenth century it was believed that men and women came from two separate spheres. These spheres influenced the way gender roles were shaped and perceived. Suggesting that women belonged in the household, apart of the private sphere and men belonged in the economic world, apart of the public sphere. Men and women were understood to be polar opposites and because of this, women were oppressed. Female sexuality was defined as “passionlessness,” and only for the purpose of reproduction. We learn that women were considered “voracious” for expressing their sexuality however, men were encouraged to express their sexuality as part of maintaining power, prestige, and masculinity. (Cott, 1978, 222). Men

As the changes in gender and sexuality emerge into today’s society, the dominant ideologies are present in the films that are published during that specific time period. Gender roles have dramatically changed in the past century and are apparent in the movie All That Heaven Allows (1955). These gender roles follow the typical idea that a “woman pleases her man”, which was soon to change in the following years. Conversely, today sexuality seems to be a large focus in the media and has begun to appear in our government as well. These ideas were challenged in the movie The Kids are All Right (2010), where the emergence of gay marriage is growing in America.

Women constantly face a double standard when it comes to sexuality, it's been this way for years. In fact in the Victorian era there is a huge double standard where women seemed to be on interested in sex and we're to have a high standard of sexual behavior unlike the men in that time who had powerful sexual drives and it was almost the social norm for them to have multiple sexual partners. Even today there still a double standard, it has gotten better with feminism any quality but men are still seen as superior when they have multiple sexual partners unlike women who are looked at as sluts and whores because they have multiple sexual partners. Trying to use the slut shaming, which is where women are downgraded by both men and women because

Social norms are rules of behavior that are considered acceptable in society. If one does not follow social norms one might be shamed or suffer some kind of consequence. This leads to the actions of slut shaming. Slut shaming is the act of making a female feel degraded of certain sexual behaviors that deviate from social norms. Feminist believe that women deserve equality, and therefore stand up for women’s rights. Society’s norms of sexual activity is different from men and women, when men seem sexually active they are praised, but when women seem sexually active they are judged and called “sluts.” In society, from a very young age people, including women, have been unintentionally teaching their children about double standards in gender, being unintentionally sexist. In Toronto, a police officer addressed young women about safety by saying, ¨women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.” Because of this, feminist have started “slut walks” where the movement goes againts seuxal injustice, victiam blaming, derogatory labeling and gender inequality.

In other words, more studies were made and the term “perversions,” which included sodomy was used to say that same-sex relation was not ideal to their religion. Even though “perversion” included sodomy, this was a change where people began to use science to come up with these discoveries rather than religion. In the 1800s, same-sex relations toward men was more opened. They didn’t find it a problem for two men to do anything together. In the end of the Victorian age, men and women were kept

Married Love was an unprecedented book, which inadvertently redefined female sexuality. Often regarded as the precursor of sex-manuals, Married Love launched Stopes’ enormously successful career as a writer. Published in 1918, Married Love reviewed the intertwining relationship of marriage, sex and contraception, which in Stopes’ view were the fundamental components of a fulfilling and rewarding marriage. Like all discourse, Married Love is heavily embedded within a distinct historical and cultural context. Darwinian theory and the development of eugenics had a phenomenal impact on Stopes. Recognising the equal sexual desire of women would make Married Love greatly influential in the shaping of modern perceptions into female sexuality.

Unlike sex, the history of sexuality is dependant upon society and limited by its language in order to be defined and understood.

Throughout history, definitions of sexuality within a culture are created and then changed time after time. During these changes, we have seen the impact and power one individual or group can have over others. In the Late Nineteenth Century into the Early Twentieth Century, we see multiple groups of people and or authorities taking control over the idea of sex and how they believe society is being impacted by sex. At this point in time, society had groups of people who believed they had the power to control how society as whole viewed and acted upon sex. Those particular groups and ideas changed many lives and the overall definition of sexuality within that culture.

It can argued that the original sexual revolution took place after World War I during the “roaring 20s” but for the purposes of this paper the time period between 1960 and 1980 is the time period where the most significant changes took place in regards to the way sex was viewed by western society. During this time period sexual liberation was showcased in the form of increased acceptance of homosexuality, emergence of non-monogamous relationships, availability of contraception’s such as birth control and abortion, and the prevalence of pre-marital sexual relations. The long-term effects of the sexual revolution are: the depiction of sex in the media, the sexual liberation of women, and the

There is constantly cessation why women and men cohabitate, nurture, desire, and endure. Many shrug the similarities and differences to the side due to the complex nature that is involved in understanding the progression. Since the beginning of time, according to the bible, man was placed as the dominant sex, fending for the families well being. The woman has tended to the important jobs around the homestead as situations arose. Often in society, one will find himself in a battle depending on the views of the receiving recipients. Following is a dialogue explaining a safe and metro sexual view as a general whole.

The twentieth-century tendency to view human love and sexuality within a dichotomized universe of deviance and normality, genitality and platonic love, is alien to the emotions and attitudes of the nineteenth century and fundamentally distorts the nature of

Theodore Dalrymple, in the essay “All Sex, All the Time” reflects on the change of view of the people about sex and how it has lead people into more confusion and conflict than before. Dalrymple’s real name being Anthony Daniels, he picked up the pseudonym of Theodore Dalrymple for the purpose of his essays. There were times when virginity was a pride to men and women. However, it still prevails in some countries, this custom and the people have been changing. He states that the world is now free to enjoy sexual pleasures without any fear of the myths and taboos that existed in history. Although people feel that they are satisfied and are free to choose this path of life, sex has lead people into “confusion, contradiction, and conflict” states Dalrymple (Dalrymple 1).

Throughout history it is evident that human sexuality changes do to religious, governmental and societal influences. The perception of human sexuality has gone through many changes such as being very open and unlabeled activity; to being very “conservative” and a topic that shouldn’t be talked about in public or at all. In any case, human sexuality has always been a topic of interest because humans are sexual beings who want to understand the consciousness of themselves as male or female and see their personal response when encountered in erotic experiences with other individuals. Unlike many other species whose sexual force is strictly for reproduction, human’s sexual drive seems to be driven by many factors that intertwine with each other which leads to very different outcomes. Do to these obscure human emotions and personal gratification, sex is always shown every culture’s art, literature, social norms, and laws.

Human sexuality is defined as the capability of individuals to experience their sexuality and be able to express themselves as sexual beings (Hyde & DeLameck, 2006). Our interest in this topic is because with time, there has been a change in rules that control human sexual behaviour. The status quo in our contemporary society is much different as compared to an earlier state of conditions, and the change has, as a result, brought the evolvement in human sexuality. People 's view on virginity has changed greatly with a decrease of importance in regards to its preservation. Sexuality is essential to the economic, cultural, social and political organization of society or country. Our sexuality plays a fundamental role in all our lives regardless of age, sex or race. It forms a basic part of our personality and the decisions we make in what we do. One’s sexuality also consumes much of their time through behaviour or thoughts; at times every aspect of our lives seems to revolve around our sexuality. Studying sexuality is very important since human sexuality majorly contributes to social as well as personal problems. A lingering question concerning this topic is to what extent is virginity determined by the status quo and the rules that control human behaviour?