In the 1969 America Undressed chapter, the author describes various films and books that were introduced as a "new wave of explicit erotica in the arts". the film, Midnight Cowboy, was rated "X" when it first came out for sexual, including homosexual, relations portrayed in the film, even though no full-frontal views were shown. Later the rating was downgraded to "R".
Books that are read more for their sexual content than for the author's writing ability were also discussed in this article. For example, the book The Sensuous Woman was popular as a "sexual "how-to" manual for women". The author, who describes herself as having heavy thighs, lumpy hips, protruding teeth, and a ski jump nose, said that she received marriage proposals from a trial attorney, a man in the CIA, a concert pianist, a tax expert, and a TV and radio star. She believes that such proposals were due to the fact that she was speaking so openly about sexuality, directing women about masturbation, sex for single women, lingerie, fellatio, and anal sex.
Some of the question left unanswered by “J” were addressed in Dr. Reuben in Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex…But Were Afraid to Ask. This is interesting in that issues and questions related to sex were being answered in medical terms by a psychiatrist. This examines our culture of trusting in the medical experts. Reuben was considered progressive. His outlook on abortion being “ In an era when man is transplanting organs, exploring distant planets, and manipulating living molecular structures, it is incredible that he is not allowed to control his own reproduction”.
1969 was also the year that nudity hit big in Playboy and Penthouse magazines. This article examines the boundaries that conservatives still held but that were being pushed by sexually explicit material from magazine publishers who believed they knew what the public wanted…what men wanted. 1969 was the year that paved the way for “a slew of censor-busting flicks.”
For some conservatives, nudity in films and plays represented the end to American morality. The play “Hair” was discussed in this chapter. I was most interested in this part because I went to see this play last year with my aunt, uncle and two kids. This was a play about sex, drugs and alcohol during the Vietnam war. It was about those who burned their draft cards in defiance. It was sort of awkward for me to sit through a play in which people re-enacted sex with each other and danced on stage naked, while sitting next to my twelve-year-old cousin. It was funny after the play was over because my uncle just laughed in remembrance of that time and told his two sons not to tell grandma that they saw it... “tell her we saw the Lion King”, he joked.
Having lived in Malaysia, where there is a significant amount of censorship, it sometimes amazes me how explicit US culture is. Instead of it being difficult to find an X rated film, it seems to be more difficult to find a film that does not contain nudity or offensive language. That’s what sells these days. I think it is very daunting and threatens our society, especially young females. Even though I consider myself confident, I even feel a sense of resentment when I see how women are portrayed in our society and question why it has to be that women must always be so sexualized. I do not think it is progressive or liberating, I think it is turning the corner of de-humanizing and humiliating, especially as we witness youth become sexualized at a younger and younger age.
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