8/28: Dead Indian elephant

[kisrael]

Originally posted by dhamsaic
i spend a lot of time thinking about things like this. another good example - female breasts. some how, they turn men on. is it a cultural thing? is it instinct?

Well, a bit of a counterpoint... when I was young, I remember hearing "oh yeah, the europeans have these nude/topless beaches, but you know, it's not sexual at all" and I assumed that was the case. Then I got a bit more informed about European culture in general, and it hit me that it's not that it's asexual per se, it's just that what sexual element is there is OK. Like, take are non-topless beaches, fine young nubile things in small swimsuits-- is *that* asexual for *us*? No, of course not (well, at least not for many of us), but it's generally culturally acceptable.

So in our USA culture, I'd guess it's a mismash of instictual sexual charge (breasts being signifiers of childbearingness and the like) and cultural constructs (they're usually hidden...which is part of my rabid fascination with nipples, I find myself justifying my breast interest with saying "I'm just curious what the nipples are like, since nipples have such variety".)

The weird "insinctual" theory I've heard is that breasts resemble, on some level, asses, and this helped make missionary style postion (which has certain other advantages) a little more natural. Or something.