Cultural differences in the East and West, regarding sex, can vary considerably. But this doesn’t always seem to have been the case.
No Sexual Hang Ups In Ancient Times
Many cultures seem to worry more about the actual sex act now than in the past. Ancient sculpture, carvings and paintings all seem to suggest that from India to Rome; human beings’ becoming hung up about sex is a fairly recent phenomenon, which perhaps stems from anxieties about population growth and disease.
The Impact Of The Pill
In the West, the pill in the 1960s had a liberating effect on women. Young women were freed from worrying about unwanted pregnancies, whether married or single. Though female contraceptives had existed before the pill, the latter was unobtrusive and effective.
Sexual Liberation In The West
Sex became talked about more often in the last few decades of the 20th Century, and has been termed the sexual revolution. Women now also had more free rein to have sex for pleasure, just like men previously. Social attitudes to some of aspects of sexual behaviour remain unchanged. Promiscuous men had often been seen as something to admire – as long as they only slept with single women. They would be considered studs, and often envied by male friends. For similarly promiscuous women, opinions were not so generous. 20th Century women in the West became increasingly aware of their own bodies and even of how they could stimulate themselves when no man was around. Consequently, vibrators became an important sex aid. Today it is also something that is used during foreplay, and can come to the aid of the man who’s just too tired…
China’s New Generation
In China, partly through Western religious influence, attitudes towards sex remained restrained for a long time. The new generation of Chinese, however, are becoming more open about showing public affection to their partners. Though there’s not been a sexual revolution in China to match that of the West in the 1960s, there are extenuating circumstances. The strict population control laws in China mean despite the use of contraception some will still be deterred from having sex, for fear of being unlucky.
Attitudes Vary In Indian States
In India, attitudes towards sex are generally more conservative than in the West, though attitudes are more relaxed in some states. This is also true of the United States as well. The US is almost a combination of East-West attitudes in one country. The Deep South is deeply religious, whereas coastal areas of the US are generally much more liberal.
Religious Attitudes Towards Sex
In Muslim countries, sex outside of marriage is condemned, but Western religions hardly welcome it either. The Roman Catholic Church has often been condemned for its anti-contraception stance, but it’s strongly in favour of what it would call sex as nature intended – within marriage. All faiths don’t have problems with sex within marriage, per se. Few non-religious individuals in Western society do still frown upon sex outside of marriage, and liberal and non-liberal opinions, East or West, are often formed based on faith.
Sex Capital Bangkok
Not all Eastern countries and cities can be looked upon as conservative about sex. Certainly not Bangkok in Thailand, which has long had a reputation as being one of the sex capitals of the world. Attitudes towards sex anywhere are, like most attitudes, formed by a combination of upbringing and cultural environment. Thai’s typically have a pragmatic and more relaxed approach towards sex and homosexuality (lady boys) than the west which can be seen as a result of the Buddhist tradition, which emphasises the importance of release from the desire and craving of sexual release over the self-denying aspect of celibacy.
Perceptions Reversed
In the West, countries such as France and Sweden have always been seen as liberated, but the UK as less so. That has certainly changed, and many young Englishwomen are now not shy about buying vibrators in sex shops. Ironically, the East was perceived by the West as being sexually liberated before colonization Now the boot is on the other foot, and the West is seen as being more liberal minded about sex.
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