Sexual Irreverence in Modern America

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It may not be a 1960s sexual revolution but Americans' attitudes toward sex have certainly taken a dramatic turn toward sexual irreverence. American culture has lost all sense of discretion. We have no boundaries or sense of anything being a private matter. After we cruised through the conservative 50’s; we chanted and swayed through the sexual revolution of the 60’s. But we didn’t stop there. Now we’re riding the fiber optic wave of immediate and impersonal self-gratification. American culture is getting more accepting of provocative messages and behavior with each passing decade. What caused the drastic shift in attitudes from the 1950s to the 1960s? Do we owe today’s epidemic of casual sex to any one thing? The 1950’s was a conservative period of time. The expectations of men and women were set very high. Females were supposed to dress and act very ladylike and men had a very simple but elegant style that consisted of a suit and tie. In the 1950’s, premarital sex was not accepted and if a young woman were to find herself pregnant she would be sent away or put into a special school for girls. After this conservative era, the free love 60’s followed. What caused the shift in attitudes toward peace, love and rock-n-roll? Civil rights and anti-war campaigns moved the younger generation of the 1960s to question their parents’ conservative beliefs. Coupled with the availability of oral contraceptives and you have a generation with a value shift. The shift resulted in more women working outside of the home and a push toward equal rights among men and women. Fashion soon shifted to a more openly sexual style including; miniskirts, long tight pants worn with go-go boots, bell bottom jeans, and love beads. There was even a shift towa... ... middle of paper ... ...access to a lot of technology. There is still no excuse for missing out on a real relationship. Take the time to ask someone out on a date, look your friend in the eye when you talk, turn the computer off and spend some time talking to your family and friends. Parents of the 1960s survived a sexual revolution and even saw some wonderful results from the “peace and love” attitude. Maybe parents of this decade will look back and say they survived a sexual irreverence and had some wonderful results too! Works Cited http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/05/nyregion/5-passengers-say-airlines-discriminated-by-looks.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2002/jun/05/theairlineindustry.usnews http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2025598.stm http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/06/04/national/main511058.shtml http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/11/sunday/main6385040.shtml

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