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Cultural construction of sexuality
Human sexuality an anthropological look at human society
Human sexuality an anthropological look at human society
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Have you ever had sex? How old is acceptable to start having sex? How does your society accept or resent sex? What is sex? What do you call sex? What is a man’s perception on sex, compared to a woman’s? I think of sex way different than say my grandparents do. These are just some of the questions that I think of when I think of the real meaning of sex.
How did sex come about in history? “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply…” (The New King James Version Bible, Genesis. 1:28). Sex is dated back before Christ in the Bible. Sex was used simply to multiply creation and make more of man, not used as fun but still accepted. “The aversion to sex by early Christian leaders extended to marriage being viewed as a crime against God. Opposition to marriage diminished in the Middle Ages, as the Church grew more secure. But sex was still viewed with disapproval, even within marriage...” (History).
What is sex? The definition from the year of late 14c. that comes up in an etymology dictionary is “state of being either male or female, gender” (O.E.D.). That was then, but that’s not at all what I’m talking about. I’m talking about this definition, “intercourse.” (Sex). That sounds easy enough, but really it’s much more than that. What does it really mean? I like to think that sex is much more than just the penis entering the vagina. Times have updated people. There is now vaginal sex, where the penis enters the vagina. There is anal sex, where the penis enters the anis. There is oral sex, where the mouth, tongue, teeth and even throat are used. There is phone sex, where people stimulate themselves while listening to someone on the phone. There is cyber sex, where people stimulate themselves while engaging in t...
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...tymonline.com/index.php?search=sex&searchmode=none>.
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The New King James Version. Nashville: Jamerson, 1989. Print.
"Sex Definition." YourDictionary.com. LoveToKnow, Corp., 2009. Web. 5 Mar. 2010. .
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"When Did You Lose Your Virginity?" 10 Surprising Sex Statistics. TechMediaNetwork.com, 2010. Web. 5 Mar. 2010. .
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In the book, “On the Meaning of Sex” J. Budziszewski talks about the meaning of sex. Budziszewski states that the issue of sex is one of the most important issues in our culture since the sexual revolution. Budziszewski opens the book by restating a conversation he once had with a student about the Book, “Brave New World.” The student states that the people are revolting and disgusting. Budziszewski is delighted by this statement. He believes that the student and himself are on the same page. Budziszewski responds to the student by agreeing and saying that there needs to be some meaning to sex. However; the student replies by saying, that the manner in which babies are “born” in the brave new world is disgusting and that sex doesn’t necessarily
When a boy or girl is of age we get “The Talk.” We all know what this “talk” is about and some of us know before we’re even told. Our parents gather us up trying to explain sex through metaphors like, “the birds and the bees”, or the biggest one “Baseball.” As we think about sex at a young age we say “Well this makes sense, Baseball is easy!” with few rules we follow along that baseball is a good metaphor to use, but is it? As we get older, understanding sex seems to be a little more difficult. In order for us to understand sex we have to be willing, so that we can understand the opposite sex. In Al Vernacchio’s speaks about metaphors in his TED Talk. Al says that “Sex Needs a New Metaphor. In today’s society, sex is talked about through baseball,
"That is why God gave them up to disgraceful sexual appetites, for both their females changed the natural use of themselves into one contrary nature and likewise even the males left the natural use of the female and became violently inflamed in their lust toward one another, males with males, working what is obscene and receiving in themselves the full recompense, which was due for their error." (Romans 1:26-27)
In our first world consumer culture, there is a superficial understanding of sex as as synonymous to goods. One that understands sex as simple self–s...
Our ancestors have practiced sex since the beginning of our civilization. Sex is not a bad thing nor is it a good thing when one thinks about sex all the time. It is best to have intercourse with those whom one feels the most affection to. Taboos regarding sexual affection have diminished throughout time. It was unimaginable to see lesbians and homosexuals announce their love to one another in public. There are religions that define masturbation as a dreadful act, but it only shows how disconnected certain religions are from society as well as presidents enjoying oral sex, rather than regular intercourse. Societies now have the liberty to choose their partner even if, they are the same gender as well as express their love to one another publicly. We know have the freedom to explore our carnal desires freely, inclusively in the military. Humans need for sexual affection has gone to such extremes in needing animals to fulfill their erotic desires. In the remote past, there is evidence showing humans engaging in sexual activities with large creatures as well as Greek urns, showing men h...
In my discussion I will be addressing three main issues that concern sexuality. The subjects are prostitution, premature ejaculation, and abortion. Although these topics concern different aspects of sexuality, I still chose to discuss them either because they relate to my sexual experiences, or because I wanted to further educate myself on the subject due to my lack of sexual experience and knowledge in the field.
Unlike sex, the history of sexuality is dependant upon society and limited by its language in order to be defined and understood.
What is the first word that comes to your mind when I say the word “sex?” Sex for me is when two people have intercourse. You don’t necessarily have to be in love to have sex. Many people enjoy having sex with other people, because it feels good, or they just want to procreate. According to Auleb, in the class reader “Human Sexuality”, he states “Sex has more than one definition and can be used in many contexts.” Sex can mean multiple connotations to different people. People can think your asking them their gender when you ask them what the word sex means to them, or they can be talking about their vagina or penis. On the other hand, the word sexuality for me means that you have the power to feel sexual, and that is your sexuality. Many people don’t have a sexual side to them, because they don’t really like talking about the word sex, or the word sexuality. According to Auleb, Sexuality means “the quality of possessing a sexual character or potency, although some individuals’ sexuality may encompass little to no sexual behaviors”. Sexual identity is a very important word to understand. For me sexual identity means what gender you see yourself as, or who you are sexually attracted too. I believe sexual identity can be a
Sex education or Sexuality Education is described by Kunwar and Yudav (2011) as an education that tackles about the different aspects of sexuality such as human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, human sexual behavior and, etc. It seeks to decrease the possible negative effects on human sexual behavior such as teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases; it also seeks to amend the quality of relationships. This shows that the broader concept of human sexuality will be taught in sex education, aiming to give awareness and deeper understanding of these concepts. This term is also given a definition by Fontanilla (2003) as an instructional tool in helping and forming wholesome demeanors, values, and practices in
Looking at our past, there have been dramatic changes in the way humans view sex. Long before the 1900s individuals framed their views based on the religious institution. Due to the fact that they strongly centered their idea of sexual thought on religion, they believed that the only purpose of having sex was to procreate. As the 1920’s approached, there were various factors that changed the way individuals viewed sex. The “new women” known, as flappers were women who were confident in who they were. They changed their attire as well as their social attitude. In the 1920s, the flappers redefined sex; customs and traditions were broken and new norms were created by society.
“…sex attains meaning in social relations, which implies that we can only make appropriate choices around sexuality by understanding its social, cultueral and political context.” (Quote: 9293 jeffrey weeks)
The purpose of this short interview is to ask an elder person, at least the age of 40 years old, about their view of sex during their time and their perspective of how the society has changed. This experiment will illustrate societal and sociological changes that have occurred. For this project, I interviewed Mrs. Ebony Jackson, a 41 years old Africa-American women. Mrs. Jackson was born in 1975 and grew up in Los Angeles, California. Her family that she grew up in consist of her two sisters, mother, grandmother, and grandfather. I asked Mrs. Jackson if her family ever talk to her about sex or sexuality and the respond I got was a 'no. ' She continued to explain to me how parents and their children are not supposed to mention anything
In the debate of the construction of human sexuality, two extremes make up the boundaries. These extremes are essentialism and constructionism (Harding 6-17). It is most likely that the truth behind the construction of sexuality lies somewhere in between these two ideologies. Understanding the two is critical in determining one’s own theories and beliefs on the subject. Jennifer Harding describes the two ideologies in detail in her essay Investigating Sex: Essentialism and Constructionism.
Concepts of virginity can been seen in all aspects of life, from movies, to books, to even religion. This wide-reaching topic has created many controversies and opinions worldwide. So what exactly is virginity? A person, whether a male or female, is believed to be a virgin, when he or she has not engaged in coitus. However, the value of one’s virginity differs depending on location and a culture’s religion. The perception of virginity also differs depending on gender. In females, virginity has been associated with purity, honor, and worth, whereas virginity in males is often pictured as a “conquest”. Virginity is a subject filled with issues of morality, religion, culture, and gender stereotypes.
From the book of Proverbs, we are also told that God designed marriage and sex not only as a means for bringing children into this world, but also as God's appointed means for a man to find pleasure in his wife. In the New Testament, we are told that Jesus attended a wedding in Cana of Galilee and miraculously provided wine when their supplies were exhausted. The Apostle Paul also had a great deal to say about the covenant that God ordained between man and woman. Paul assumed that elders and deacons would be married and have bare children. Paul also encouraged younger widows to marry and he claimed the right as an apostle to lead a wife.