Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Americans and Sexuality

Americans have a really weird relationship with sex. We're obsessed with it, yet at the same time, have determined it is rarely, if ever, appropriate to discuss or display any modicum of sexuality. Plenty of other people have discussed this far more intelligently than I, so I won't rehash all the thoughts on why we act this way or what it means, but I will point out a great recent example of our collective insatiable thirst/disgust for/with sex.

As you may or may not be aware, PETA recorded a commercial deemed "too sexy" for the Super Bowl halftime, which is a pretty high bar to surpass. The commercial features very scantily clad women erotically rubbing themselves with vegetables and is accompanied by text noting that studies have found vegetarians have better sex.

Well, CNN was recently discussing the commercial and the fallout over it. But my favorite part? Because of the sexual nature of the commercial, CNN blurred out certain portions of it. But what did they blur? A pumpkin.

Yes. A pumpkin. As a woman is rubbing herself with a pumpkin, this was apparently too erotic, so the pumpkin had to be blurred out. I'm guessing this is so our precious children don't see it and get prurient ideas about gourds, but I can't help but think this is a little over the top...

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