The Problem of the Body January 24, 2010

Like John Waters channeled through Sir Kenneth Clark, Prof. Damon Rudman probes contemporary American attitudes toward bodily urges by comparing today's US media with jaw-dropping imagery from other times and places. He says, "Many people decry the amount of sex and vulgarity in US media today. They feel that our society is losing its way, and they long for restoration of "traditional" decency. However, history and anthropology prove that prudishness has seldom been the norm. On the contrary, in comparison to other cultures, we still stand out as uncommonly ashamed of our bodies and their urges."