Puritanical Sex

There is a prevailing belief that the US has a very puritanical attitude towards sex and sexuality. This is borne out by the many sex scandals reported by the media; reports which show gender bias concerning the protagonists. From Bill Clinton’s peccadilloes in the White House with Ms Lewinsky, for which he was impeached and for which he received some faint praise and she was castigated, to the accidental appearance of Janet Jackson’s nipple blamed on a ‘costume malfunction’ and Madonna bearing her butt cheek and nipple at a concert, there is a prurience in the US media and judgment in relation to both sexuality and nudity. This judgment goes harder against women involved in these scandals than men.

This does not seem to be the case in Europe although the UK attitude is more akin to the US than Europe in lasciviousness of reporting. In Europe, the scandal is more often to be reported in relation to a betrayal of some sort. For example, the former Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi’s infamous Bunga Bunga parties were reported as a scandal because of the influence of political policy and procedure and because there were underage girls involved, rather than being scandalous just for sexual content.

This separation between the US and Europe is evidenced in the content of movies. Europe has a history of representing sexuality in its myriad forms without judgment, unless judgment is part of the storyline. What would be seen as scandalous in the US and may prevent certification and release of the movie is simply part of the story in Europe.

Ironically, the US is well known in Europe for its nude content in television imports. The channel HBO, with productions such as Spartacus, Rome and Game of Thrones, has a reputation for naked bodies and sex with numerous blogs being devoted to tallying up the number of times body parts and/or sex scenes occur. This is also a commentary on how central to the viewer such scenes are; in Europe fewer blogs of that type are written and when they are they seem more relaxed in attitude, as sex and nudity are a part of life and therefore not as worthy of comment or judgment.

Sexuality is treated very differently in the US to Europe. Throughout most of Europe non-heterosexual people are not criminalized and while there may be a way to go with regard to equality in society, the sexuality itself is not illegal or considered immoral. In many US states not only is marriage between gay couples illegal, but the sexuality itself is still discriminated against; in many States it is still legal to be fired from one’s job for being gay.

The widespread belief that the Puritans landing on Plymouth Rock in the early 1600s founded the US has led to a strict form of Christianity maintaining a political presence not proportional to the actual beliefs of the majority of Americans. Religion in Europe has influence with many countries having large religious presences, but the separation of Church and State and the secularization of power means policy is not religion-based and therefore attitudes towards sexuality are non-religious in legislation.

In Europe, sex and sexuality are viewed as a natural part of life, and acts are not as morally judged as they are in the US. Body parts are not immediately sexualized and nudity is seen as natural. Many parts of Europe have naturist (nudist) communities and naturist events are common. This acceptance has led to Europe having the largest selection of naturist rudist than any other continent.

In the US, by contrast, nudity is equated with sexuality, and is seen as something that should be morally judged and the body is something that should be covered up. The First Amendment of the Constitution is frequently cited and court cases to determine what level of nudity is acceptable still occur. Mr. Justice Potter Stewart’s 1964 quote, "I know it when I see it," when referring to what is judged unacceptable remains the popular standard when defining acceptability, and when used is out of context of the content of what he said.

Europe is a continent of many countries, with myriad views, beliefs, power systems and secular governments. The US by contrast is one country of many states with a commonality of government. European attitudes differ, but it would seem that sexuality and nudity are separate and accepted by many, whereas in the US there is still judgment, repression and conformity demanded of politics and the people.