Some History on Sexuality

Sexuality has been defined as a type of rigid construct in society throughout history. In reality, a complicated topic as made to be simple for a number of years. This is why one must first understand where society’s views on sex itself went through over time to truly understand sexuality to the fullest degree.

Before the year of 1868, the term homosexual didn’t even exist. Possibly the most forward society in accepting same sex relations was ancient Greece. In fact, sex between two men was acceptable, and often celebrated as long as there was a dominant and a submissive participant. It was deemed as unacceptable only if two men of the same age were to have sex, as they would both be seen with the same level of dominance. Additionally, sexual relations between two women was not unheard of, but was deemed as ‘monstrous’, as both would have seen to be seen as submissive by society. There was also seen to be a deep correlation between power and pleasure from these encounters. In general, though, and especially in the context of marriage, sex was based on the man being dominant, and the woman submissive.

To truly understand the legitimate meaning behind sexuality, it is imperative to comprehend the repressive hypothesis that author, Michael Focault, describes to be the origin of all hidden talks of the topic. Focault may spend a good deal of his academic work disagreeing with the hypothesis itself, but he also stresses that the problem of misunderstanding sexuality stems from the time of the Bourgeois. This was when discussing anything pleasurable was frowned upon, which eventually morphed into the Victorian era. Time extended to Sigmund Freud, whose studies (although mostly far-fetched) were baed on the fact that people suppressed their sexual desires in any way they could, therefore backing up the suppression of the Victorian era. And, of course, both of these theories root from sex primarily being for reproduction and not pleasure.

Starting with the rise of the Bourgeois in the 17th century, conversation about sex was more confined than ever before. People were expected to confess about sexual misdemeanors and ultimately their sexual desires. The confessions showed to also record mere inclinations of the mind at times. Focault makes the argument that at this point in time, marriage itself made its mark on repressing sexuality from becoming fluid. He believes its confines hold people’s preferences by claiming exclusivity for multiple years. The Bourgeois only escalated these confines on sexuality from the beginning because they felt the need to control all aspects of life of civilians.

The latter half of the 17th century saw the start of a backlash against extreme Puritanism, particularly among the upper classes. Religious tolerance became prevalent. Migration to large cities made traditional morality much harder to enforce, while mass-printed media spread ideals and interests in sexual interactions. Another influence was exploration, as travellers returned with stories of different sexual cultures.

By the 18th century people were expected to be aware of their own sexuality, and some even studied the subject of sex itself. Moreover, laws and rules were invoked regarding medicine that prohibited certain types of sex. It was a time when an activity that once would have been overlooked was forced into the spotlight. Sexual liberation was largely confined to the ranks of well-to-do chaps. It was assumed that it was quite natural for men to pursue sexual opportunity, while women were generally more full of virtue.

It is also worth mentioning that before the 19th century, Sodomy was considered to be a criminal act. Any type of sex outside of marriage, for that matter, was seen as sexual perversion and was treated as morally wrong on all levels. Perhaps at the forefront of this discourse was the Christian church. Irregular sexual activity continued to be condemned. Again, sex was seen as a moral, reproductive, and possible educational issue, but nothing defined it as pleasurable like in today’s world. By mid-century, the Victorian ideals of moralism and scientific laws produced ideas of human sexuality based on a combination of both social and biological entities.

Talk about sex has obviously increased since the 17th century. It is essentially everywhere one may look in TV, film and other media platforms.  It is often glorified and shown to be edgy, desirable and most definitely occurs before marriage. The change in meaning of sex directly affects what society interprets as the carefully structured definition of sexuality today too.  Sexuality has been constructed by humans, and will continue to be adapted and changed by humans, depending whether or not a majority of society accepts the fluidity that the past rejected. As earlier times represent, keeping it quiet only makes people more interested in the topic.

3 Responses

  1. pcp5088 at |

    I absolutely love your civic blog topic. Human sexuality is an interesting and multifaceted concept that warrants greater academic discussion. I find it really interesting that the Greeks were accepting of male homosexual behavior, but condemned female homosexual behavior. The narrative of the morally pure virginal woman seems to have its roots in all societies throughout history.

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  2. zak5126 at |

    It is very fascinating to see the evolution of the perception of sex, as it was often spoken about and different sexualities were accepted, and then the opposite happened as time went on. Luckily, we are back in a time where different sexualities are accepted. It’s interesting that homosexuality was normal in ancient Greece, as we often see it as something that was only accepted in modern times.

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  3. hkh5126 at |

    This is such an interesting topic. I do not know much about the history of human sexuality so this essay was very informative in all regards. The fact that many of what we know today about sexuality, which we may believe them to be new information, such as homosexuality and submissive and dominant roles, were actually accepted in the past is very fascinating. It seems that the ancient Greece has always been ahead of its time in many aspects of life and knowledge. I learned a lot in this blog and I look forward to what you will talk about in your next blogs.

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