We sure have come a long way, baby! Having been born within the last two decades allows me little insight to the way things were 100 years ago; But wasn’t it considered indecent exposure if a woman wore anything but a one piece bathing suit with mid-thigh to short-sleeve dimensions? Wasn’t it so during the early 1900’s, the same was true for men?
Herald the year 2008! Women are allowed to go topless in public by law in some states- (I present my native state of New York as an example, with amendments to the law taking place at or around the mid 90’s). Tattoos with religious undertones, and sexually appealing designs on equally appealing places are the new dress code for those aesthetic eneough to attain the edgy look. Clothing in general has changed from something intended to obscure to that which is meant to display and accent the human form. It’s cool to show off your underwear.
While some values are commonly being upheld, (it’s rare to see a woman topless on the sidewalk, and it’s still illegal to engage in a sex act with a married person), Others are simply degrading rapidly. Each generation has in turn fought for a little more freedom, slingshotting from one tier of sexual freedom to the next. It seems the new generation has won. Given today’s loose standards of public presentation, wouldn’t it follow that a trans-familial code of ethics and values be saught by those more constrained by their immediate family? If one’s peers, (especially at the level of adolescence), are allowed such freedoms; Then regardless of immediate family values, the jump to complete sexual freedom is easily demanded.
Sex before marriage? Good luck finding a mate who waited. Sexual conduct? Anything goes it seems, and there are literally billions of hours of film footage to prove it. The dress code in public? gone!
Welcome to the world of complete sexual freedom! The only generally respected rules: (1) If you make a person a promise of fidelity, keep it! (2) If a person is unable to decide, then don’t decide for them. (3) You still generally cannot engage in a sex act out in public (this being supported by rule #2, denying others their choice of public view). If these rules were writ in stone, the world would be a better place.
But if the premise behind rule #3 is true, then why all the degradation in dress code? Believe it or not, the premise for such codes has already been established, especially in schools and in the work-place. So beware, all you freedom fighters, don’t abuse the freedoms allowed us. They could again be taken away.