Viagra & 'The Pill' for Men: Business is Destroying the Last Great Taboo
Brock A. Shaver
December 04, 2006
News sources report that a male contraceptive pill is in the works. U.K. scientists believe they can stop sperm from being ejaculated if this new chemical is taken a couple hours before sex.
Slowly but surely the penis is emerging from its lonely position of being the last great taboo.
And we're doing it the only way modern civilization knows how to do it. Viagra creates conversation about erections by explaining it is an illness, and advertises it on prime time television. Its okay. Its an disease. And we've got a cure. Feel sorry, not outraged. We're helping couples through doctor supervised medication. Who can argue with that? Haven't heard the TV evangelists railing about it!
The taboo about the male erection is really what is at the root of society's homophobia. No one wants to think about erections, let alone where they are going. Yes, there is a natural repulsion among heterosexuals. The issue has to be turned into a political question of freedom for the individual, and it gets a boost when the Church protests because it caters to our fear of religion's need for control.
But at its root society is being forced to think about the penis. Men don't want to do it. Women are threatened by men's sex organs. It is the last great taboo, not to be brought out into the open for discussion. Its just wrong. But gays are forcing the mainstream to think about the male organ.
Society prefers to totally focus on women's sexuality. Feminism and commercial pornography, medicine and fashion put women at the center of all sexual discussions. Nude women in art has always been acceptable. 'Playboy' broke the mass marketing of it in the 1950's, and 'Penthouse' got through the final barrier by showing the vulva in the 1970's.
Commerce has made women's feeling of physical inadequacy a massive industry. Men are just beginning to feel the pinch. Women had to go through their transformation first, for good or ill. They are empowered with economic freedom, reproductive technology, and personal control over their lives. In the 1970's, the big sexual questions included curing 'frigid' women and having threatening men become 'comforting and nurturing' in bed.
Over the last decade, those issues have reversed. Women are demanding in men's sexual performance. 'Sex for sport' has been taken up by sexually aggressive women, tasting all the fruits of the traditional male attitude toward multiple sexual partners. With so many divorced women, their lifetime sexual options have increased dramatically. Sex is not the threat of pregnancy and social ostracism of history, but is now a recreational activity. Men now realize, more than ever, that its a performance activity, just like any other sport. Perform well and boost one's ego, or suffer a bad reputation. Its not a matter of self-centered satisfaction anymore. One must impress single women in bed with stamina, creativity, and attention to details.
Porn puts pressure on men. Secretly they are thankful most women do not have an attraction to it. The idealization by media creates standards of size and performance that mirrors the expectations put on women. Men enjoy women being far more willing to have sex. And there is still the relief that most women want a satisfying, 'whole' relationship, not just the mechanics of the bedroom.
But added to this is this new dimension of women who just want 'friends with benefits.' Courting the opposite sex takes a lot more calculation now, discerning the motives of an already perplexing gender.
Slowly, the sexuality of men is emerging into social life, and with it the acceptability of talking about the penis. 'Does size matter?' is now a giggle in popular discussion with worrisome negative undertones. Soon, I'm sure, an easy surgical procedure will make cosmetic penis enlargement as commonplace as female breast enhancement.
Luckily for most men, women are still squeamish and compassionate on the issue. The last thing they want to do is complicate their own larger agenda in acquiring a mate. Women are very good at talking about the subject amongst themselves. But men are, for the most part, still the 'enemy' and are excluded from this insider discussion.
The male 'Pill,' the gay issue, and Viagra are changing masculinity incrementally. For years women complained that they had changed but men were still stuck in the 1950's. The male body in the form of the 'six pack' and grooming seep into acceptable public consciousness through the images of half-naked men on reality shows like 'Survivor' and 'Fear Factor,' and in the meat market of 'The Bachelor' and like shows. The pressure is building on the whole 'package' of the ideal male body, and the penis is tucked in behind the whole discussion.
Why is the erection such a taboo? One would think that after 12,000 years of male dominance, it would be front and center? It is the only physical sign in the human species that signals actual sexual arousal, the symbol of the act of creating life. Ancient Rome, as well as many other cultures, routinely put phallic symbols throughout their public spaces. But modern culture has had to settle for the Freudian ridicule in the subconscious imagery of nuclear missiles and skyscrapers to exude masculine verility.
One can always point to the sexual neurosis of the Church, and the competition and anxiety among males to blame for its forbidden quality. Civilization is about controlling human beings in a social setting. It has been a part of the process of domesticating males from their natural sexuality. Marriage was always meant to control the masculine as much as the feminine. Both had a stake in locking down each other's energies.
This equation has somewhat changed with the freedom of divorce, birth control, women's liberation, and the premium put on sex in a relationship. Male sexuality is predominantly discussed in the media through criminal sexual activity like rape and pedophilia. It reinforces the taboo of the threat of uncontrolled male sexuality. Even the Prince of Wales comes under criticism for having a mistress when historically, it was expected that nobility were free to demonstrate their virility as a sign of their dominance.
It seems like the marketplace is the only avenue to create a positive image of the ideal man. It is superficial and turned into a commodity, but if you can make money through it and change public mores, why not? Business has created the rest of our wonderful lives. Its a potent engine to re-shape society.
A new definition of masculinity is emerging in our modern, individualistic and consumer mentality. Slowly, political issues like gay rights, and the medicalization of the male organ are challenging this taboo in serriptitious ways. This uncomfortable subject is becoming a marketing opportunity. Can the acceptability of the public penis be far off?
Slowly but surely the penis is emerging from its lonely position of being the last great taboo.
And we're doing it the only way modern civilization knows how to do it. Viagra creates conversation about erections by explaining it is an illness, and advertises it on prime time television. Its okay. Its an disease. And we've got a cure. Feel sorry, not outraged. We're helping couples through doctor supervised medication. Who can argue with that? Haven't heard the TV evangelists railing about it!
The taboo about the male erection is really what is at the root of society's homophobia. No one wants to think about erections, let alone where they are going. Yes, there is a natural repulsion among heterosexuals. The issue has to be turned into a political question of freedom for the individual, and it gets a boost when the Church protests because it caters to our fear of religion's need for control.
But at its root society is being forced to think about the penis. Men don't want to do it. Women are threatened by men's sex organs. It is the last great taboo, not to be brought out into the open for discussion. Its just wrong. But gays are forcing the mainstream to think about the male organ.
Society prefers to totally focus on women's sexuality. Feminism and commercial pornography, medicine and fashion put women at the center of all sexual discussions. Nude women in art has always been acceptable. 'Playboy' broke the mass marketing of it in the 1950's, and 'Penthouse' got through the final barrier by showing the vulva in the 1970's.
Commerce has made women's feeling of physical inadequacy a massive industry. Men are just beginning to feel the pinch. Women had to go through their transformation first, for good or ill. They are empowered with economic freedom, reproductive technology, and personal control over their lives. In the 1970's, the big sexual questions included curing 'frigid' women and having threatening men become 'comforting and nurturing' in bed.
Over the last decade, those issues have reversed. Women are demanding in men's sexual performance. 'Sex for sport' has been taken up by sexually aggressive women, tasting all the fruits of the traditional male attitude toward multiple sexual partners. With so many divorced women, their lifetime sexual options have increased dramatically. Sex is not the threat of pregnancy and social ostracism of history, but is now a recreational activity. Men now realize, more than ever, that its a performance activity, just like any other sport. Perform well and boost one's ego, or suffer a bad reputation. Its not a matter of self-centered satisfaction anymore. One must impress single women in bed with stamina, creativity, and attention to details.
Porn puts pressure on men. Secretly they are thankful most women do not have an attraction to it. The idealization by media creates standards of size and performance that mirrors the expectations put on women. Men enjoy women being far more willing to have sex. And there is still the relief that most women want a satisfying, 'whole' relationship, not just the mechanics of the bedroom.
But added to this is this new dimension of women who just want 'friends with benefits.' Courting the opposite sex takes a lot more calculation now, discerning the motives of an already perplexing gender.
Slowly, the sexuality of men is emerging into social life, and with it the acceptability of talking about the penis. 'Does size matter?' is now a giggle in popular discussion with worrisome negative undertones. Soon, I'm sure, an easy surgical procedure will make cosmetic penis enlargement as commonplace as female breast enhancement.
Luckily for most men, women are still squeamish and compassionate on the issue. The last thing they want to do is complicate their own larger agenda in acquiring a mate. Women are very good at talking about the subject amongst themselves. But men are, for the most part, still the 'enemy' and are excluded from this insider discussion.
The male 'Pill,' the gay issue, and Viagra are changing masculinity incrementally. For years women complained that they had changed but men were still stuck in the 1950's. The male body in the form of the 'six pack' and grooming seep into acceptable public consciousness through the images of half-naked men on reality shows like 'Survivor' and 'Fear Factor,' and in the meat market of 'The Bachelor' and like shows. The pressure is building on the whole 'package' of the ideal male body, and the penis is tucked in behind the whole discussion.
Why is the erection such a taboo? One would think that after 12,000 years of male dominance, it would be front and center? It is the only physical sign in the human species that signals actual sexual arousal, the symbol of the act of creating life. Ancient Rome, as well as many other cultures, routinely put phallic symbols throughout their public spaces. But modern culture has had to settle for the Freudian ridicule in the subconscious imagery of nuclear missiles and skyscrapers to exude masculine verility.
One can always point to the sexual neurosis of the Church, and the competition and anxiety among males to blame for its forbidden quality. Civilization is about controlling human beings in a social setting. It has been a part of the process of domesticating males from their natural sexuality. Marriage was always meant to control the masculine as much as the feminine. Both had a stake in locking down each other's energies.
This equation has somewhat changed with the freedom of divorce, birth control, women's liberation, and the premium put on sex in a relationship. Male sexuality is predominantly discussed in the media through criminal sexual activity like rape and pedophilia. It reinforces the taboo of the threat of uncontrolled male sexuality. Even the Prince of Wales comes under criticism for having a mistress when historically, it was expected that nobility were free to demonstrate their virility as a sign of their dominance.
It seems like the marketplace is the only avenue to create a positive image of the ideal man. It is superficial and turned into a commodity, but if you can make money through it and change public mores, why not? Business has created the rest of our wonderful lives. Its a potent engine to re-shape society.
A new definition of masculinity is emerging in our modern, individualistic and consumer mentality. Slowly, political issues like gay rights, and the medicalization of the male organ are challenging this taboo in serriptitious ways. This uncomfortable subject is becoming a marketing opportunity. Can the acceptability of the public penis be far off?
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