Back in the a day (meaning when I was younger and things were different) baring one’s body was certainly not the norm. At least not in public. The closest one might come was at the pool or at the beach. Even then, bodies were covered a bit more than they are today. (I hated it terribly when I entered junior high and had to get naked in front of other guys for P.E.).
I must confess, scantily clad female bodies were fascinating as were the models in the Sears catalog. Many a boy found that catalog to be the closest thing to pornography they could imagine laying their hands on (maybe not just the catalog). I am so glad I made it through my adolescence and early adulthood before the internet. I fear I would have become addicted to pornography. Thankfully, that is one addiction I avoided. But, I digress.
Back in a day, thongs were worn on one’s feet. I wore them and still do. Thongs are no longer what they used to be. It is not uncommon to see them worn at the beach. They show a great deal. I have seen them. Both males and females barely wear them. I am sure some people have not given any serious thought to what their exposed rear-ends look like.
Anyway, there was report of a neighbor squabble, New York I believe (I am not making this up) that involved a man showing his rear to his neighbor lady. He mooned her, he full-mooned her. The neighbor lady filed indecent-exposure charges against him. The judge declared him not guilty, basing his decision on what is commonly seen at most any pool or beach. He may have made an ass of himself, but he did nothing illegal. Again, I digress.
Even those who might do justice to a thong should not be revealing what they sit on. I may roll my eyes or be tempted to ogle. I would rather do neither. Victoria’s Secret? What secret? Not much, I would suggest. She leaves very little to the imagination. I have trained myself to look the other way should a VS commercial air or when walking in the mall because it is not good for me to ogle. It stirs what should not be stirred. My mind tends to go where it should not go. As it would be inappropriate to read someone’s diary, it is inappropriate to want to know more of Victoria’s Secret. Yet again, I digress.
I find it extraordinarily interesting that people find it easier to bare their bodies and so difficult to bare their souls. Baring souls, with the right person, in the right place, and in the right amount is quite healthy. I have friends who I refer to as my “butt ugly” friends. No, I have not seen any of them in thongs (maybe one exception, but I will not share more). They are called my “butt-ugly” friends because I can be “butt-ugly” honest with them, and they can be “butt-ugly” honest with me. We grew into knowing and trusting in order to get to the place where we could really bare our souls. Intimacy is not casual. It is very purposive. Purposive because we find value in it. Intimacy takes time. Intimacy takes energy. Intimacy requires mutual love. I no longer digress.
Getting naked does not require love, trust, or safety. Casual sex, sexting, and media have proven that. Better to bare one’s soul. I find that baring my soul and the other baring his/her soul never gets old, never gets wrinkly, it only endears us to each other even more. Bodies gain weight, wrinkle, and sag. They even jiggle when we move. Souls just get more beautiful. We would all be better off with relationships wherein we could bare our souls. Think about it. Intimacy is the act of baring one’s soul. It is “in to me see”. Intimacy strengthens relationships. Intimacy leads to growth. Bare bodies and sex do not equate to intimacy. Do not misunderstand me: in the right relationship, bare bodies and sex are outgrowths of intimacy. Otherwise, they are simply casual or exploitive. Intimacy is neither casual nor exploitive. Intimacy is far more difficult.
Mediocre Meanderings 