What Has the Feminist Movement Done to Modesty -- And American Girls?

Human Events Online ^ | Feb. 16, 2005 | Linda Chavez

[Dat Mon]

There was a time when men would fight duals to the death to defend the honor of their wives, fiancees, or daughters.

Today...would a man fight to the death defending the honor of Paris Hilton?

On the flip side, its not just women...in those days, we didn't need lots of corporate attorneys to do business deals.

A mans word was his honor, men did business deals on a handshake.

[KC_Conspirator]

I disagree. The extent of what we see today was not there 30 years ago. One had to look hard to find x-rated material and hide the mags somewhere in your bedroom. Now all you have to do is turn on the cable or browse the internet.

[MineralMan]

"When I was in HS the boys had to swim in the nude."

No nude swimming in my HS during the period from 59-63. Group showers, though. I don't remember being all that concerned about sizes back then. I really never noticed.

I wonder if the nude swimming thing had anything to do with the coaches little fetishes?

In our HS, the girls had group showers, too, not individual stalls. I think that came later. My HS girlfriend didn't think it was any big deal to shower with the other girls. We boys just wished we could be flies on the wall in there.

[jec41]

They all claim there pride, however few can claim dignity.

[NCjim]

Man, talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly... the one on the left gets two out of three... *g

[Modernman]

Examples??

How about the fact that every town in the American West used to have at least one brothel that operated openly and legally. Would that fly today in Tucson or Santa Fe?

[Protagoras]

ask the average American guy what he wants and it's usually the sort of gil on the GGW infomercials.

I disagree. Maybe you are asking the wrong boys. And don't confuse teen age fantasies about sex with "what kind of girl he wants".

[k2blader]

Interesting that you say that, considering the word "prude" has been thrown around quite a bit on FR as well.

[mugs99]

In fact, the past was more sordid, grubby and immodest than anything we can now imagine

Pornograpy was mainstream in the Roaring Twenties. Modesty and censorship evolved during the depression years. I'm not taking a position here, that's just a little bit of history most Americans are unaware of today. Betty Boop was originally an 'adult' cartoon and "boop" was slang for sex.

Our modern film industry began with porn. In fact, the best film of auotomobiles in the early days is from porn flicks. The only movies of the 1908 Reo on the road are porn. It was a very popular car for motor picnics.
...

[cyborg]

good point

[Modernman]

This may explain why sexual assault was virtually unheard of

Sexual assault was virtually unheard of because the victim, up until recently, would be too ashamed to report the assault and many police departments would not bother investigating the crime if they concluded that the victim was "asking for it."

The Muslim world enforces very high standards of modesty for women. Do you think sexual assaults don't happen there?

[NCjim]

I entered NCSU in the fall of 1966. Everyone had to take a swimming test to place them in the proper swim class. All of us guys had to take it in the nude.

The first class was interesting, though. Our instructor was female, and one of the students (not me) showed up for class, in which there were girls, dressed just like he had taken the placement test.

I don't know who was more embarrassed, him or the instructor.

Today most probably nobody would blink an eye...

[Protagoras]

I wonder if the nude swimming thing had anything to do with the coaches little fetishes?

No, they had been doing it since the pool was built when my father went there in the 30's.

The girls wore suits of a sort. They looked like something from the turn of the century. They all had to wear the same thing. They had separate showers, but no doors on the stalls.

[Aquinasfan]

In fact, the past was more sordid, grubby and immodest than anything we can now imagine.

Not in the Christian West, as far as I know. Now that we're entering a post-Christian age, at least among the cultural elites, we're reverting to pagan mores.

[MineralMan]

I think that's really odd. What was the deal with nude swimming for boys? I suspect some funny coaches were involved. I can see no reason for it, otherwise.

[Modernman]

We didn't have a 30% illegitimacy rate in the past and tons of fatherless welfare families the taxpayers have to support.

Up until paternity tests were invented, it was pretty difficult to figure out who the actual father of a child was. Sure, we didn't have illegitimacy the way we do today, but don't fool yourself into thinking that women, even married women, weren't getting knocked up by men who they weren't married to.

[68skylark]

Thanks for your thought-provoking comments.

[k2blader]

Modesty doesn't just mean the way women dress either. It also includes the words that come out of their mouths. Women swearing is such a huge turn off--it's worse than when guys do it.

[MineralMan]

"Modesty doesn't just mean the way women dress either. It also includes the words that come out of their mouths. Women swearing is such a huge turn off--it's worse than when guys do it.

"

I consider it the same, exactly, whether it's men or women. I've always found swearing to be offensive, whoever does it.

I just don't like it.

[k2blader]

I did a double-take at your post--for a second I thought you wrote "we're reverting to pagan whores." Which, in some cases, may actually be applicable!