Monday, July 05, 2010

The Loss of Sophisticated Innuendo

The rabbi here pointed me to this interesting quote in an Op-Ed in the New York Times.
    The elemental power of sexuality has also waned in American popular culture. Under the much-maligned studio production code, Hollywood made movies sizzling with flirtation and romance. But from the early ’70s on, nudity was in, and steamy build-up was out. A generation of filmmakers lost the skill of sophisticated innuendo. The situation worsened in the ’90s, when Hollywood pirated video games to turn women into cartoonishly pneumatic superheroines and sci-fi androids, fantasy figures without psychological complexity or the erotic needs of real women.
It's the old argument for tzniut: namely, that the girls are sexier because of what they don't show as opposed to what they do show. A little entertaining to find it in the NYT.

10 comments:

Mark said...

>>> the girls are sexier because of what they don't show as opposed to what they do show <<<

If this were so (and it may be) and if this were the reason for the laws of znius (and it may be)... then logic would dictate that women should davka wear sleeveless, low cut, tight, short dresses in order to not be so enticing.

Anonymous said...

A little ironic that you are talking about tznius and yet bringing in quotes and mentioning words that are not a tzanua way of speaking in public at all.

Avi said...

Anon July 05, 2010 3:50 PM,
you need to chill.

Anonymous said...

it's a silly and wrong argument for tznius. it's the same as the "let's tell them it's ok to believe the world is 5 billion years old, as long as after that they'll be religious. and then one day they'll come to terms that facts aren't as they see them" argument. consider it the tznius baalas teshuva argument.

The Cousin said...

Leaving the tznius debate aside, it seems like Paglia is calling for a return to the days of "more left to the imagination" Someone of a romanticized idea.

At the same time, the mystery factor can make a girl more appealing.

These days, it seems like there's little left to the imagination. (If you don't believe me, try venturing to a nightclub here in the City)

Though, (sorry to be critical), but I think you are taking the quote a bit out of context. If you look at the preceding paragraph:


Nor are husbands offering much stimulation in the male display department...The sexes, which used to occupy intriguingly separate worlds, are suffering from over-familiarity, a curse of the mundane. There’s no mystery left.


The author of the op-ed is commenting on how in the pursuit of complete egalitarianism (for lack of a better word) the differences between men and women are slowly being erased. But that's a totally different discussion for another date and time. (As one of my teachers used to say, "Let's put it on the back=burner") :)

Jewish Atheist said...

Food tastes better if you force people not to eat for a day or two first, too. That doesn't mean it's a good thing to do. :-)

Malka said...

The article you mention was double interesting to me in the light of an article that appeared in the NYT a few days before. That article also suggested that modern America may have moved to far to the egalitarian side of the spectrum in how it treats men and women, specifically in expectations for science/math.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/08/science/08tier.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

Anyone else intrigued by the possibility of a trend?

Shira Salamone said...

Apparently, the Times has finally caught up with me.

Chana said...

Folks,

I don't believe in this argument for tzniut. If you've read my other posts, you would know that by now. I was cracking up just because it appeared something similar to the argument *others* believe in was posted up in the NYT. Everyone, let's chill.

Anon 954 said...

you said "the rabbi here" ; where is here?