Sexual revolution also referred to as sexual liberation, was the period where the meaning of sex was redefined from the traditional and cultural definitions it held to a liberal one. It promoted self-acceptance; no more hiding in the closet.
One thing is common in all the revolutions that the world has experienced; an ideology paradigm shift from the status quo, and a social and political transformation.
Times of war does have a way of reshaping and drawing out the innate desires of a person, this was not surprising when the societal ritual of sex, sexual desires and sexual partners were questioned.
For sexual revolution, it was first experienced in the 1920s after the ravaging First World War. This period set the pace for the second and the most popular sexual revolution 40 years later, The 1960s saw a time when women were beginning to shake off the existing conditioning of sex: sex outside wedlock is sin (men were excused from this sin by the way), missionary style is the acceptable style, heterosexual pleasure is the only sexual pleasure to seek, abortion is a sin, and the list goes on. It was a rebirth of feminism.
The revolution also had immediate causes which included the development of the pill and the sexualisation of women in the media. Women realised they could get pleasure without the fear of pregnancy, as there were lots of unwanted pregnancies prior, making chastity cheaper and the only way out.
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Fast forward to 40 years later, the revolution has now evolved into an ideology and lifestyle, bigger than what the freedom fighters of the 20s imagined when they started this cause.
Today, we can say the sexual revolution has birthed feminism, LGBTQ, BDSM, legalisation of abortion, the spike in premarital sex, pornography, masturbation and many other sexual expressions.
Some people are of the opinion that these expressions of mind and body liberation have been taken too far, farther than the grand matrons and patrons who crawled so we could run, had imagined. It is as though this generation is not interested in walking, why walk when you can run.
But contrary to this thought, there just might be an uneven acceptance of sexual liberation across all generations. Like in all cases of social ideologies, there will be rightists and leftists, as well as far-rightist and far-leftists, who in this case might have taken the centre stage.
Millennials are sitting comfortably in three categories, with a bulk of them on the left-wing, a sizeable number are on the far left and the lowest per cent on the right. For Gen Z, the majority exhibit far left characteristics, while the boomers have more representation in the far-right and right-wing.
These separate views are the reasons why homophobia, child molestation, rape, silence culture, misogyny, the abortion debate is still a thing in today’s society. The role of religious and cultural settings in the shaping of these mindsets cannot be overemphasised.
There is, however, the argument that sexual revolution may have been a curse than a blessing, based on so many reasons;
Health challenge: This is on the rise, according to the World Health Organisation, more than 1 million persons contract sexually transmitted infections (STIs) every day. In 1981, HIV/AIDS was discovered, as of 2013, 35 million people were living with HIV/AIDS, out of which, 3.2 million are children, the majority of whom contracted it from their mother.
Psychological effect; Teenagers and adolescents now believe sex is the bedrock of a relationship, sadly, they are not mentally and emotionally prepared for sexual relationships, they become self-indulgent, can’t delay gratification, an infatuation that makes them shut the door to the outside world and focus only on the moment with their partners, in an age where they should be building friendships.
Prostitution: Most of those in this trade are sometimes forced, enslaved, trapped by poverty, shame, etc. In 2012, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) revealed in an estimate that 4.5 million are being exploited sexually in the world.
Extramarital affair; Infidelity is on the increase, married persons now damn the vows they made just to satisfy themselves and emotionally hurt their partners, while also putting them at risk of STIs.
The gradual death of sexual morality; The idea of sex been casual and a tool to control relationships has always been accepted in the male circle especially with the Playboy magazine where sex was turned into a predatory weapon. However, the revolution gave women the idea to discard any sexual expectations and have fun with casual sex, thereby competing with men to use sex as a tool for dominance.
Pornography; This is an action that has been linked to rape, sexual misconduct and addiction., laying waste to the lives of its victims.
Does this mean that the sexual revolution has done nothing but wreck havoc on the health, social, emotional and psychological standing of the human race? Absolutely not, the revolution gave women the power to think about their sexual needs first, instead of being at the mercy of what the other person wants, which is a great plus to womanhood.
The fact that I can choose to not want kids without feeling the guilt for stopping a baby from coming to earth is another win, the self-confidence it has given women over the almighty patriarchy who has always run the show, the cancel of the silent culture that led to the #MeToo movement.
The dissolution of the idea that you have to sleep with a man to get the job or promotion, equality for both men and women, men have stopped the sexual labour of missionary style, as they lay back to experience women on top riding them to ecstasy. These are a few of the benefits of the sexual revolution.
Indeed, the sexual revolution was intended to liberate men and women to experience sexual freedom and self-love, and it has no doubt fulfilled these objectives, however, as with every revolution; it never stops at the aim it sets out to achieve, it would always run faster than those at the helm of control and hijacked by others who are way ahead with differing views, thus adulterating the original content, and then the cycle is rinsed and repeated.
It is therefore imperative to go through self-discovery, to know who you are, what you want and what works for you; these would determine what your core values and preferences would be.
Afterwards, build yourself, mentally and emotionally and stick to them, although, there is room for cross-carpeting, remember we unlearn, learn and relearn every day, being fluid doesn’t mean you’re loose, being accepting of every wing is good, but the best is knowing yourself to avoid being tossed from one place to the other.
Life is not a one-way street, it is multifaceted, do what works for you, and stick to the consequences of your choice.
Alleluia is the Assistant Editor and Content Writer at LagosPost.ng. She is a prolific writer and editor, she has written features and news stories on Lifestyle, Sports, Business, Politics and B2B marketing. She is also an event coordinator, host and social media content creator.
