Jackson Langfeld (in class) sex symbols

 Within the past month or so we spent some time in class viewing various sex icons from across the world. The one that sticks out to me was the man hunched over wielding a tomahawk in one hand, while masturbating with the other. Its like this is what a man was in ancient times, masculinity was centered around sex and violence. On the other hand feminine figures typically represented fertility, often with wide hips and a broad chest  or mirroring female reproductive organs. They held a sacred power that was not taboo. Bodies served as tools to teach important lessons of life. 

 In the modern day these icons have been warped. The depth and symbolism has been lost to the times, making these symbols a shell of their former selves. Modern masculinity often reflects "alpha male" mindset, where sex and power are treated as commodities and have been stripped of their inherit value. This is a literate version of masculinity that's detached from lived experiences. Similarly femininity has been reshaped by pornstar esque aesthetics, filtered faces, disproportionate figures, bodies are treated like a product rather than symbols. Instead of connecting women to their internal power we get an image built for mass consumption. Porn restricts people to a single function: pleasure.

I feel this is caused by literacy, as it distances use from personal experiences. The body has been turned into a tool for personal gain. And I'm left wondering if we can reverse this, reconnecting us to the sacred power of sex?

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