The first time it happened I thought it was a fluke. How could I not? I was 17, in France for the first time. I was staying with a family. They had friends over who had a twelve year old boy. It was late, I took a bath before going bed. As I stood up to get out of the bathtub, the twelve year old opened the door. He didn't look shocked or even curious. He sighed, I kid you not, and said, "Ah, quelle beauté." I had no particular illusions about his judgement, I think he would've said the same about anyone with breasts and pubic hair. But his statement did surprise me. What aplomb! What nonchalance. At 12, sex and beauty and love (because, of course, the next day he swore he would love me forever) were already high on his list of priorities.
I've seen it over and over again. These guys just come up with this stuff naturally. Half of it, mind you, would be classified as harassement or sexism or political incorrectness in the US, but that's a whole other issue. I personally believe that political correctness has done much more harm than good. But anyway. At work this morning a student made a comment to me, which I'm not even going to post because it doesn't matter and some of you would be shocked and really, that's not the point. The point is, he made it in the most natural and inoffensive way.
I'm friends with French women and men. I swear they don't teach it to their boys. Which leads me to believe it's just a French genetic thing. Which I realize, as a theory, would not hold up under any scientific scrutiny. But it is what it is. The ability to see sex and beauty everywhere. Maybe it's the naked woman on the yogurt commercials, I don't know.
9 comments:
Well things are different here. That`s a fact. We seem to judge any kind of `incorrectness` very harshly. If a younger teenage boy made a comment like that here the parents would likely be coached to find him therapy. :)
It's not genetic, as well you know. I think it's a man's moral responsibility to tell a beautiful and sexy woman she is beautiful and sexy whenever he can. And vice versa. I would love to be able to take pics of beautiful people, willy nilly, but American-inspired political correctness and the Americanised New Model Woman's sensibilities more often than not precludes this. America has much to answer for, in many areas.
Amy would tell you that I had a habit during my recent trip there of telling certain women how pretty they were. I even asked one to marry me without seeing evidence of breasts and/or pubic hair (on her, that is, not me). It was an unusual thing to do there, it seems, but I think it's a perfectly natural thing to do whenever one sees beauty and so on. I think one should be honest. Don't you?
I'm not 12, by the way. And I might blog about PC and its relationship to collective stupidity and the masculinisation of women and the emasculation of men. Pitiful, I calls it.
This blog does not smell. I have sniffed and found it ok. Blogger, however, stinks now and again.
I agree with Charlie for the most part, although I would caution against making rash marriage proposals based solely on beauty. That sort of thing frequently leads to uncomfortable silences, confusion, and Trojan Wars.
Also, I think everyone has a moral responsibility to tell ugly and non-sexy people that we're ugly and non-sexy. Wouldn't want us putting on airs or anything.
Grish, Charlie, and LA - Why do you think only men commented on this post?
I think political correctness bites.
I think teeth bite. I think PC sucks.
Actually, I tried to comment yesterday but was having all those problems. That said, it will be interesting to see if your boys develop this skill.
nicole - you might want to read grish's latest post at http://theelectivewhisper.blogspot.com/ re this subject
i didn't know whether to laugh or cry. it's one of the things i observed in the US on my visit and will write about it in the book. pitiful!
Take it up with the lawyers. They control the legislative processes in the USA through their infestation of the political system. It's they who make money out this sort of tripe. But, ultimately, of course, it's down to people's short-term egocentrism - in which case, blame everybody.
But don't blame me. I intend to carry on telling beautiful and sexy women that they are just that. But not on my blog.
Post a Comment