Showcasing vintage male photography, mostly nude. You must be 18 years of age or older to visit this blog! If you hold a copyright on any material shown on this blog, notify me, and it will be removed immediately.
Followers
Sunday, April 25, 2021
Cuddles
Maybe they're just trying to keep each other warm.
Ironically, gay liberation and social normalization have caused quite a change in the way men interact, most especially in respect of acceptable body contact. All societies have different mores, but whatever was deemed in the past to be respectable was always predicated on the fact that all men were considered to be heterosexual. The Sexual Offences Act 1885 in Britain introduced the concept of "gross indecency" and while there was no set definition of "gross indecency" in law, it was used to prosecute men for a whole range of "homosexual acts" when it could not be proven they had engaged in buggery. This catch-all legislation immediately changed the way British men behaved. Theretofore, many men would walk arm-in-arm in public and even embraced à la française. The English reserve was utterly alien to the American and also Australian openness, which societies went in a diametrically opposite direction and men became more tactile, not less, under similar legislation and moral climate. It is now acceptable for men to hug - which has been imported from America - but that's the limit.
Thanks for explaining. Whilst hugging has indeed become acceptable among American males, it was not always so. Even as a youngster, I remember its being not "proper." BUT, an arm around the shoulder was quite alright, whereas nowadays it is looked at askance. I don't remember hand holding ever being "acceptable."
Ironically, gay liberation and social normalization have caused quite a change in the way men interact, most especially in respect of acceptable body contact. All societies have different mores, but whatever was deemed in the past to be respectable was always predicated on the fact that all men were considered to be heterosexual. The Sexual Offences Act 1885 in Britain introduced the concept of "gross indecency" and while there was no set definition of "gross indecency" in law, it was used to prosecute men for a whole range of "homosexual acts" when it could not be proven they had engaged in buggery. This catch-all legislation immediately changed the way British men behaved. Theretofore, many men would walk arm-in-arm in public and even embraced à la française. The English reserve was utterly alien to the American and also Australian openness, which societies went in a diametrically opposite direction and men became more tactile, not less, under similar legislation and moral climate. It is now acceptable for men to hug - which has been imported from America - but that's the limit.
ReplyDeleteWell, that explains a lot.
DeleteThanks for explaining. Whilst hugging has indeed become acceptable among American males, it was not always so. Even as a youngster, I remember its being not "proper." BUT, an arm around the shoulder was quite alright, whereas nowadays it is looked at askance. I don't remember hand holding ever being "acceptable."
ReplyDelete