Sexual healing

The "sensitive man." A man in touch with his "feminine side." The "metrosexual" man. Up until recently, these were not common concepts in American culture. And while it's great that men can be sensitive, important for them to relate to women, and fine, I suppose, if they choose to wax their eyebrows, something else has taken place in the midst of this "male awakening," and I'm left to wonder if it's all part of the same phenomenon.

Years ago, men were just...men. Wash and dry, off to work, earn a buck to feed the family. They were not invited to witness the births of their children and were, generally speaking, not in touch with their femininity. But good, bad or otherwise, they were in touch with their masculinity, and the women they found attractive, the standard of beauty, let's say 40, 50 years ago, were women like Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren and Ann Margaret.

And who are the objects of desire today? If we use Hollywood as a cultural reference, it's women like Angelina Jolie, Keira Knightly and Kate Hudson.

Now, I'm not making a comment on skinny women, hey, some of my closest friends are bone-thin and beautiful. But if we accept that women are naturally fuller, softer and rounder creatures than men, and for the majority of our history that has been considered attractive and sexually desirable, then I wonder if, as men have become more "feminized," their desire has shifted from curvy to cut, from flesh to flat abs, muscular and toned, that is to say women who appear more masculine.

I recently did an image search and came across the one shown here. I thought the woman in the photograph had a really sexy body and wondered what the attached article had to say. I was surprised to find it was an angry rant about how fat and disgusting she looked in her bathing suit.

I'm not saying that men should be more like they used to be, or that skinny women are some how not "real" women, but I am reminded that there's no such thing as "the truth" when defining what is beautiful or sexy or even acceptable. I'm also left with this question: In the muddy mess that is our culture, in the aftermath of the sexual revolution, can men find their way to becoming complete and whole and natural men? Can women discover and embrace their God given feminine radiance and really start to let it shine?

I do believe freedom lies somewhere in the answer.