As IF Times

link X Factor judge Kelly Rowland has severe wardrobe malfunction | Mail Online.

Where are we? 1892? Is the mere glimpse of a nipple really newsworthy? Is it so titillating to see a few centimeters of darkened skin?  It’s not as if they are found only on the beautiful;  everyone has them, some apparently have 3.  Are there people out there that don’t have an internet connection?  Don’t have a televison set? Don’t have access to magazines?

In a time when it is politically incorrect to NOT accept men kissing men, or women embracing women, or extremely suggestive billboards, do people still go blushy-blush over an exposed nipple?  This is very curious.  As we all know, in Muslim culture, any part of the woman’s body is perceived as being risque if exposed to general view.  It’s surprising that they have not invented periscope-like devices for the women’s eyes in order to shield those from the sight of men.  But at least they’re consistent in their values.

In the normal world, it’s virtually impossible to get through a day without being exposed to what used to be considered ‘racy’ images during one’s daily activities.  Every possible centimeter of the human body is  used as marketing fodder to peddle everything from cars to crayons, yet somehow the 2 square centimeters of an average nipple is taboo.  If this little zone of human skin is so salacious, maybe they should consider banning  pencil erasers.   Why don’t they forbid cherries on ice cream sundaes?

We all know that entertainers are always pushing the edge as far as appearance, often in lieu of actual talent.  Did someone say Lady Gaga?  But like PETA supporters getting naked at protest rallies, it gets old and any shock value it may once have had is pretty minimal these days.  Like French can-can girls doing  high-kicks revealing petticoats, in a very short time, the exposing of nipples will be no more titillating than exposing a navel.  Speaking of which, people may recall that back in the 60’s TV show, I Dream of Jeannie, featured  Barbara Eden sporting a risque  harem outfit, but always with the belly button covered.  Apparently back then, a belly button was the same as full frontal nudity, or in the case of the Muslim world, an ankle.

Of course, some may argue that all of this bodily exposure are signs of society’s descent into depravity and decadence.  Maybe.  But I’d rather be exposed to nipples and belly buttons than to other more offensive images.  Michael Moore springs to mind.

link Critics Choice Movies :: Movie News Headlines :: Just another WordPress site » Blog Archive » ‘Sesame Street’ Reponds To Bert & Ernie Marriage Petition.

This undoubtedly will affect how all men interact as we go forward.  It’s unclear to me the genesis of how Bert and Ernie became to be universally acknowledged as closet living roommates, all the while operating under the cover of teaching  ABC’s to kids.  It’s as if you owned a drinking establishment, when all of a sudden, it came to be frequented by gay males and voila, it’s now a gay bar.

Male-male bonds have been around for thousands of years before now coming under the revisionist scrutiny of our modern sensibilities.  Now, all of sudden we have to look more closely at some of these classic partnerships to see what subtle undertones we’ve been missing all these years.

What about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? Butch? Sundance? Riding around on bicycles? Hmm.  What about Felix and Oscar, probably the model for the Bert and Ernie relationship.  One guy was very neat.  Starsky and Hutch?  Didn’t one of them always wear very tight pants?

This scrutiny will extend to the sporting world as well.  Do football players really have to huddle together before every play?  Has anyone noticed where the quarterback’s hands are on the scrimmage line? Even some of the expressions attached to the game are possibly racy in this new light.  Do the uniforms have to be so snug?  Why are there tight ends?  Wide receivers? Why are some players slow to get up from big dog piles after a tackle?  It’s like a light has been turned on!

Hockey doesn’t escape without some questionable images either.  The standard mobbing  and fondling of a player after a goal is scored.  He shoots, he scores?  This has been under our noses for generations and we’re just catching on to it now!  In professional golf, player/caddie teams are legendary including up until recently, Woods/Williams.  Caddies are known for carrying around the players’ bags and of course holding their putters.  At the amateur level, golfers are known to hang out regularly with their usual foursome,  previously considered male bonding.  Hmm.

Seen through the new enlightened  prism of modern culture, very few sports activities escape the vast net of possible gay undertones.  Let’s not even talk about wrestling.