Nasri Atallah wrote a very interesting piece about sex in Lebanese society back in June (yes I only found out about it a couple of minutes ago) (but) it just got me thinking: 2011 was such a great year for sex in Lebanon!
On TV, our own Malek Springer now rivals Jerry Maktabi while our (in)famous duo of sexologists, Sandrine Atallah (Is she your cousin, Nasri?) and Labib Gholmiyeh have angered every single mufti and priest in the Middle-East (or not).
In literature, I mean come on it's not like you don't (occasionally) check out the Lebanese nude photography section in "Librairie Antoine" (and we thought you were such an intellectual) | And it's not like you weren't curious enough to (think about) buy(ing) Jasad, Lebanon's first (semi?) erotic magazine.
No need to talk about the nightlife, (a picture is worth a thousand words) so just go ahead and check out the pictures posted on beirutnightlife, or published in Mondanité, Spécial, Noun or good old Facebook. (Oh and Folie rouge, good ol' folie rouge)
(If you still haven't read his piece), Nasri Atallah argues that even though our society has become so sexualized, there is "a distinct lack of actual sex".
I agree (do you?), but unlike Mr Atallah I don't think this will lead to the "complete desexualisation" of our society. I see it differently: we are currently in the midst of Lebanon's sexual revolution, (I just realized our country is actually going through a "revolution" under the banner of the Arab Spring), I mean come on, who would have imagined 15 years ago (or just after the end of the civil war) that our local TV channels would be detailing sexual positions (yes) and talking about masturbation at 10:00 pm.
I just think that our sexual revolution is in Fast Forward mode, this is definitely going to generate some sort of collateral damage, but the end result should make our society somewhat similar to Eastern European ones, don't you think?
It's going to be a long process; 25 years ago parents wouldn't have allowed their daughters to "hang out" at Gemmayze until the early morning hours (3ayb 3ammo). Today, it just takes a (papy please wloooo) or simply a (bye ana ray7a).
Times are changing, the new generations won't be as harsh on their own children as our parents or grand-parents were... Allah yestor!
Spectators attend a fashion show for the latest Diamony lingerie collection during "Ski and Fashion Festival 2011" at Faraya Mzaar ski resort, Mount Lebanon. |