Fashions in sex: a few rather random thoughts, a bit incoherent
This grows out of several things during the week, including conversation with Tart Card Collector about the latest trends being offered on these (multiple Chinese lesbians - those of us in this conversation considered that after a certain number diminishing returns would surely set in, because of the physical practicalities - who does what and with which and to whom multiplied). Also conversation with Team Leader that somehow got to the point of thinking about the Victorians and the presumable eroticisation of whiskery men (Hott or Not: Matthew Arnold or Alfred Lord Tennyson? Or How about 'Wild Monkey Sex' Charles Darwin? Vote Now!) and the saying 'kissing a man without a moustache is like eating an egg without salt'. Which has clearly changed (even in my life-time since the late 60s/early 70s...)
(There has been quite a lot in the way of observations on changes in what is considered the acme of sexual attractiveness in women, but a whole lot less on men.)
Plus that article I linked to about prostitution making me think back to work I did on the 1920s and the rather anecdotal evidence that at that period young men were having relationships with 'the girlfriend type' rather than going to prostitutes, or at least, telling docs in the STD clinic that that was the case, presumably because going to prostitutes was no longer cool? Various works from that period do tend to indicate that there was a generational difference.
Seem to remember reading in Edmund White's States of Desire: travels in gay America, that he found significant regional differences not just in the way gay life was organised but in sexual practices. (The guy who edits the Time Out Gay and Lesbian section did something similar for the UK during the 90s, I recollect.)
Also, quite noticeable shift during C20th from people thinking that using birth control even within marriage was disgusting immoral thing, to view that not using it and being responsible about family planning was bad thing.
Recent heated discussions on history of sexuality forum about whether people did certain sexual practices 'in the past'.
This is, I think, a bit different from the 'putting ideas into their heads' theme illustrated by elderly friend's story of how their aunt came back from USA just after the War all bubbly and chatty about her lesbian relationship over there, and her whole circle suddenly blossoming into sapphic affairs. (Or, in the other direction, A from BC's story about one couple in local academia getting divorce and epidemic of marriage breakups happening thereafter.)
To some extent this may be just superficial and covering things over, but I do wonder to what extent people are influenced by these fashions, unless they have some very strong pull in another direction (think here of what Mitchison does in Solution Three, suggesting that if it is not socially approved and your friends aren't reinforcing it, people aren't necessarily going to be that invested in heterosexuality).
Interesting to think about.