In these films, the characters spoke openly about sexual matters but, more significantly, open nudity was displayed which violated the decency standards then in existence in nearly every country in the world. These films caused an outpouring of debate regarding not only the role of sex and nudity in the movie industry it also sparked open debate about sex in general. As a direct result of these films, the popular notion developed that Swedish society had a liberal attitude about sexual matters while, in actuality, at the time Sweden was experiencing a period of relative conservatism. Nevertheless, the door had been opened and within the next twenty years the movement that had begun in Sweden had spread to the rest of Europe and to the United States as well.
Whether the 60's was the period of a sexual revolution or just a period of profound change in society is subject to debate. A clear answer will likely never be known. Once the 60's had ended, most individuals were no longer following inherited customs but were deciding for themselves what was proper in the way of their own sex lives. Individuals were now provided with alternatives that did not exist prior to the changes of the 60's.
The sexual revolution of the 60's was a change not only in the way that individuals acted but also in how they thought. Prior to the 60's certain sexual practices were considered immoral and often illegal. Additionally, the mere thinking of such actions was considered equally immoral. With the changes of the 1960's this all changed. It was no longer immoral to use contraception. It was no longer immoral to get an abortion. It was no longer immoral to view nude photos. Most importantly, individuals no longer had to feel guilty about using contraception, about considering...
The revolution of the 60's was complete because it changed not only how society acted in regard to sexual matters it also changed how society thought about sex.
How and why attitudes changed about sex during the period of the 1960's is subject to speculation and debate. The reality is that the period marked remarkable change as the younger generation began to question authority and challenge the ideas and values of their
parents. Gone were the days when it was thought that
women who were not virgins would not be able to find a husband. Gone were the days when unwed mothers had to go into hiding and gone were the days when abortions had to be done in back alley clinics. For the first time in
history the sexual revolution brought near
equality to the sexes. Women, just like men, were free to enjoy sex and to admit that they had sexual needs. More radical women were free to assert that they had the same sexual desires and that they should have the same sexual freedom as anyone else in society. The sexual revolution empowered women in a way that they had never been before. Therein, lay the true value of the sexual revolution.
Works Cited
Allen, David. Make Love, Not War: The Sexual Revolution: An Unfettered History. New York: Little, Brown & Company, 2000.
Christensen, Harold T. "Changing Sex Norms in America and Scandinavia." Journal of Marriage and Family (1970): 616-627.
Crano, William d. Attitudes and Attitude Change. London: Taylor & Francis, 2008.
Smith, Tom W. "The Sexual Revolution?" Public Opinion Quarterly (1990): 415-435.
Summer with Monika. Dir. Ingmar Bergman. Perf. Harriet Andersson. 1953.
Revolution of sexuality
