From the Netscape Network's Men's Channel, we have a bit of a teat treat:
If you think we're living in racy times now, think again. Janet Jackson's Super Bowl escapade wouldn't have raised an eyebrow in the 17th century. Based on an in-depth study of fashion, portraits, prints, and thousands of woodcuts from ballad sheets of that era, researchers from the University of Warwick in Coventry, England report that women of the 1600s--from queens to prostitutes--commonly exposed one or both breasts in public and in the popular media of the day, reports Discovery News.
Here's the real kicker: They did it to show off their virtue.
What that virtue entailed makes for interesting reading (and it's a short article, so go ahead and give it a shot), and I like the way the summary ends: "This unusual fashion trend had a comeback in the 18th and 19th centuries when it was scandalous for a woman to show her shoulders or legs, but quite acceptable to bare her bosom."
Hear, hear. I'd hate to see displays of fine leg go away, but I do have to wonder: perhaps we could make common cause with the conservatives, the ones who claim that the country is going to hell and what we need is moral regeneration, etc, etc? Well, why not--and why not begin with displays of virtue? What about it, conservatives?
The only irksome thing about this story was the "begs the question" crap at the end. Go read, and hope that, er, virtue makes a comeback.
UPDATE: Democrats can be interested in virtue as well. Alexandra Kerry, daughter of Democrat nominee-presumptive John Kerry, appears to be aiming for a display of her virtue. She merits applause, I think.
Posted by Craig Ceely at May 31, 2004 08:39 PM