| 306 Room 520-B | Sexuality and Media Monday, July 11, 2005 Time: 9:30 AM-10:30 AM |
Women in Erotic Art: What Does It Tell Us about Women's Lives during the Past 5000 Years? - Invited Paper.
Reinisch, June*,1, 2, 3, 1 The Museum of Sex, New York, New York, USA2 The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, Bloomington, IN, USA3 R2 Science Communications, Inc., Brooklyn, New York, USA
ABSTRACT- This presentation demonstrates how erotic art, such as that archived in The Kinsey Institute collections and exhibited at The Museum of Sex, in New York can both inform us about how women have been perceived historically and provide insights into what their lives were like. Erotic visual images can provide a unique artistic and philosophical context and an historical, multicultural perspective on women. How women are perceived by their cultures and the impact that perception can have on how women view themselves are revealed in the erotic art produced depicting them. Finally these images provide insights into how these idealized or stereotyped views and expectations affect the way societies' treat women. These perceptions can then be of assistance in the interpretation of contemporary scientific research in the social, medical and biological sciences and in clinical practice. Scientific research and clinical medicine do not exist in a vacuum. How we understand and think about science and clinical practice; how we create and design research; Even the questions we ask, are all influenced by the culture and era in which they exist, and the past out of which that present culture is derived. In return, the fruits of research and clinical practice influence the culture and society In which they are consumed.
Key words: Erotic Art, Cross-Cultural, Historical, Museums, Women