My Encounters in the Museum of Sex
The disconcerting fact, or perhaps, the charm of the Museum of Sex, is the constant zigzag of the exhibits from the realms of pornography to education. Needless to say, the experience is entirely subjective, as is the visit itself. What I took away today in an instructional setting was, I imagine, entirely different from the experience I would have had if I were to have visited the venue as, say, a member of a bachelorette party.
The existence of the Museum of Sex proves two points: first, that sex is part of public discourse in our time; second, that the subject still has an aura of mystique. During our class visit, I noticed that the average age of the patrons was perhaps twenty-five, and that each flock of viewers was avidly avoiding the eyes of the others. To linger in front of one display might suggest an interest in that subject, such as ogling an image of grandmother pornography. Therefore patrons attempted to move at a steady pace and maintain poker faces, so as not to be judged by their peers who were exhibiting the same behavior in the same venue. An interesting study in the field of Sexuality and American Culture would be to film the patrons of the Museum of Sex as they browse through the collections. Their stiff demeanors would confirm the notion that although the museum was permitted to be erected and individuals pay an entry fee to observe the exhibits amassed inside, society has still not reached the point where adults feel completely free from sexual repression. Our childish conduct reinforces the notion that sex is a social construct used to control individuals, especially when compared to the schoolchildren that Michel Foucault mentions, who were able to maturely take part in a sexual discussion while adults could not.
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Tags: Behavior, Michel Foucault, Museum of Sex
March 13th, 2013 at 7:42 am
Hey Ariella,
I agree that the people within the museum and the way they interact with each other and with the exhibits was definitely one of the most interesting aspects of the museum. I would question you, though, on your comments about society still being repressed, and that sex still has an aura of mystique around it. But only the word “still.” How old is this mystique, where does it come from, and are we moving away from it or embracing it? I feel as if MoSex serves to amplify this mystique rather than diminish it. Rather than help visitors make sense of so much information, it seemed like it’s effect would be far more likely to simply prompt visitors to Google some further details about something presented. MoSex is definitely teetering between ars erotica and scientia sexualis, but I think it serves more to promote diversification of ideas and polarized reactions to sexuality more than anything else.
Looking through a book in the gift shop titled “The New Topping Book,” an educational book about BDSM, the authors mentioned that the BDSM scene has changed dramatically in the ten years since the original version of the book. They described how the growth of the internet encouraged more people to reach out and join the BDSM community, a portion of which only participated in virtual domination relationships. While praising the growth of the community, they also lamented the fragmentation of the community as more people are leaving the general BDSM community in favor of communites with more narrow interests. We are still in the throes of scientia sexualis, and our ideas about sexuality are still being increasingly classified and diversified.
March 13th, 2013 at 4:14 pm
Rachel & Ariella: It’s interesting that both of you came up with the idea to film other museum-goers as they interacted with the different installations. Is this its own kind of voyeurism? How does our interest, which is potentially the result of our self-attributed superior comfort with sexuality, in how others respond to the museum reflect our own participation in scientia sexualis? Are we all doctors, eager to assess each other in hope of deducing some grander theme?