Sunday 7 March 2010

Indecent snow

People's hangups about sex never cease to amaze me. To certain eyes the most innocent things become symbols of wanton depravity. And if the depravity is particularly vile, there's nothing for it but to summon the police to quench the raging fires of lasciviousness.

In Rahway, New Jersey, Elisa Gonzalez and her family spent hours crafting a nude sculpture in the front garden of their home - their version of the celebrated Greek statue Venus de Milo. And very accomplished it was, so much so that several neighbours admired it.

But another neighbour was not so keen. The bare breasts and visible pubic area were too much for delicate sensibilities and a complaint was made to the local police about the "naked snow woman".

The police officer who paid a visit thought the snow lady and her assets were very impressive. But rather apologetically he insisted she would have to be covered up for the sake of public decency.

So she was given a green bikini top and some blue fabric to conceal the offending parts and restore the dignity of the neighbourhood.

Whether this achieved the desired aim is debatable. As Mrs Gonzalez said "I thought she looked more objectified and sexualised after I put the bikini on."

I assume that all snowmen will now be required to wear Y fronts to avoid similar complaints about their shameful lewdness. The fact is, people have got away with these obscene displays for too long. They have to stop.

41 comments:

  1. Kylie - Three times crazy is about it. Has this objector nothing better to do?

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  2. i'm sure they do but it's amazing what emotions the sight of a naked body can inspire

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  3. Kylie - Don't I know it? But hopefully most of them are more life-enhancing and less censorious.

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  5. I followed this story with amazement and chagrin! Considering how much it obviously resembled the original work of art--and how artful it really was--and yes, it looked much more offensive with the bikini!!!

    I'm not sure there was any law preventing them from having it there--probably they complied just to avoid problems with the neighbor who complained...

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  6. Kylie - Ha, your comment came up on my email! Don't we all respond to a naked body, unless we're emotionally dead - or saints.

    Leah - I suppose there are laws against indecency, but you'd need a pretty strange mind to see this as indecent. As you say, they probably covered up to avoid alienating the neighbour.

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  7. An idiotic reaction to a beautiful snow creation...Pity the poor gendarme that had to pay a visit...Just shows how puritanical some Americans can be...

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  8. e - Unfortunately there are puritans in every country. Just what about this very unexplicit figure could possibly be offensive?

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  9. Nick, wait till you read my blog post on MF Hussein. Should go up on the 8th your breakfast time.

    Artists do not have license to trample all over the sensibilities of people particularly when religious sentiments are involved. In this case, I think that the creators have handled the situation with great panache and a sense of humour. The objector must be wondering what happened!

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  10. I think that snow sculpture is beautiful and a celebration of the human form. I think it is indeed a sex object with the added attire.

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  11. Ramana - I can't see how even religious sentiments could be seriously harmed by such a low-key sculpture. As I say, there's nothing at all explicit about it. And yes, great panache and humour in the response!

    Grannymar - I couldn't have put it better myself, a celebration of the human form.

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  12. Some people . . I'm speechless! (and that's no mean feat I assure you!)

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  13. More than anything else, I am totally awestruck by the insularity of these Protectors of the Fragile Sensibilities.
    Where are their voices when gays are being stoned and children being molested?
    XO
    WWW

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  14. What do these people do when they visit art galleries? Cover up the naked statues with blankets? this is ridiculous.

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  15. Baino - Most unusual for you to be speechless! But what can one say about this sort of idiocy?

    www - Maybe they'd be joining in the stoning. Very likely they also think homosexuality is an abomination.

    Hulla - That's what Mrs Gonzalez' daughter wondered: "Are you going to go to the Met and cover up all the statues?" There'd be an awful lot of unviewable art.

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  16. Didn't the Victorians cover up piano/chair/table legs?
    Has anyone ever been turned on by a chair leg or snowman...?
    There's some funny people out there.
    Sx

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  17. Scarlet - Well said. Though there're probably a few blokes out there with a chair leg fetish. Or even a cushion fetish. Those Y chromosomes do funny things.

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  18. Incredible! Agree that it looked more innocent all in white and without the coverings. Would this person like to head over to Greece and Italy to cover up all the statues there too? Strange people in the world today. But yay! for the family who built the snowwoman.

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  19. Niamh - It looked much more innocent before. Covered up it looks like some titillating shop window display. Yes, let's have lots more snowwomen to balance all the snowmen.

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  20. Scarlet - I read today that many Japanese men are obsessed with dakimakuras, or "hugging pillows". They are often imprinted with a picture of a young woman.

    (Word check: loony)

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  21. Hugging pillows is such an innocent pursuit... and now they've made it mucky.
    I still have a teddy bear. But I don't have impure thought about him.
    Sx

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  22. Scarlet - I'm sure you don't. But you know what men are like, they can make just about anything mucky. Dirty beasts.

    I had a lovely teddy bear when I was young. Don't know what happened to him. I think my mum must have thrown him out.

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  23. Nick, I paragraphed it all wrong. The first sentence of the second paragraph should in fact be attached to the first paragraph.

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  24. Ramana - Well, your comment seemed to make sense anyway!

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  25. Hi Nick - I must say I thought this was a joke when I first scanned your post.

    It makes one wonder if some people are almost on the look out for things that will offend them just so that they can complain. Can people really be that sensitive and prudish? I guess so given this story.

    That the police would ask that the snowlady be covered up is utterly ridiculous.

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  26. Oh you have to see this:

    http://haphazardlife.blogspot.com/2010/03/gotta-love-animations.html

    As I said in my comment, it's nice to know there are still cultures where children and religious people don't psychologically shatter at the sight of genitals

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  27. Bunc - I'm sure there're lots of people busy looking for something that offends them. Perhaps just for a change they could try looking for something that delights them....

    Tattytiara - That's hilarious, I hope it has the desired effect on careless males. And yes, I suspect religion was at the root of this crazy complaint.

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  28. nick,
    thanks for visiting my blog even when it's crummy

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  29. Kylie - Oh come now, you exaggerate. I enjoy visiting your blog.

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  30. Unbelievable!

    What a fab snowlady. I've made mermaids - complete with nipples! - in the sand.

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  31. Liz - Totally unbelievable. What does this person imagine the snowwoman is doing? Lap dancing? Turning tricks? Seducing schoolgirls? It's just a heap of snow, for God's sakes.

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  32. How sad that people don't recognize and celebrate creativity and talent when it's right in front of them. And how absurd that anyone could consider a snow sculpture of any kind obscene.

    The statue is great!

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  33. Heart - Indeed, the creativity and talent seem to have completely passed them by. All they can see is sex. Something very awry in their view of the world.

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  34. I read today that the Victorians didn't actually cover up piano legs out of prudery. They did it to protect them from damage.

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  35. What, the Victorians covering their piano legs or mum throwing out my teddy bear?

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  36. Scarlet - There are so many fanatical religious sects around today I'm surprised piano legs are still uncovered....

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  37. Ha - excellent! Where do they think they are? Ballymena?

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