Oltre il senso comune del pudore?

(Beyond the Common Sense of Modesty?)

Abstract

Quite widespread today is the perception that we live in the age of the sexualization of culture, in which the topic of sex becomes ever more visible and legitimate. There are some who understand this tendency in positive and emancipatory terms; nevertheless, the prevailing common opinion seems to be that we live in an anymore immodest society, void of bridles and shame. Should one then speak of a loss of the common sense of shame? In the attempt to answer similar questions, I will refer to a recent study on the topic conducted (through both quantitative and qualitative methodologies) among a representative sample of the Italian population of an age comprised between 18 and 69. We will note many signs of change regarding sexual attitudes and behaviors that attest a transformation in the sense of shame as a form of regulation in terms of both the public display of the body and its private use.