Sadly, this is too true. Women didn't dress whorish when I was there, but that's largely a function of style. Loyola was nicknamed "J Crew U" for a reason.

Student sexual liberation leaves little room for modesty - Opinion

It's the middle of February; forecasts are calling for nightly lows of 20-25 degrees, and behind the never-ending chain of taxicabs stands an equally long chain of young women wearing little more than typical beach attire. It never fails. As though it is some sort of nighttime mating ritual, young female coeds await the yellow painted chariots in their most attention-grabbing outfits while shivering in their stilettos. This practice can be found on any given weekend at any given university in Mainstream, USA.

We have all grown fairly accustomed to witnessing this scene on a regular basis, but it wasn't until I returned to campus from a late dinner with my grandparents that I decided to take pause. I don't remember the exact words that were exchanged, but I'm sure it went something like this:

"Why are those girls standing out there like that, as cold as it is?" my grandmother asked me.

"That's how they dress when they're going out," I responded.

"Out? Well, aren't you supposed to wear clothes when you go out? It doesn't look like they're wearing much of anything to me."

"I don't know, grandma. I'm sure they just want attention. That's just what people do now," I gave her a nondescript reply, hoping that her observations didn't indicate the beginning of a discourse on the differences between my generation and hers.

"See, when I was younger, we went out to dances and things, but never like that. I don't know what kind of attention they're looking to get without any clothes on."

I didn't respond. I had nothing to say. The truth is, she was right. Young women in her generation, especially those pursuing a formal education, would have never even considered dressing in a manner that we now accept as completely normal, and even desirable. Usually, I dismiss the differences between our grandparents' generation and our own as simply the way social customs change as society progresses, but this issue makes me think: maybe there is something to be said for the modesty of her generation.
Maybe there is something we can learn from our grandparents. After all, in addition to surviving the Great Depression and a World War before many of them reached age 30, our grandparents were able to accept the boundaries established by a more modest society. Now, far be it from me to suggest that our grandparents' generation was perfect. Many members of that generation approved of and participated in some of the most repressive practices in social relations. In fact, the shortcomings of this generation gave way for the socially progressive movements that rejected many antiquated notions of the proper interaction between men and women.

While certain aspects of these movements allowed for major gains to be made on behalf of women in the professional and educational realms, other aspects, such as "sexual liberation" seem to have perverted both the perception and function of human sexuality. The concept of sexual liberation mandates that women express themselves sexually in exactly the same manner that men do.

Beyond the initial conflict that should arise from a concept seeking to equate the two genders, which, while equal in intellectual ability, are physically, emotionally, and essentially two different creations, sexual liberation has given way to a new form of sexual expression.

Over the past 30 or 40 years, sexual expression has come to mean little more than provocative clothing, meaningless sex, and bragging rights. Neglecting the very possibility that marriage is the most appropriate context for sex -- as that would be absolutely backward -- it seems that our generation isn't even willing to reserve this very intimate act for meaningful and loving relationships. Sex is debased to the level of an animalistic urge that we will satiate regardless of consequence.

Our language, our music, and our interactions with each other show no respect for sex itself. More than this, they show no respect for those who participate in sexual acts. One doesn't need to go much farther than MTV or any radio station to hear the most offensive language known to man used to describe actions, people, and body parts.

Walking across campus, it is not at all unlikely to hear young men discuss their sexual exploits exactly as they would describe eating a candy bar and promptly discarding the wrapper. If the purpose of the sexual liberation movement was to rid society of the modesty of our grandparents' generation, then the movement succeeded. We have reached a point where nothing with regard to intercourse is sacred.

We've also reached a point where celebrities can be catapulted into the spotlight by "accidentally" releasing homemade video pornography, middle school sex parties are rampant, and sexually transmitted diseases are commonplace. Yes, the modesty of times past is gone, but what, exactly, have we liberated?

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