Ask Nell in Spain
We, as Americans, never realize how censored and sheltered from the real world we really are. I opened up a local copy of Maxim (undoubtedly the most clever magazine ever written) to find … drumroll please … a pair of naked breasts on the inside cover! I thought that I had accidentally picked up a copy of Pechos Grandes, but no, there were boobs all over the already liberal Maxim.
How is it that sex is taken so lightly? In a country where over 90 percent of the population consider themselves Roman Catholics, Spaniards sure have a different idea of what to show and what not to show.
Don’t think that Europeans stop at a few naked body parts. Everyone (us Texans that is) has complained at least once about the blatant display of affection that seems to happen everywhere.
Young people will pretend that the public metro is their bedroom and proceed to play “find the salami.” I used to feel like I had to give them space privacy – their own metro car maybe, but I’ve learned that public affection is just a part of life here.
Grandmas sit and knit at the park while young people roll around on the grass. I can’t help but ask myself, are Americans overreacting or are Europeans flaunting too much?
To find some answers, I asked my all-knowing señntilde;ora about Spaniards and their affectionate ways.
“Los españntilde;oles les gustan estar enamorados, hacer el amor, y compartir sus sentimientos,” she responded.
“What?” I asked (she speaks faster than a Spanish workman’s comp commercial). “Being in love, making love, and sharing love.”
Apparently it’s not about being ashamed or secretive about your feelings.
Seventy-four percent of people will be in love at some point in their lives. Ninety-six percent will have sex at some point. Ignoring the 12 percent gap (which probably comes from surveying young American males ages 18-22) affection is one thing most people have in common. Everyone understands how you feel, so there is no need to hide anything. It’s a great concept, right?
So how have Americans in Madrid adapted to the new array of free public porn? Besides a few complaints here and there, most people find it sort of liberating. Ask the guys how they feel about topless beaches (every beach here has no dress code), and I don’t know what you’ll hear more about: the Swedish bikini team tanning to the right or the 400-pound bearded grandmas drinking whiskey on the left. In either case, it’s all an adjustment that takes time.
The Spaniards do have a good point, though. Appreciate what you have and don’t be embarrassed about what you don’t.
Though I can’t see the SMU campus turning its head to a new wave of public affection (I’m sure the friendly officers at the SMU Police Department can see to that), who knows?
It may not be long until Maxim releases its “New, Hot, Naked Pop Stars in America” and seeing a pair of naked breasts in a magazine won’t be shocking anymore.
