Posted 9:13 AM by ill
Obscenity and the missing Nipple

I received and email from a friend of mine today. One that I feel warrants further discussion. I must admit that I hadn't thought about this before (and it is refreshing that someone else's mind works like mine occasionally) but a very valid point was made. So first I offer the email:

"I've read Illofbill this morning and I would say that while your left side of your brain is working well, I would like to share something that deeply disturbs me. At our house we get like 5 VS (Victoria's Secret) catalogs a day, so being the guy I am I look at every one of them. Now for the hard part, someone has stolen all the models nipples, they don't have any, and I've looked! They still have breasts and asses, but even if you did a professor Peabody inspection, you won't find any.....

I feel sorry for those girls. If I find any spare nipples, I'm going to send them some.

Have a nice day.

W"

I started thinking back to the catalogs I have received in the past. I pictured the images in my head trying to look at it from the same perspective as my friend (instead of my usual "WooHoo HOT chicks in LINGERIE!!" attitude) and I discovered he is right. There are no visible nipples on the models. Even sheer bras offer no hint of any different skin coloration or the slightest "pokie." So what does this mean then? Have we as a society decided that the nipple is offensive? Well yes and no. I do believe that society has handed down to the American public that the nipple is offensive, but only the female nipple. The male nipple is still open game and can be flashed around like a beacon of nipple light for all the world to see. This seems horribly unfair. What could be the difference? Why can I see every part of the female breast except the nipple? Lord knows I have seen my share of men whose breasts are larger then some models yet no one felt the urge to airbrush out their nipples and quite frankly, in many instances, I wish they had. So what I guess it boils down to is what I like to refer to as the "lactating factor." If your nipples are capable of producing life sustaining elixir for offspring then your nipple cannot be show in public... but here's where that falls apart. You can breastfeed in public. So this can only mean that a nipple is considered obscene if the potential to lactate is there but once lactation has been achieved it is no longer offensive and is considered natural and beautiful to have this intimate moment with your offspring at the local department store. This whole nipple mess gets quite confusing. Because as you can look over your left shoulder and witness the mother child intimacy that only breastfeeding can bring you can't however look over your right shoulder and see a lingerie ad hanging on the department store wall and see a nipple. BUT! You can see a man in briefs advertising the latest Fruit of the Loom nut hugger and see not only his nipples but also the complete outline of his John Thomas...

I'm so confused...

Posted 9:14 AM by ill
Screaming Backwards from Ten

It's been a crummy few weeks. It started when we had to put our cat to sleep. I discussed that earlier so I won't get into that now. Then we had to drive to the middle of nowhere for my wife's grandmothers funeral. We no sooner returned from it and my father lost his battle with cancer and passed away on Sunday February 2. This has been a roller coaster for me and I've been trying to keep everything in perspective. Thing is, I'm not sure of the perspective. I know what I need to do and I know that it has to be that way but at the same time I've spent so much time reflecting on everything in my life for the last few weeks that I'm not real sure I'm where I need to be. My writing has become more important to me than it ever has before. I see this outlet and it allows words to make the best of situations my mouth usually complicates. My brain has been working overtime trying to figure out a way where all I have to do is sit at home and write. Instead I go to work, and wonder. Wonder if I will wake up one day like my father and be stuck somewhere. I wonder if this is all it's going to be and just won't get any better then this until I am diagnosed with some horrible untreatable disease and having nothing to do but spend the remainder of my days wondering what if. Then I think I'm just feeling sorry for myself. The power to do the things I want to do are squarely in my hands. I can do the things I want to do and not get overcome with fear of failure or inadequacy. I can do it.