A sexy twist – French museum turns up the heat
An image from the exhibition
Jean-Noel Maillet, 10, is one of thousands of young Parisians who have visited a recent exhibition based on sexuality at La Cité des Sciences in Paris. The exhibition which has used the cartoon characters from a popular TV program is aimed at an audience of children between the ages of 9 and 14.
"I feel that this is a great opportunity for parents who find it difficult to talk about sex with their children to introduce them to the subject in a fun way", said Laure Desvilliers, a mother of two children.
An exhibit at La Cité des Sciences in Paris teaches children about sex
According to the museum, the exhibition is a fantastic method to respond to the dozens of sex related questions that young children ponder over before they enter their teenage years. Whether it be puberty, sexual relations or making babies, La Cité des Sciences provides easy-to-read exhibits which shine light on issues which can sometimes be difficult to understand for young children who are about to traverse the tumultuous years of adolescence.
The museum is famously known for its inventive exhibitions based on science’s latest breakthroughs and the human body. Thus, the steamy connotations which surround France’s erotic history are, it would seem, a cultural facet that the French authorities are keen on retaining. The Cité des Sciences is one museum that feels its country’s addiction with smooching, caressing and engaging in sexual relations should remain a central part to France’s national identity.
This kind of belief has lead to children as young as 9 years old being taught the ways of sexual intercourse within the confines of a public museum. For a country whose origins are traditionally catholic, this is a sure sign that secularism and rational liberalism – which admits mankind’s natural urges - has taken a firm stronghold.
Immersion into a world of sex and pleasure is nothing new in the French capital. For example, France’s literary history has forever been riddled with works including erotic content, from ‘An anthology of erotic poems to ‘A young girl’s introduction to sexuality.’ Parisian bookshops during the eighteenth century were a haven for flirtatious intellectuals looking to pick themselves up a promiscuous companion while reading a book of equally promiscuous content.
The exhibition goes by the name zizi sexuel which translates to ‘sexual willy’ in English. Such a phrase would otherwise be a daring ploy if it wasn’t for the fact that sex in France has always been considered as an act void of taboo. Kings, Queens and paupers have constantly expressed their sexual pleasures without any fear of humiliation. Even in modern day times politicians in France publicly reveal their raunchy antics without any risk of sending their career into disrepute.
The question is, will confronting young children with images and written accounts of an issue as complex as sex have adverse effects on their future behavior? Or will a more open and normalizing approach to the subject help future generations of sex craved youngsters carry out their desires in safer more responsible ways?
La Cité des Sciences in Paris
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Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
cheers
and how bizarre of the French! Why can't all that be handled at school I don't know!
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Froggy Views and French News
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La Cite des Sciences obviously feels that children need to better educated. If even the French need to be taught on the issue, then God help us all!