May 28, 2009
Interesting how our generation molds our view of erotica. In my 1940's small Ozarks community our pre-adolescent knowledge of sex was zilch. Once we were old enough to whisper exchanges of our knowledge, we still were confused. Our boy "thing" we called a "peter". The girl's "thing" we called "cock". Imagine the embarrassment when at age 16 or 17 we begin connecting with the broader world.(I was 17 and had just joined the army.) So our sense of erotica (of course we didn't know such a word) was formed by movies and stories and whispered rumors. By age 15, the ideal fantasy girl for me (and most of my friends) was the 1930's and 40's "dames" we saw sitting at the bar table, lifting her cigarette to her bright red lips, slightly leaning forward, a tight necklace shinning, and slightly lighting the hint of a widening crease between her breasts, and waiting - for ME - carefully, confidently to also lean forward, and light her fag. Ahhh.. It has never gotten better than that.
