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Assignment 7

In The History of Sexuality, Foucault focuses on sex and explains how sex has been repressed throughout history. In part one of his reading Foucault discusses the Victorian era. During the Victorian era, sex was a prohibited subject and was something that was only discuss in private away from the public. Sex was considered to be taboo and nonexistent in public, it was the forbidden subject no one talked about. Society made sex a sin and people grew up believing sex was only good for reproduction purposes only. Any talk about sex was basically going against your belief and what you were raised to believe was morally right. The repression of sex didn’t allow people to grow and develop their own sexuality. Foucault states how the only places that people were able to talk and express any sexual behavior freely was in the brothel or the mental hospital. So basically displaying any sexual behavior in public was enough cause to label someone as mental. Children were forbidden from talking about sex because it was well known to society that children did not and should not have sex. Foucault points out that the repression of sex during this time was very hypocritical. The suppression of sex by society was hypocritical, society claims to have moral standards and frown upon any talk about sex like it’s a bad thing. The repression of sex leads to feeling of guilt and shame from those who do talk about and express their sexuality.  Foucault questions the repression of sex, and asks when and why did people make sex a sin. Foucault discusses how the power exercised by society is the reason where the prohibition, censorship and denial of sex comes from. Why do people burden themselves with guilt when it comes to sex? Does the repression of sex have to do with power in society?