By nature, by culture, by taste?

By Edelmira Cárdenas

Sexuality is a human aspect about which little is known, although it should be noted that it has been intensively studied since the last 50 years. This intensity has been gradual, not without its great difficulties to advance, and the irony is that the more we know about it, the more we discover that it is more what is unknown than what is known. Among the great mysteries is the question: why does something generate attraction in us? Why does something that attracts me cause me excitement? Why does this or that person seem beautiful to me?

There is no doubt that to answer the above points, we must refer to talk about three factors: biological, psychological and social. What is surprising about these points is how it has been discovered to what extent society does influence to what extent something seems beautiful to me, for example: in ancient Rome it was quite normal for a man to marry a woman and have children, in addition to this it was very common not to stop having taste for other boys; it is also well known that in ancient Egypt both men and women were made up not only for health purposes, but for aesthetics. We can mention many examples, but the truth is that even today society and its culture set beauty standards that greatly affect our sexuality.