"Je t'aime. Moi non plus"

Deceased French singer, Serge Gainsbourg was and still is a national icon in France. One of his songs, “Je t’aime. Moi non plus” is probably one of the most recognised French songs all over the world. Who can ever forget that very sexy...*ahem*...orgasmic voice of Jane Birkin, who by the way was also his wife, in that song? I remember listening to that song when I was very young, but of course I didn’t understand a single word of it apart from the fact that the tune and melody stick to my mind ever since.

Then, I got married to a French man who turns out to be one of Gainsbourg’s biggest fans. Gainsbourg was loved but at the same time despised by many, depending on whether you are a liberal or conservative person. He was well-known for his numerous controversial songs and methods when stating a point; apparently he burnt a French note on national TV, which is a crime by the way. Janet Jackson’s boobie flash is considered child’s play when compared to what this man had done.

Anyway, it turns out that in his song, part of the lyrics which goes “je vais et je viens entre tes reins” actually means “I come and I go in between your kidneys” and if you read into it more carefully, you will soon realise that the song is about sodomy. Anwar Ibrahim’s supporters would be happy to know that they can now have an official anthem which will take the government awhile to "crack" (with full tongue -in-"cheek" purposes!), if they are smart enough.

Anyway, what is the point I am trying to make here? Oh yeah, pornography. Recently, I must confess that I have had an overdose of French movies; part of the joy of living in a former French colony. It is unbelievable the amount of nudity one can see in these movies. It is like as if part of the requisite of being an actor or actress in France is the willingness to bare it all. I am not complaining though and on the contrary, I support it.

Now, now, there is no need to call me dirty names. I am a married 32 year old woman and believe me, I have seen it all. I support it simply because there is nothing dirty about a couple making love, a man taking a shower, etc. and the nudity part is just bringing the movie closer to reality. There is nothing more unnatural than seeing a woman wrapping herself up immediately after making love to a man (unless she has boils all over her body but the last time I check, Sophie Marceau's skin is clear and soft like a baby's bottom), which most movies tend to show. I mean, come on, you just had the most intimate exchange of bodily fluid with a man and you’re worried about him seeing you naked?

While I do not support hard core pornography (provided if you watch it in your privacy and mature enough to practise discretion), especially those depicting violent or degrading sexual scenes on national TV, nudity and the act of lovemaking, if done tastefully, can actually have positive affects on viewers. I mean, at least it teaches men how to treat women properly. It is nice to see people making love, as oppose to Tarantino’s “bloody” movies, non?

In France, it is common to see all these on national TV, with a +12 rating, sometimes even none. The French are brought up to see nudity and lovemaking as part of life and let’s face it, it is part of life! In fact, the movie industry in France is much less sleazy than America where actresses do not depend on their sex appeal as much as their American counterparts.

Everyone of us is borne with penises, vaginas and breasts. Ooh, what a shocker that other people have it too?

My point is this. I had an overdose of nudity that at some point, I actually got tired of it. My husband, being a man, actually turned to me and said, “Allez! Get it over and done with, man.”

So, it shows that if you persistently try to make something into a taboo, like a forbidden fruit, it entices you, taunts with you and in the end, obssesses you. It is human nature. It is written in the Holy Books.

But if you grow up to see and accept it as part of life, you get fed up of it. Again, it is human nature.