But, because of what I regard as unwarranted religious driven political interference, womens' breasts are still generally sexualised and women being "topless" are often regarded as daring or worse. [But it's OK to artificially enlarge them, push them up, push them out, push them together, push them apart, and deliberately sexualise them, because all that makes money for the fashion manipulators.]

But little girls don't have developed breasts, do they? They have basically what little boys have. But what the young girls don't have still has to be covered by a bikini top, doesn't it? So what's new about unnecessary bras being promoted to young girls?

No, we can't control what goes through peoples' minds and it's pointless trying. And I think the ban on family photos at school sports days and suchlike is both unnecessary and disgraceful. I remember being taught at school that some primitive people didn't like having their photos taken, because they thought that this gave power over them to the possessors of the photos. Well, are we "primitive", or not?

But what do we do about paedophiles? This is what I think. People who, by their actions, show that they can't be trusted to use firearms in a responsible manner would be denied the [legal] right to own a gun. I would suggest that those men who sexually prey on others shouldn't be allowed to own testicles. What could similarly be done about female paedophiles I would have to leave to the medical profession to explain.

well said Rex

We do not cry foul when little girls play at being mothers with their dolls and yet sex is a necessary precursor to having children. Kids dressing up as adults and mimicking adults can be just another case of children playing. They play at driving cars, they even play at shooting each other and a thousand other things that they are not actually doing. Why need this be so different? Maybe the adults they are imitating need some kind of therapy but the kids could be just learning how children learn, ie by play and by imitation. The important thing is to recognise that it is play and that is all it is.

I think this hysteria has a great deal to do with the puritanical wave washing over this culture that regards anything evenly vaguely sexual as somehow 'dirty'. It is ok if the kids play ‘cops and robbers’ and pretend to kill each other but they cant play dress-ups! I am struck once again by the lumbering bi-polar disorder of this culture. We went from a culture that ignored pedophilia when it was virtually institutionalized last century to a culture that sees pedophilia in holiday snaps of children at a playground.

One important point which someone made the other night on TV who was complaining about this form of advertising was that the pedophiles would use this form of advertising as an excuse because ‘they will use anything as an excuse’. And I think that there is the tail of the donkey right there – pedophiles will use any excuse – the existence or otherwise of this type of advertising won't make a drop of difference. Personally I don’t like it – I think it is highly exploitative but it is not particularly linked to its sexiness – I think Bindi Irwin is being exploited unconscionably.

To Rob,Ludwig and Laurie....

I call them as I see them.

1-Rape is WRONG,
2-Theft is WRONG,
3-sleeping with the same gender is WRONG
4-Bestiality is WRONG
5-Incest is WRONG, ..
now the only ones there u will disagree with is '3' right ?.. well..too bad. I nail my colors to the flagpole.

I have no bones about making the issue of BB's sexual deviance a top of the flagpole issue, because he is a would be alternative prime minister. And calling it anything other than 'devience' (until I'm censored) is something I'm not prepared to do, as in terms of my value system, and presuppositions, I am being consistent and not intimidated.

A persons sexuality is MOST important, as we found with that Supreme court judge who committed suicide in Sydney. His track record on sex related crime was clearly BIASED due to his own sexual issues.

Now.. how about we get OFF the 'bash boaz the bad Christian' bandwagon and make some astute social obervations.

My major contention is this:

Corporations which sell into the fashion market, will INEVITABLY seek to push social boundaries to INCREASE the 'titilation' of their advertizing, because yesterdays titilation is todays "ho Hum..boring"
I point to the recent billboard which became controversial because of the 'overtly sexual' poses. The girl with legs spread.... etc.

Next billboard.. spread wider ?

The POINT being..... 'sex sells' "more sex sells more" ?

The pressure is ALways on to expand the market.. increase shareholder value etc etc...

and just in case no one gets it yet...SEX IS GREAT...in the right place.
Not only is it a powerful force in our lives, it is vulnerable to exploitation. If folks are so blind as not to recognize 'exploitation for financial reward' as being pretty close to 'prostitution' then,....I shudder.

In case you haven't noticed. The more 'permissive' our society, the more we are on the lookout for sexual predators to the point where Graham mentions taking photo's at school events is a nono.
Things were not that way in the past when we were less 'permissive'.

Alright David, all of that is fair enough, except as you note, your number 3.

I don’t hold BB’s sexuality against him at all. There are plenty of other things to hold against him without worrying about that, such as his incredible lack of input into real sustainability issues, which is just crazy for the country’s leading environmentalist politician.

Of course corporations are going to push the boundaries of sexuality. That is why we need strong regulation, both in the law and its enforcement.

So I ask again;

How can anyone be particularly worried about any aspect of morality without being offended by a poor and declining quality of law-enforcement and respect for the law in general?

I agree with David Boaz.Sex is our natural drug which probably makes us so suseptable to all the other unnatural ones.Having human foibles we all like the escape from lifes mundane chores and responsibilities,however when we seek too much escapism we risk our very survival a civilisation.The Egyptians,Romans and Greeks all suffered destruction from within.There has to be a balance in our lives and we need to draw a line in the sand as to how much sexual freedom should be allowed.

Puritanism is just as self destructive as unbridled self indulgent sexuality.Puritanism probably produced our paedophile clergy.Our sexuality can motivate us to explore other intellectual and physical capabilities of our being,and sex should not be the tool of power or manipulation.

Both the corporates and individuals have responsibilities not to use children as objects of desire.Some children do have sexual feelings at an early age and masturbation releases the tension,so they will be able in the future to cope with the complexities of a long term sexual relationship.

Destroy the family unit and we will see our prosperity diminish in the same proportions.We should not be pushing sexual images or conformity on those who are not emotionally able to cope.

I think our media is just too lazy and cannot be bothered creating new ideas to get our attention beyond our usual sexual compulsive disorders.

Perhaps there should be more love and less sex.