CNN's Christiane Amanpour travels the world covering global affairs but hadn't explored the love lives of strangers -- until now. Amanpour gets personal with women she meets in various corners of the globe by inquiring about their intimate lives. In the process, she shines a light on what sex and love look like around the world.Saturday 10pm CNN
I watched the first episode of Christine Amanpour’s 6 part series - Sex & Love Around the World and it was fascinating.
I’ve mostly watch food related travel shows and I love learning about people/culture through food but this was more intimate and revealing than any traditional travel show I’ve seen. The people were shy, yet open and honest about their lives and relationships.
Episode 1 is about Tokyo, where public displays of affection is frowned upon, most marriages are described as sexless and most couples don’t say I love you. Yet the entertainment – mainly in the form of manga & Yaoi (a Japanese genre of manga known as boys’ love) – is highly sexualized.
Women’s sexuality is the focus of this series but men are also interviewed. There’s no judgement, just curiosity. There is some graphic content, mostly in the form of explicit art work but mostly stays free of titillation, although the filming has a sanitized, dreamy quality to it at times.
Amanpour keeps it light and doesn’t delve very deeply into the topic but it’s nice to get a perspective we don’t often see and directly from the people themselves.
Future episodes included Asia, Europe and Africa.
That's interesting about Japan. I suppose with so many different cultures there's bound to be different ways of doing marriage, but still... I wonder if the entertainment is highly sexualized to compensate for the relatively sexless marriages. Sounds like an interesting show!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it is. They said that at least 40% of the men are still virgins and the women said they consumed Yaoi to try to understand men more - which was interesting because it's mostly written by women for women and about gay men so I'm not sure how that's helpful lol
DeleteAnd the men read and watch manga/anime with women who are hyper sexualized and a fantasy (large breasted/school girl fetish - but that's not reality and they won't show affection in real life to their loved ones.
And this is mostly after Western influence. They were much more open before we imposed our standards on them during the Victorian era. Really interesting stuff.
And how the younger generation is bucking all that because they consume entertainment from around the world.
Really? Wow. You know that explains so much for me about manga/ anime lol. Like at the bookstore if I see manga I see so much schoolgirl kinda stuff, and I'm like ??? Now I guess I know why. TBH it's a tad creepy to think of older guys consuming that kinda media- I mean to each their own but they must be so skewed?
DeleteOh and that's amazing how it dates to the Victorian era. Like we imposed these strict standards and now porn is so prevalent here, and they're all hung up there. Thank goodness the youngers are breaking that mold hopefully...
Exactly. They had these ancient art scrolls that depicted sex acts (think kamasutra) that were passed on to couples for their wedding night. Super explicit but I guess they were quite open about everything until colonialism where other views on sex (mostly shame) were imposed.
DeleteAnd I know! They are consuming the anime/manga to safely explore sexuality and the sexes but it's so skewed that I don't know how it could possibly help. It doesn't seem to translate into opening up to each other after so...
The show doesn't dive too deeply into anything but it was sooo interesting.
That does sound interesting. I've never really thought about how love lives would be different around the world.
ReplyDeleteI loved how even though this is sexual repressed culture - the women were really open about their desires and needs.
DeleteI love learning about other countries' cultures as well so I am definitely checking out this show. And yes, I was actually aware about Japan and I find it quite interesting how they express love (especially sex) with their manga/anime.
ReplyDeleteVanessa @ Blushing Geek
I thought of you when I was watching because of the anime/manga lol
DeleteSounds super interesting. I like these kinds of shows that travel and you learn about places so I will have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteIt's something so personal and it was fascinating how some are trying to buck the system.
DeleteAnd it's a perspective (the women) that we don't get very often. They were so open and I wonder if it airs there what will happen to some of their marriages. There were some pretty big secrets they were revealing. lol
THis sounds really interesting and I like your comment to Greg. Us damn Westerns ruined things and now we got tentacle porn
Delete*spits out water* lmao
DeleteYes, we will repress you and then hand you tentacle porn lol
Okat tHIS may be the best comment ever?????
DeleteBahahaha!
DeleteI wish I could *like* comments...
Deletehehe - it was a good one!
DeleteI'm betting my hubby would enjoy this show, sounds really interesting!
ReplyDeleteLet me know if you give it a try Lily.
DeleteInteresting. I wonder which country/group will be the most open if that makes sense?
ReplyDeleteMe too. I think America would like to think we're open but we're pretty uptight as well.
DeleteOh yeah, America isn't as open as they like to think. I feel like England is much more open than we are to sex and sexuality.
DeleteUsing sex to sell things isn't the same as being open about sexuality. And I think Americans tend to confuse those two things making us seem more open than we are.
DeleteI think I'd love this show. I love getting a peek into the way others live. As for the sexless/loveless marriages in Japan? I know many here in the US who live that way. What a waste of living, if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think sexless marriages cab be found everywhere lol but this is a but different abd more cultural. There are no display of affecting - even a simple kiss goodbye doesn't typically happen.
DeleteThat's so interesting about Japan - how their art is far different from their actual relationships. I think I'd be really fascinated by this show! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
And they're early art (before colonialism) was very explicit and open/educational.
DeleteWhat an interesting concept for the show. And I didn’t know that about Japan... wow. Crazy how there’s such a juxtaposition between their own sexuality and how it’s portrayed in print.
ReplyDeleteI knew it was a very traditional country but with the anime and manga that I've seen I guess I thought it was more sexual now?? It does seem like things are changing so it would be interesting to go back in a few years but for the most part they don't even kiss their spouses goodbye or hold hands.
DeleteThis sounds EXTREMELY interesting. Unfortunately I don't have cable, I hope it comes to hulu at some point.
ReplyDeleteAlso I used to read a stupid about of yaoi manga when I was younger, probably not appropriate for my age group. I want to watch this for the Japanese section alone.
It was really interesting Amber. In a preview I saw her talking with Muslim women about their views on what we think when we see them in hijab's (oppression) vs how they feel and I'm looking forward to that as well.
DeleteUggghhh I need to find this!
DeleteThat sounds like an amazing show :) I need to watch it.
ReplyDeleteLet me know it you do Julie
DeleteI didn't know about the series and I think its a neat one to help us all see where everyone else is coming from. One of my bestfriends at college was Japanese and she talked some about her culture and her family dynamics and a very little about romantic relationships so this segment probably wouldn't shock me, but I'll have to check these out.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karen!
I don't think I was shocked because I knew some of it but it was really interesting to see how it wasn't always that way and how the entertainment contrasts so much with the reality.
DeleteWow, that would suck to be married in Japan! This does sound like an interesting series, and I really like Christiane Amanpour. I'll have to check it out. :)
ReplyDeleteEvery country has their quirks, I'm sure and it's not like sexless marriages aren't a thing here too lol but it was really interesting to watch.
DeleteI haven't heard of this! I'm very out of the loop when it comes to TV shows and movies. No TV! 🤷 We watch things on the computer occasionally, and we have Netflix, but I never know what's happening with current television shows. This one does sound interesting!
ReplyDeleteDo You Dog-ear?
I have tv and cable and I'm still out of the loop most of the time lol
DeleteI've been watching Amanpour since she started off on CNN doing fashion shows, and love her work. I love learning about different cultures, and it's another reason for me to get new trivia too, and loved this show. Glad you enjoyed it as well! Hugs...RO
ReplyDeleteMe too! I love her.
DeleteI hadn't heard of this but it's not really what I would watch.
ReplyDeleteI love contemporary stories about socially awkward and shy characters because I cab relate! Glad to hear social anxiety and panic attacks were portrayed accurately too
ReplyDeleteI miss out on a lot of these documentaries by not watching a lot of TV, but this sounds fascinating and I appreciate it not being graphic as well. I'll have to hunt it down and see if it's on telly here. It's always fascinating to see how the other half live or in this case, intimacy. Thanks for sharing Karen <3
ReplyDelete