• azalemeth 21 hours ago

    It may be a European stereotype to say this, but I perpetually find it odd that Americans are so afraid of naked (female) bodies and, on entertainment at least, so blasé about violence. In Denmark, Aarhus science museum (a very kid friendly place) has an exhibit all about aging, featuring life size large naked photos of about ten people of all ages showing what changes throughout life.

    • Gualdrapo 21 hours ago

      When I had a facebook account I was in a group of there named like "steel is real - classic road bikes" where I used to post stuff. I'd bet it still exist. Most of the people on this group seemed to be what they call "baby boomers" from both Europe and the USA.

      Between the funny/silly/cool stuff one day I posted a picture of a sculpture resembling a feminine silhouette made of bicycle chains (can't find the picture online, most probably it was from Seo Young-Deok). I thought it was really cool how the artist used the chains and found their "plasticity" to create surfaces.

      It wasn't the first time I posted "art-sy" stuff; I recall posting a picture of Alicja Kwade's "Journey without arrival" (think a warped steel road bicycle).

      This was around 10 years ago but I still can recall how some people there called me names and everything beyond because I was a "pervert" or something like that because I dared to post a picture resembling a naked woman. Mods ended locking the post but didn't removed it.

      But then when that same people made mildy xenophobic/racist comments against me out of nowhere (before of after that incident), nobody bat an eye.

      • therealpygon 18 hours ago

        Seems like you got a dose of the Tea Party/MAGA/AltRight hypocrisy.

        • trilbyglens 11 hours ago

          This Neurosis is very common through out the American south.

    • BrandoElFollito 11 hours ago

      I hope they will never see E. Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Leading_the_People).

      Marianne has TWO naked breasts with BOTH nipples visible. And she is not shaved.

      When I was a teenager in the 80's in France, we had on Sunday morning on TV a fitness show (exercises to follow at home). The end featured the two leading ladies taking a shower in full view. We were all very much into fitness then.

    • Hizonner 15 hours ago

      I think I would have banned that particular seal for being so damned ugly. They had earlier ones that weren't that bad.

      Actually an awful lot of official seals are hideous designs. You'd think they'd try to do better than that.

      • saagarjha a day ago

        I think they should’ve banned “Virginia” far earlier to be honest.

        • black_13 a day ago

          [dead]

        • jauntywundrkind a day ago

          Also a MAGA state heavily likely to be deeply offended by "Sic Semper Tyrannis" on the flag. How dare anyone question their king?!

          https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2025/04/18/texas-fe... https://www.texasobserver.org/trumps-texas-tycoons/

          • sneak 5 hours ago

            Wait until they see what infant children do when they see naked female breasts.

            The doublethink in believing that breasts are harmful to children is really, really strong.

            • timewizard a day ago

              They didn't ban it. They removed it from their curriculum. They felt that state policy demanded it. There have been multiple versions of the seal and many of them do not depict the character with an exposed breast.

              • 5555624 a day ago

                Most of the ones with the breasts covered were before the Civil War. In 1875, the seal exposed both breasts. Of the several versions after that, I believe only hte 1904 version covered both breasts. The current design dates to 1912 and was made official in 1950, although the description in the Code of Virginia (§1-500) makes no mention of Virtus' breast being exposed.

                While Virtus has one breast exposed on the obverse, Libertas, Aeternitas, Ceres are fully clothed on the reverse.

                • defrost a day ago

                  Not banned, just expurgated then?

                  That seems a perineum of difference.

                  • timewizard a day ago

                    [flagged]

                    • defrost 21 hours ago

                      I understand the words thank you and I dare say my grandchildren are likely older than yours.

                      • timewizard 13 hours ago

                        [flagged]

                        • defrost 6 hours ago

                          Whenever I discuss the meaning of words with children and grandchildren I refer them to dictionaries (plural)

                          Banned: officially or legally prohibit (something), to forbid (= refuse to allow) something, especially officially, to prohibit, esp officially, from action, display, entrance, sale, etc; forbid.

                          This and similar can be found in the Cambridge dictionary, the Oxford English Dictionary, the Merriam-Webster, the Collins, et al.

                          "Officially prohibit" is what the Lamar CISD did via their Board Policy Manual that was passed and adopted on the 19th of November 2024 via point 10. of their Library Materials Collection Development policy:

                            No library materials used in elementary schools shall contain depictions or descriptions of sexual acts or stimulations of such acts implied or otherwise. This includes explicit or non-explicit written descriptions, depictions or illustrations of sexual acts, except for the purposes of teaching students (as may be approved by parents) to avoid and report molestation. No material in elementary school libraries shall include visual depictions or illustrations of frontal nudity;
                          
                          The seal was _banned_ from the library under the "[no] visual depictions or illustrations of frontal nudity" clause.

                          Not only _banned_, according to multiple reports the seal was also _expurgated_ by the school board along with a section about Virginia from its online learning platform used by 3rd-5th graders (eg: https://www.txftrp.org/censorship_tx_even_state_flags_arent_... for one such source)

                          See: https://pol.tasb.org/PolicyOnline/PolicyDetails?key=481&code...

                          You were factually incorrect in your claim that "They didn't ban it." ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43734863 )

                          You were factually incorrect in your limited definition of "Banned" ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43735102 )

                          You have also apparently failed to read and certainly failed to heed the HN user guidelines: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

                          These are all simple things that can be improved upon.