CHFD220 Human Sexuality

Introduction:

Located on 233rd street 5th Avenue in Manhattan New York, the museum of sex, also known as MoSex was opened on October 5, 2002 (Museum of Sex | NYC, 2017). The museum has some of the most thought-provoking and interesting exhibits. The museum of sex is often a topic of debate for its explicit content. The paper aims to argue about the pleasant and unpleasant aspects of the museum of sex.

Things liked about MoSEX:

MoSex was founded by Daniel Gluck, who wanted to dedicate it to the history, evolution and cultural significance of human sexuality. The museum officially aims to preserve as well as present the same. The proposal of the museum of sex was initially rejected due to the concept however it was allowed later on. The things for which the museum can be appreciated are many. The museum needs its visitors to be above 18 due to its explicit content. The museum is committed to open discourse and free exchange as well as bringing the best in scholarship in public. According to Whiteley (2013) sexuality hold significance in culture. The museum highlights various sexual preferences and subculture that involves homosexual history and erotica, sex work and pornography. MoSex have accurately represented diverse races, cultures, sexualities and genders. An impressive truckload of artefacts, documents, audio clip, and films are assembled for the visitors. The museum creates a space that is free of censorship for discussion on sex through the lens of a scientific and historical approach. The intention of the founder for building the museum is worth appreciating. He wanted to address the gap he witnessed in contemporary cultural offerings and contribute to eliminating the existing gap in the cultural landscape. With all the explicit content and history he tried to add to the world of education. The museum has become an attraction for visitors of diverse background.

Things disliked about MoSEX:

There are several factors as well that make the museum an unpleasant experience for the visitors. According Although the museum is formed as a representation of art due to its explicit content, it is often regarded as non-educational and provocative. It has been found that there is a vast range of one time visitors which can be for the explicit content of the museum which is a sign that people are not yet ready to be exposed to the explicit content. This reflects the value of culture and art in society. The museum is said to be running on various programs and exhibitions. Regardless of the intention of the founder, the fact that visitors of MoSex come with diverse intention which makes the museum a mere profit-making museum (Bennett, 2017).

Conclusion:

MoSex might be formed to draw inspiration and fill the cultural gap, however, the state needs to be more welcoming to the intention. The museum should invest in the ways it can involve more artists to come up with more arts as it is a place of art and artefacts by distributing knowledge and inspiration.

References:

Bennett, S. (2017). Sex Museums: The Politics and Performance of Display by Jennifer Tyburczy. Theatre Journal, 69(3), 435-436.

Museum of Sex | NYC. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.museumofsex.com/

Whiteley, S. (2013). Women and popular music: Sexuality, identity and subjectivity. Routledge.