Oral Sex - Cultural Attitudes

Cultural Attitudes

Cultural attitudes towards oral sex range from disgust to reverence. It has been considered taboo, or at least frowned upon, in many cultures and parts of the world. In Ancient Rome, fellatio was considered profoundly taboo. Sexual acts were generally seen through the prism of submission and control. This is apparent in the two Latin words for the act: irrumare (to penetrate orally), and fellare (to be penetrated orally). Under this system, it was considered to be abhorrent for a male to perform fellatio, since that would mean that he was penetrated (controlled), whereas receiving fellatio from a woman or another man of lower social status (such as a slave or debtor) was not humiliating. The Romans regarded oral sex as being far more shameful than, for example, anal sex – known practitioners were supposed to have foul breath and were often unwelcome as guests at a dinner table. In contrast, in Chinese Taoism, cunnilingus is revered as a spiritually fulfilling practice that is believed to enhance longevity. There is some anthropological evidence for cunnilingus as a widespread activity amongst Australian aboriginals. In modern Western culture, oral sex is widely practiced among adolescents and adults.

People give various reasons for their dislike of oral sex. Some say that since it does not lead to procreation, it is therefore unnatural. Others believe that it is a humiliating or unclean practice (an opinion that is, at least in some cases, connected with the symbolism attached to different parts of the body). This has been more or less the case in Christian and Sub-Saharan African cultures and other modern religions.

While commonly believed that all women who have sex with women engage in oral sex, some dislike it due to not liking the experience or due to psychological or social factors, such as finding it unclean. Other lesbian or bisexual women believe that it is a necessity or largely defines lesbian sexual activity, attributing lesbian or bisexual women who dislike oral sex as a problem. Often, lesbian couples are likely to define a woman's dislike of oral sex as a problem more than heterosexual couples are, and commonly seek therapy to overcome inhibitions regarding oral sex.

Oral sex has been observed in the animal kingdom among many species. It has been suggested that there is an evolutionary advantage due to the tendency of primates, non-primates and humans to have oral sex.