Prohibited Pleasure

Some artists describe the female body as fine art: the luscious curves, rosy lips, rounded breasts, thighs and hair lying softly on the shoulders, her body should be worshipped with pleasure and joy. But how often can we have that pleasure? Or express our body’s needs of intimacy and longing for connection with our beloveds? Lust bursts out of us, yet we suppress it.

Society, culture, and religion make us hide these desires, concealing them and never talking about them until we become oblivious of our own body’s sexual cravings. The stigma around sexuality and intimacy has pushed us far away from it. Nevertheless, at some point in our lives, we surrender to our desires, diving deep after discovering our first orgasm, feeling the heat of lust collide between two thirsty bodies, the sweat, the breathlessness against each other, fighting to fulfil that wild need. All we think about is satisfying our starving bodies. We enjoy it, enjoy it so much, and without it, our bodies would wilt.

On the other hand, how many times have we tried to stop ourselves from crawling back to our sexual desires, just to find our bodies leading us to it. Is it wrong? Did we sin? It is known that sex is a basic need, like food and such, but this need has been categorized as one of the biggest sins if achieved outside of marriage. Sexual activities are still unacceptable in our society despite our angry and wild bodies.

I started my writing describing the female body. Are we, women, allowed to satisfy our bodies’ needs without being judged? According to our society’s morals, sex is considered obscene, with women seeking pleasure regarded as bitches or sluts, with men looking down on them. Do we or do we not have control over our own bodies? 

One answer is that we should never care about people’s opinions; it is our life, our body, we can do whatever we want, as long as we are satisfied. An important reminder, though, is that we should never ever lose ourselves on that road, never lose our ethics and principles – a thin line we should never cross or the consequences will be harsh. We may be left with regrets and  feeling ashamed of ourselves.

But again, our body’s thirstiness bursts out. We need love, affection, and compassion. The answers for “are we allowed to have pleasure freely?” are enormous; each person has their own opinion and principles. The touch from the right person thrives our body, making it blossom and shine. Our bodies give in to the sensation of being loved and wanted. We crave to be needed, our body hairs dance with each red kiss. 

This is what we need, to be loved.

Raghda, a college senior, is from a devastated country she believes will be redeemed. Passionate about literature, knowledge and freedom, she writes so her voice and the voices’ of millions are heard.