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East vs. West: Berlin Wall Divided Two Attitudes Toward Nudity

TresSugar — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:00:49 -0800

When the Berlin Wall fell 20 years ago last week, East and West Germany had to integrate two very different cultures. Freedom may have spread quickly through the East, but nudity - the East's favorite and perhaps only freedom - never caught on in the West.

Freikörperkultur (FKK), or liberal body culture, was really the only way to rebel in the East, where the most quotidian details of people's lives were observed by the Stasi, East Germany's secret police. Though the East German government forbid FKK at first, many government officials were into walking around nude, so they protested with the argument that "doing FKK" did not mean you weren't a good communist. Good point - don't they put kids in school uniforms to level the playing field? What's more egalitarian than wearing nothing!

Yet on the west side of the wall, the attitude toward nudity was more on par with America and its don't-even-discuss-it-in-public ethos. A West German interviewed a former East German for Vice magazine to find out what's so great about wearing nothing. Check out some of the highlights after the jump.

Behind the Iron Curtain: Was Sex Better Before the Wall's Fall?

TresSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:13:52 -0800

Life may be better since the fall of the Berlin Wall, but is sex? It was at first. Prostitutes came in vans, porn was everywhere, and sex shops opened like wine bars in a gentrifying neighborhood. Yet interest waned throughout the '90s, and nostalgia set in for "love as it was before."

Before, men and women didn't need porn to get excited or toys to orgasm. What did they need? Imagination, says former relationship columnist Jutta Resch-Treuwerth, and they had it. Poll after poll shows there was lots of "imagination" behind the iron curtain. On average, East Germans lost their virginity earlier, had twice as much sex, and had more orgasms than their Western counterparts.

So what made sex so "gut"? Find out after the jump

Creative Lingerie Ad - Love It or Leave It?

TresSugar — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:00:00 -0700

I don't want to say too much about this lingerie ad running in Germany because I fear it could give away the effect. But I'll tell you this: it definitely makes the point that anyone can have the desire to feel sexy. Check it out and tell me if you think it is powerful or problematic.

Oh Snap! Big Giants at the Big Wall

TresSugar — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:00:00 -0700

More than one million people gathered in Berlin last weekend to view giant puppets at the city's historical sites. The moving exhibit, put on by artists and technicians from the French troupe Royal de Luxe, celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The "big giant" was from West Berlin, while the "little giant" was imagined to be his niece from East Berlin. The street show ended on Sunday, when the puppets symbolically returned tens of thousands of letters intercepted decades ago by East Germany's secret police. The show cost more than $2 million, but it seems like the creative commemoration of a painful recent history was well worth the price.

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Oh Snap! Oktober in September

TresSugar — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0700

Three women posed for a picture at the Hofbraeuhaus beer tent today in Munich, Germany to celebrate Oktoberfest, the world's largest fair. Each year, about six million people show up to the 16-day beer festival that happens in late September and early October. Give them beer (and breasts) and they will come! Cheers!

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German Ad: AIDS Is the New Hitler

TresSugar — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:00:00 -0700

Did you just lose your lunch looking at this ad? I almost did when I first saw it. The creators of the nightmarish German AIDS awareness ad say that they "knew the face we gave to the illness could not be a pretty one" - and what's uglier than having sex with Adolf Hitler?

The video version, which will soon be played in cinemas and on television, shows a couple having sex. At the end, the man's face turns into Hitler's and the screen reads "AIDS is mass murderer." As you can expect, many people are outraged. Some say the campaign further stigmatizes people living with AIDS, while others argue that the sensationalized message fails to offer any preventative advice.

Do you think using Hitler in this ad is a necessary evil that will wake people up to the risk of AIDS, or is this ad unnecessarily offensive?

Stranger Than Fiction: Berlin Brothel Goes Eco Green

TresSugar — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0700

With nary a hill, Berlin is a great city to ride a bike in and with legalized prostitution, it's also a great place to ride a . . . Anyway! Everyone is looking for ways to lighten their carbon footprint, especially when it disguises a marketing campaign. Maison d'envie, a Berlin brothel, is no exception. It's offering a $7 discount on its usual $100 fee to customers who bike their way in.

The recession has hit the prostitution industry so it makes sense that if a green hostel was going to grow, it would bloom in über-eco-conscious Germany. With three to five new customers taking advantage of the deal each day, owner Thomas Goetz said, "It's good for business, it's good for the environment - and it's good for the girls."

Source: Flickr User Mirosim

Oh Snap! Berlin Kisses Its Past Goodbye

TresSugar — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:05:00 -0700

Former soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev kisses former communist East German leader Erich Honecker on a surviving portion of the Berlin Wall. Artists have been asked to redo their works on the East Side Gallery as part of a restoration effort before the country marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall this November.

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Woman Auctions Virginity, Germany to Tax Her 69 Percent

TresSugar — Sat, 23 May 2009 02:00:00 -0700

Wow. And we complain about high taxes in the US!

Romanian-born Alina Percea, 18, auctioned off her virginity to an Italian businessman (for only $18,000!) and now she's facing some pretty stiff taxes in Germany where she goes to school - 50 percent straight away because they're deeming her act prostitution (legal there) and then a 19 percent VAT (value added tax) because she earned her money so quickly! (Some Germans are taxed up to 45 percent of their incomes.)

She was hoping to get $100,000, but claims that all in all she's happy with the outcome, and may date the Italian guy for free after this. Hardly seems worth it, if you asked me! Natalie Dylan had a better idea. . .

Parking in Pink: Girly Color Marks Women-Only Parking Spots

TresSugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 07:00:00 -0700

I came across a story yesterday about pink parking spaces in South Korea. One city has decided to paint extra large spots a pretty pink so unskilled (women) drivers can park with ease. Apparently driving while female is a handicap.

In shock (and with a few giggles) I did a quick Google search. I discovered that South Korea is not alone.

I found an airport in Germany that also reserves some "very special rows" for women. And Swiss parking enforcers also adorn extra large spaces with pink outlines and flowers, hoping it will deter male drivers.

Before I could get too mad, I realized there was some method to Switzerland's apparent madness - the women-only spots are located next to a parking lot's exit, and under video surveillance.

So while South Korea insults "unskilled" women drivers, Switzerland promises to keep us safe. Either way, who wants to park in a bright pink spot? Well, maybe. It is sort of pretty.

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