A 70 year old stereotype
One of the most widespread stereotypes about Sweden and Swedes is;
Sweden and Swedes are all decadent, promiscuous, and sexually liberated.
This is completely ingrained in peoples mind that the Germans even use the term Schwedenfilm or Swedish film when they talk about pornographic movies.
But where does this stereotype has its roots, and how true is it?
First, let’s look at probable sources. One source is definitely some Swedish movies from the early ‘50s like
Hon dansade en sommar 1951 (She danced for a summer)
And Sommaren med Monika 1953 ( Summer with Monika)
In both these movies, we can see bare female breasts, something that was unthinkable at the time in many countries. These two movies have had a big impact on the reputation of Sweden as a sexually liberated country or the country of “free love”
Another factor that could have contributed is a speech by president D Eisenhower at a breakfast meeting in Chicago in 1960 where he implicated that socialism had made Swedes suicidal, drunk, and promiscuous. He didn’t actually mention Sweden by name but everyone knew what country he was talking about.
Other contributing factors are how Sweden and the Swedish lawmaking when it comes to sexuality and everything concerning the topic.
For example, as early as 1955, Sweden was the first country in the world to introduce obligatory sexual education in primary schools.
Another example is that Swedish law legalized homosexuality in 1944, in the US this didn’t happen nationwide until 2003.
The legal age for sex in Sweden is 15 years compared to the US where it is 16-18 depending on the state.
A study about promiscuity
As a matter of fact, I found a very interesting 2008 U.S. university study that studied the promiscuity among countries around the world based on one-night stands, attitudes towards casual sex, and the number of sexual partners.
The link to the study is shown below.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-promiscuous-countries
This study showed that the top ten OECD countries on the promiscuity index are:
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- The Netherlands
- The Czech Republic
- Australia
- The United States
- France
- Turkey
- Mexico
- Canada
As you can see, Sweden didn’t even hit the top 10. As a matter of fact, this report when comparing all nations place Sweden at #91
So is there any truth in this stereotype?
Of course, there is, but not the way you probably think.
You won’t find many strip clubs in Sweden or strongly sexualized advertisements or TV shows, showing naked women in primarily sexual roles, but this doesn’t mean that we are prudes either. There is just a very normalized relationship to sex.
Progressive laws and a relaxed attitude towards sex for teens, adults, men, women, straight people, and gays alike give Swedes the freedom to date and explore their sexuality in a safe and casual way with little judgment from the outside.
There is not so much hush about sex and in general, it is not frowned upon to have a sexual relationship early on in a relationship, or even in a casual meeting. Swedish women are often looked upon as “easy” from an outside point of view, but in my mind, this is just a result of the fact that it is just as common for a woman to be the one initiating sex as it is a man. At the same time, Swedish men are often looked upon as being shy, not trying to conquer their women, but this can be explained by the fact that the women are just as active when it comes to flirting and taking initiative as the men so why hunt?
What about nudity?
So to the question about nudity, which really has very little to do with sex in the eyes of a Swede.
Public nudity in Sweden is legally acceptable within reason. It’s more common at nudist, or as the preferred terminology in Sweden is naturist, beaches, but not uncommon to find people skinny-dipping during the summer vacation months.
Does that mean that you will find nude people on any beach or by all lakes? Of course not, people use common sense, and if you are by yourself or with people you are close to and nobody else is around, you can take your clothes off for a quick dip on a hot day, but nobody would be naked on a public beach, if it wasn’t explicit said to be a nudist beach.
But on any beach, or at any lake you might find women sunbathing topless, this is not something that creates any reaction from the surroundings. Nudist beaches aren’t just for nudists. Nobody tells you what you can or can’t wear at a nudist beach. It’s up to you. Just behave appropriately.
Just as breastfeeding in public without hiding in any way is just seen as a part of life, and it is not uncommon to see mothers breastfeeding in public
You may be naked in your own home, obviously.
Just don’t stand in windows overlooking busy streets and startle someone. Certainly don’t force your nudity on other people where you know it isn’t appropriate.
So even when it comes to nudity we Swedes are very respectful of personal space. No one will bother you if you’re doing your own thing: sun-bathing, swimming, reading a book, etc. Don’t infringe on other people’s space or make them uncomfortable in any way.
What about sexual crimes?
Sweden also has very specific laws that protect from sexual abuse. From June 2018 the new law states that sex with someone who does not voluntarily participate will be illegal. A person needs to agree in words or clearly demonstrate that they want to engage in sexual activity. Passivity is not a sign of voluntary participation. The approved text stops short of making expressed consent a condition for sex but states that passivity is not a sign of agreeing to sex.
Conclusions
So let me try to sum things up and give you my thoughts. I think the stereotype is very unfair, and untrue, and many times, at least when I was younger and traveled abroad I chose not to say that I was Swedish.
But what I believe many think of as promiscuity is in the eyes of us Swedes a very relaxed and easy relationship to sexual topics.
I can see how in the early days f the ’50s the world was offended by some Swedish movies, and how Swedish law early on made decisions that the rest of the world wasn’t ready for yet. But today, most of the world has caught up and the Swedish standpoint when it comes to sexual issues is not that different from many other countries anymore.
I have no idea how we can change this stereotype, or even make a dent in it, but I hope that no young Swedish women will ever hesitate to say they are from Sweden for the reason to not be looked upon as “easy” or promiscuous. And if this podcast can help change just one person’s mind, I will be very happy.
Until next time, as we say in Sweden
Hej Då
