Delicious, Yet Possibly Wrong

So there have been more and more articles emerging about how yoga has been appropriated by the West for profit, I think there is something which has been misused for secular profit then yoga could probably ever be- the Kama Sutra. Almost everyone in America lives in this belief that the Kama Sutra is merely a kinky sex book, but it's really an ancient spiritual text which discusses the aims and priorities of the everyday life, one of which is kama, or aesthetic and erotic pleasure. But since one of the sections talks about sex, that's all that the West focuses on, and capitalism has taken this appropriation to an extreme.

The most obvious example of this is the Kama Sutra line of body oils and sensual products meant to enhance ones love life. On their website they briefly talk about the text from which they got their name, but focus on products which "allows lovers to discover the pleasure of the unknown" and "explore the depths of your lover". More of a Vanilla's Guide to Revving Your Sex Life than anything.

Of course, nothing is more of a Vanilla Couple's sex life pick-me-up than Cosmo's Kama Sutra book. They are unapologetic in their focus on the sexual aspect of this text, talking about "carnal contortions" and giving illustrations and instructions for sex positions which may not even be in the actual Kama Sutra. I'm a liberated 21st century gal, so I don't see anything wrong with people reading up on different things to do to enhance their love life, but they don't need to use spiritual texts to make it more acceptable.


While I may be skeptical of the first two products, there is one thing that I support 1000%- Ben & Jerry's Karamel Sutra ice cream. While I admit that I may be biased, seeing as it's my fave flavor of all time, you can't help but be sold on someone being told that you will be "in total control of your own ice cream destiny". I also loved this description from the Associated Press "There are three aims of ancient Hindu life. The first is Dharma which is virtuous living. The second is Artha which is material prosperity. The third is Kama which is aesthetic and erotic pleasure. If you take this in the form of ice cream then Dharma is being able to enjoy a great brand, Artha is having a perfect spoon and Kama is having a great flavor." I couldn't agree more!

There are several more products out there that make money off of the Kama Sutra's concept, but I think I've rambled about enough of them for now. I think I'm going to go get some ice cream.