sex or self-pleasure for pleasure alone was considered a sin by many many people and frowned upon deeply.
And this has changed?
Sure, many folks are OK with sex for pleasure... But many still consider sex for pleasure to be a sin. Prostitution is still illegal in most places. The Pope is still prohibiting birth control. Various sex acts (oral sex, bestiality, BDSM) are still illegal in many if not most states. It only
just became legal to buy sex toys in some states.
Hell, adultery is legal nowadays, whereas it carried a hefty penalty not too long ago.
While it may or may not be legal... It still carries a hefty penalty if your spouse divorces you. Or if your boss/voters/whoever find out.
American is certainly not getting more prudish.
There was a point in time when it was assumed you would have a mistress if you could. In various parts of Europe this may still be true. Here in the US, the slightest hint of infidelity and you'll be crucified.
Many (most?) of our founding fathers were members of the
Hellfire Club... If it came out that a prominent politician was involved in anything like that today they'd be out of office.
Kids have been "playing doctor" for decades... But these days sending a naked picture to your significant other will result in charges of child pornography (assuming, of course, that you're both teenagers).
Watch some movies from the 60's and 70's... You don't even have to find a sexploitation film... You'll see complete nudity all over the place... Now take a look at what gets rated R today.
Take a look at some of the classical works of art. And then look at our politicians scrambling to cover up "obscene" statues before a press conference. Look at the kinds of artwork that gets taken out of textbooks because it is obscene. Hell, a school district banned a
dictionary because it contained a definition of oral sex.
But I still think that today's society is far more open about sex than it ever was 100-150 years ago.
Open? Or obsessed?
Just because we can't stop talking about it doesn't mean we're open about it. When was the last time you saw a real, frank, honest discussion about sex? When was the last time you saw some kind of sensational story about sex?
The Victorians were obsessed with sex as well... But they certainly weren't open about it.