Page B15 Arts FEMALE COMICS TEST THE CEILING ON TABOOS A new generation of female comedians, including Sarah Silverman, Whitney Cummings and Amy Schumer are pushing the taboo threshold higher than men with jokes on topics like sexual exploits.
Pushing the taboo envelope by comparing our Commander-in-Chief to the controversial George Zimmerman during a time of social outcry and frustration doesn't show that you have intellect.
His work often pushed the boundaries of sexuality, exploring taboos and controversial subjects like zoophilia, rape and necrophilia.
Mr. Mubarak's health, which was always considered a taboo subject, pushed the reality of his age and condition to the forefront of the political debate, although there continues to be a great deal of cynicism regarding the prospect for change now that he has returned home.
Sex out of wedlock remains taboo, yet the cost of lavish weddings, hefty dowry payments and the bridal requirement of a furnished, paid-for home have pushed the average age of marriage in many Arab countries into the 30s.
The new Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani's vision was to mold tiny Qatar into a centre of world culture, and the newly-opened-Mathaf's major challenge to Middle Eastern art will be to push the boundaries of Arab taboos - by their ability to display nudity and politically sensitive subjects without censorship.
She was lauded in the western press for breaking taboos on periods and pushing the feminist agenda, and Melinda Gates even tweeted her thanks to Fu for "using your voice to challenge taboos about menstruation".
Once somebody pushes the envelope, it doesn't take long for taboo images to become acceptable.
"Examining these things has become a taboo in contemporary art, so I try to push the envelope with various visual delivery systems.
Once the taboos are pushed aside, things escalate very quickly, and it doesn't take long — usually less than six centuries — for venerable, essential institutions to begin collapsing in on themselves.
