maybe they would assume we reproduce asexual? (Mitosis) could be a stylistic choice. PS found Wikipedia,s explanation:
One can see that the woman's genitals are not really depicted; only the mons veneris is shown. It has been claimed that Sagan, having little time to complete the plaque, suspected that NASA would have rejected a more intricate drawing and therefore made a compromise just to be safe. However, according to Mark Wolverton's more detailed account, the original design included a "short line indicating the woman's vulva." It was erased as condition for approval by John Naugle, former head of NASA's Office of Space Science and the agency's former chief scientist.
It doesn't really matter anyway. The picture is useless and the chances that an intelligent life form that evolved thousands of light years away would actually understand any of it is incredibly low.
the angle she was drawn. her thigh covers the good bits. geeze its shown all the time at that angle and the good stuff doesnt show... oh dammit now everyone knows i watch pron!!!
NOT safe for work... is a painted woman pic from a google body art image search...PHA+PGEgaHJlZj0iaHR0cDovL2JvZHlhcnQtcGFpbnRpbmdzLmJsb2dzcG90LmNvbS8yMDA5LzAzL2RhbmllbGxhLXNhcmFoeWJhLXNleHktYm9keS1hcnQuaHRtbCIgdGl0bGU9IiIgdGFyZ2V0PSJfYmxhbmsiPmh0dHA6Ly9ib2R5YXJ0LXBhaW50aW5ncy5ibG9nc3BvdC5jb20vMjAwOS8wMy9kYW5pZWxsYS1zYXJhaHliYS1zZXh5LWJvZHktYXJ0Lmh0bWw8L2E+PC9wPg==
url tags... forgot em.
*edit again even if she was facing the camera and spreading her legs you wouldnt see he vagina. most you would see is the Labia minora, usualy just the labia majora unless the other happens to be quite a set of wings... the vagina is an inside part also known as the birth canal, if you see it you are looking inside of the woman!
cairocat: To me it seems like it does nothing but confuse any aliens who encounter it. How the hell would we reproduce?
Yeah, I'm sure that's the first thing the aliens would be thinking. "Hey, that guy has a penis, which clearly has a reproductive function, no doubt. But where does he stick it? This doesn't make any sense at all. Let's go kill them at once."
That's kind of how anime is aswell. In most cases the there is no "definitive line" to indicate that it is a vagina. I guess it's found to be too crude, though I don't know why.
Umm, her vagina certainly would never show from that angle. I will give you a hint, that part is INTERNAL. Even drawing in the labium majus wouldn't explain how we reproduce to anyone that wasn't already familiar with it. Seriously, there is nothing detailed about those drawings. He can't even reproduce with that holeless U and in the 70's you are lucky the image wasn't covered over with excessive chest and pubic hair. Are you really this desperate for a topic? Edit:
Yeah, I'm sure that's the first thing the aliens would be thinking. "Hey, that guy has a penis, which clearly has a reproductive function, no doubt. But where does he stick it? This doesn't make any sense at all. Let's go kill them at once."
*giggle* My first thought was they needed to know how we reproduce so they could breed us for food. >.<
JezebelinHell: Umm, her vagina certainly would never show from that angle. I will give you a hint, that part is INTERNAL. Even drawing in the labium majus wouldn't explain how we reproduce to anyone that wasn't already familiar with it. Seriously, there is nothing detailed about those drawings. He can't even reproduce with that holeless U and in the 70's you are lucky the image wasn't covered over with excessive chest and pubic hair. Are you really this desperate for a topic?
henritje: maybe they would assume we reproduce asexual? (Mitosis) could be a stylistic choice. PS found Wikipedia,s explanation:
One can see that the woman's genitals are not really depicted; only the mons veneris is shown. It has been claimed that Sagan, having little time to complete the plaque, suspected that NASA would have rejected a more intricate drawing and therefore made a compromise just to be safe. However, according to Mark Wolverton's more detailed account, the original design included a "short line indicating the woman's vulva." It was erased as condition for approval by John Naugle, former head of NASA's Office of Space Science and the agency's former chief scientist.
in other words it was prudishness.
Yet there already was a gigantic backlash about them being naked at all. I find it rather hilarious to be honest.
JezebelinHell: He can't even reproduce with that holeless U and in the 70's you are lucky the image wasn't covered over with excessive chest and pubic hair.
NOt to mention a moustache and a medallion...
OT: I really don't think there was much point in sending the thing anyway, persumably in a few hundred years we'll scoop the thing up in our new fancy space craft and put it in a museum, it certainly wont reach any aliens that's for sure. Even if it did the ting reads like a brothel advert... two naked people and a sign pointing to where you can find them...
Because it's not very detailed. The need for graphic realism in the modern age seems to be everywhere. I don't think the man is particularly well done either, but the male genitalia is somewhat more obvious. I don't think she needs one. You can tell what it's meant to be, use your imagination. Besides if you're that bothered about the vagina, then you know...you are on the internet after all.