Sex in the Media

Joshua Kendall

Professor Baker

English 1101

16 March 2013

Effects of Sex in the Media on Adolescents

Everywhere we go the media is always around us. Through television, radio, internet, movies, video games; we cannot escape media’s influence. The media is full of sexual images and themes that can be unhealthy for a growing mind to view. The prevalence of overtly sexual content in the media influences teenagers to be promiscuous.

The abundance of sexual material in the media is influencing teenagers to make unhealthy choices about sex. Because sexual themes can be found in all forms of media, it is difficult for teenagers not to be subjected to it. Richard Jackson and Christopher Barlett state, “[aAdolescents] . . . learn about sex from . . . media outlets such as movies, television, magazines, song lyrics, videos and the internet” (1). Allyssa Harris adds, “[tThe] media are among the primary educators for adolescents about sexuality and sexual behavior” (235). When teenagers are exposed to sexual themes in popular media, it alters their way of thinking in regards to sex. David Myers declares, “[tT]he more sexual content adolescents view, the more likely they are to perceive their peers as sexually active, to develop sexually permissive attitudes, and to experience early intercourse” (361). Frequent exposure to sexual media will affect how teenagers develop their self-identity (Harris 236). When teenagers turn on a media format to be entertained, they are being exposed to sexually charged content that will have harmful consequences on their views on sex.

The large amount of sexual situations shown on television programs influences teenagers to be promiscuous. Most of the popular prime-time television shows are full of sexual acts and behaviors. Myers states that if you watch prime-time television for one hour you will see “15 sexual acts, words and innuendos” (361). Harris adds, “[tThat] up to 70% of all television shows have sexual content, 68% talk about sex and 35% include sexual behaviors (235).” When teenagers see the lighthearted way in which television programs show sex, they will embrace those attitudes. Jackson and Barlett claim, “wWatching numerous sitcoms . . . where characters are routinely sexually active . . . with little concern of consequences may cultivate acceptance of such [actions]” (9). Harris thinks, “[aA]dolescents who watched television [programs] with more sexual content . . . were more likely to initiate . . . sexual behaviors” (236). When the growing teenage mind is bombarded with sexual behaviors on popular television programs, it will lead them to believe that such promiscuous actions are commonplace and accepted.

When teenagers watch television programs that do not show the negative effects that sex can have on a person, it will make them believe that such effects are a rarity. Sex on television programs will influence teens to have sex, but without the proper sex education they may not take the necessary precautions. Beth Azar reports, “[tTeens] who watched the highest levels of sexual content on television were twice as likely to become pregnant . . .” (1837). Most of the time, sex on prime-time television does not mention any risk with the behavior (Jackson and Barlett 4). Another harmful effect television has on teenagers is it’s glamorization of teenage pregnancy. At times the media has become captivated with famous pregnant teenagers like Bristol Palin and Jamie Lynn Spears (Azar 1837). Azar adds, “[fF]or the past several years, adolescent pregnancy [has] received much press with top billing on ABC network drama “Secret life of the American Teenager” and the hit MTV reality shows “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom”” (1837). The way in which television displays sex without consequences influences teenagers to make bad choices that will affect them for the rest of their lives.

Sexually charged lyrics in popular music will influence teenagers on sex and sexual behaviors. Lyrics in popular music sometimes will show sex as reckless and carefree. Harris states, “aAdolescents who listen to music with degrading sexual lyrics . . . were more likely to advance in their sexual behaviors . . . and have permissive attitudes towards sex” (238). Sena Agdo-Quaye and Toby Robinson report, “mMusic aimed at young people is recognized for its [lack of] references to possible negative consequences [of sex]” (360). These sexually lyrics are also giving teenagers the wrong view of gender identity when referring to sex. Steven Martino et al. suggest, “[tThat] these lyrics depict men as sexually insatiable, women as sexual objects and sexual intercourse as inconsequential.” (15). Most of these lyrics objectify women send the wrong message to teenage boys (Harris 236). The overabundance of sexual lyrics in popular music that teens listen to influences their wanton behavior.

The large sexual content present in video games influence teenager promiscuity. The video game industry is much younger than television, movies or music; it is however enjoyed by almost every single teenager in the United States. Paul Kearney reports, “[tThat] 95 percent of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 play video games” (492). Even though a lot of teenagers play video games, parents know little about their content; author Damon Brown wrote that less than half of all parents know anything about the types of games their children are playing (17). Typically video games are enjoyed by males, who are getting an unhealthy view of women. Maja Mikula states, “[vVideo game females’ bodies are] excessively feminine-[their] breast are massive and very pert, [their] waist [are] tiny, [their] hips are rounded and [they] wear extremely tight clothing” (79). Kearney states, “[video game females are] clearly shaped by the desire to embody male sexual fantasies” (490). When teenage males play video games with unrealistically proportioned female character, it teaches them to objectify women which will lead to unhealthy attitudes towards relationships and sex.

The amount of sex in popular movies encourages teenagers to be more sexually active. Sex acts in movies are more graphic than television and teens who watch these movies are going to be more likely to act upon their urges. Laura Carpenter reports, “12-14 year old [adolescents] exposed to . . . sexual content in movies . . . were significantly more likely to have had sex by ages 14-16” (808). Feona Attwood writes, “mMovies feature seven times more sex acts and references to them than television [programs]” (131). Movies labeled as “sex comedies” are popular among teenagers, but they teach them to have carefree attitudes towards sex and that being a virgin in high school makes you unpopular. Promiscuity is glorified in movies with rare reference to safe sex practices or negative consequences (Attwood 131). Carpetenter states, “[pP]opular teen movies [have] taught [teens] that [being a] virgin is not cool” (822). Movies that are high in sexual content influence teenagers to play out these acts in real life.

The large amounts of sexual themes in today’s media encourage teenagers to be more sexually active. We know that many teenagers get their views on sex through the media. Teenagers like to watch television, and prime-time shows have a lot of sexual content. Teenagers who watch these shows are more likely to be sexually active which can lead to teenage pregnancy. Teenagers who listen to catchy songs about sex will start to view sex as not being a big deal. Teenagers who play sexy video games will learn to objectify women. With the graphic depiction of sex in movies, teenagers will be influenced to have sex because they see it as the cool thing to do. Sex in the media introduces teenagers to sexual acts before they are mature enough to handle it.

Works Cited.

Attwood, Feona. Mainstream Sex: The Sexualization of Western Culture. London: I.B. Tauris

2009, Print.

This book is about the how the impact of sex in our media is affecting our lives. This

book examines how pornography, phone sex, e-mail affairs and cybersex have become

more mainstream. It also looks at adolescents’ views on sex and how the media

influences them.

Agbo-Quaye, Sena, and Toby Robertson. “The Motorway to Adulthood: Music Preference As

The Sex and Relationship Roadmap.” Sex Education 10.4 (2010): 359-371. Academic

Search Complete. Web. 08 Mar. 2013.

The research in this document looks at the importance of music preference and reveals

the influences drawn from the adolescent culture. It talks about different music lyrics and

how the effect their interpretation can have on teens and sex. The paper touches on

how music enjoyed by young people is darker and coarser than music from a previous

generation. The main study is on musical influences on young people ages 14 to 19 years

old.

Azar, Beth. “Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention: Highlights from a Citywide Effort.” American

Journal of Public Health 102.10 (2012): 1837-1841. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. Web.

10 Mar. 2013.

This article shows information from a community-based pregnancy prevention program

in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The city had set a goal to lower teen pregnancy rates among

15 to 17 year old adolescents. They are trying to lower the rate by 46 percent by 2015.

The article discusses the social and media factors that are contributed to teen pregnancy.

Brown, Damon. Porn and Pong: How Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider and Other Sexy Games

Changed Our Culture. Port Townsend, WA: Feral House, 2008. Print.

The author of this book wrote an in-depth look at sexuality in the gaming world. He

writes that video games fulfill the cultural need for “dark sexual thrills.” He touches

on how pornography and video games have influenced America’s adolescents.

Damon Brown examines how politics, agendas and financial pressure affect

the art form of video games.

Carpenter, Laura. “Virginity Loss In Reel/Real Life: Using Popular Movies To Navigate

Sexual Initiation.” Sociological Forum 24.4 (2009): 804-827. Sociological

Collection. Web. 15 Mar. 2013.

Ms. Carpenter writes about sex in the media. Specifically how virgins and virginity

are handled by movies. The piece interviews several teenagers, gay and straight,

about their views on virginity based upon the movies they have seen. This article

talks about and breaks down several teenager sex comedies such as “Pretty in Pink”

and “American Pie.”

Harris, Allyssa, L. “Media and Technology in Adolescent Sexual Education and Safety.”

JOGNN: Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing 40.2 (2011): 235-242

CINAHL Plus with Full Text. Web. 10 Mar 2013

This article is about sexual images and themes in today’s media. Allyssa Harris writes about each type of media and explains how the increase of sexual content can harm the adolescent mind. She writes about research done in different areas of media that explains the role they have in the life of an adolescent. The research is done for television, music, video games, print and internet.

Jacoson, Richard and Christopher Barlett. Effects of Sex in the Media, n.d. Web. 10 Mar 2013.

.

This online article talks about sexual content in the media. It explores all media such

as television, movies, music and the internet. It breaks down each media type and how

much sexual content is presented. It also touches on the effectiveness of rating systems and how easy it is for adolescents to side steps these parental blocks.

Martino, Steven, Rebecca Collins, Marc Elliot, and Amy Strachman. Exposure to Degrading

Versus Non-Degrading Music Lyrics and Sexual Behavior among Youths, n.d. Web.

14 Mar. 2013. .

This web article explores the amount of sexual themes in music lyrics. It breaks down each genre of music for sexual content in songs. It also studies the effects of harmful, sexual lyrics versus non-sexual lyrics. They gather information from teenagers about their listening habits and examine sexual content of the music.

Milkula, Maja. “Gender and Video Games: The Political Valency of Lara Croft.” Continuum:

Journal of Media & Cultural Studies (2003): 79-87. Web. 11 Mar. 2013

This article talks about how women are portrayed in video games. He uses the example

of Lara Croft, the large breasted hero from the Tomb Raider video game series. Tomb

Raider, introduced in 1995, became an overnight succees spawning nine sequels and

two blockbuster movies. He also mentions other games with poor representation of

women like Dead or Alive: Beach Volleyball and BMXXX.

Myers, David. Exploring Psychology. New York: Worth Publishing, 2011. Print.

This is a textbook that is required for first year psychology students. This textbook covers a wide variety of topics from how the mind and body work to how we experience sight and sound. This textbook also talks about the growing mind of a person, from an infant to adolescents. The textbook also talks about how outside stimuli can affect the thoughts and actions of a person.

Puri, Kunal, and Rudy Pugliese. “Sex, Lies, and Video Games: Moral Panic or Uses and

Gratifications.” Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society 32.5 (2012): 345-352

ERIC. Web. 9 Mar. 2013.

These authors write specifically about video games and the sexual and violent content. He explores different games, from Dead or Alive to Tomb Raider and writes about the unrealistic representation of women. They write about how teens that play these games can get an unhealthy view of woman and sex from these games. They also interview some of the game developers about their thoughts on the level of sex and violence in games being released.

Thesis
Excellent (13/13)
This paper has a clearly stated, well written thesis in the introductory paragraph.

Support (quality and quantity)
Good Job (10/10 + 2 = 12)
Body paragraphs do a fairly good job of illustrating the supporting ideas of the chosen topic. Paper has the 10+ required sources, with adequate annotation for each citation.

Organization and Logic
Good Job (10/10)
Sentences are almost always used for their specific purpose (as taught), for a logical flow (but not consistently).

Grammar (including mechanics, sentence structure and punctuation)
OK (7/7)
There are quite a few mechanical errors, not to mention the use of second person and first person plural.

MLA
Excellent (13/13)
The paper contains all of the following: last name and page number in the header of each page, proper MLA heading (name, instructor, class, date), centered title, double-spaced throughout paper, 1 inch margins, and 12 point Times New Roman Font throughout.

Works Cited
Good Job (26)
There are no more than three mistakes on the MLA citation of sources.

Overall grade = 81