In today’s society there in an incredible emphasis on sex. With influences like music, television, and magazines the idea of sex is becoming less of a taboo. People are becoming more comfortable with the ideas of sex. The most frightening part is that a majority of these people are children. Think back to the past 24 hours. I feel safe in saying that you have experienced at least one moment where sex or sexuality was a prominent reference. These references are becoming less surprising, and as a society we are becoming numb and accepting to the blatant themes of sexuality.
Some may argue that becoming comfortable with the idea of sex is normal and healthy and that a prude culture would be the downfall. Sex in itself is not a bad thing and people should be open to talking about it. It is stating the obvious but sex is necessary for life and everything else that follow. The bible even praises sex in the correct context. The context in which is think about sex is where the controversy arises.
There is a strong counter argument to the stance that sex is not a bad thing. Religious views aside, sex can be a social stigma. It goes back to the old concept of “too much of a good thing.” There is a difference between talking about sex in general, and talking about it on a personal level. If two people are applying for a job and they both have the same qualifications and the interviewer is aware that one of them has a long list of sexual endeavors, that applicant is less likely to get the position. Sex is a social stigma.
The point that it comes down to is sex sells, plain and simple. Commercials for products like toothpaste are advertising with half naked women and sexual innuendos. The main questions are is this culture of sex detrimental?
Here is an article describing how the obsession with sexuality and appearance can be extremely damaging to young women.
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/National_News_2/America_s_sex-mad_culture_4777.shtml
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Sex sells, but in a dangerous way. In my gender class today, we were discussing videos posted on Youtube by "Killing Us Softly." This organization shows how sex isolates women and shows them the truth path to being beautiful. It also talks about how much sex is used in everyday media, and how America is very obsessed with breasts in media as well. No matter where you turn you are staring the face of women, breast, and sex. It is hazardous to our generations and to generations to come. They will become numb to it as we are, which is not good! Every person should feel comfortable in their own skin, whether that is clothed or not, but if it isn't clothed that should be kept far away from the media. It would be helpful to our society to start following the newest Dove commercials showing real women who should be seen as beautiful.
ReplyDeleteSex is most certainly a huge part of life now-a-days. It is what many people, especially hormonal teenagers are thinking about. Because of this known fact most companies that are trying to promote a product are going to use sexual references and images because like stated above, sex sells. Now just because this is main-stream does not mean I think it is right. I actually feel the exact opposite. It is not fair that women are the main target of sexual references and are therefore the victims for the most part. They are the ones being degraded. All it takes are a few women willing to use their bodies for sexual commercials before it becomes something that people associate with all women. It is also puzzling that younger and younger children are being included in the “sex sells” market. Young children should not even know what sex is, but truth be told they are also getting in on the act which is just insane. America needs to step it up and work on more appropriate ways of selling a product. While sex may sell,it does not make it acceptable.
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ReplyDeleteSex and sexuality is becoming more present in our culture. For instance, take a look at same sex marriage/gay and lesbian rights, it's becoming more prelevant too. Sex is what attracts everyone; younger kids are being introduced to it at a much younger time in their life compared to, say, my life time.
ReplyDeleteWomen are explicitly exposed in many commercials where some would deem unnecessary, such as toothpaste commercials. Women are the typical target of sexuality in the media. Men are always the superior figure in any situation. Women are objectified in the media. More specifically in advertisements, it catches the attention of the reader and their sexuality is linked to the product they may be selling. Think about magazines: cosmopolitan or playboy. The central idea here is that men are to be pleasured by the looks of a woman.
As Lauren stated, this "sex sells" idea is a complete social stigma and the bigger problem is is that it works. It gets the job done. If you look at sex from the religious standpoint, of course it's normal, natural, and the way of life. But when looked at in the derogatory fashion, in which it's currently displayed, it's a complete social stigma.
I agree that the overuse of sexual innuendos to market products and other things could be extremely detrimental in the long run. How are our children going to turn out? What about our children’s children? The fact that we are practically numb to the sex trend is shocking and needs to be changed.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this amount of sex in our culture has a profound impact, I would not go as far as to say it truly effects people’s jobs. How often do employers know about the sex lives of the people they interview? I am more concerned about the effect this is having on the younger generations, female children in particular, who are losing their self-worth. More and more girls are feeling the need to take their clothes off in order to be noticed. But is this really the sort of attention we want? We need to start showing them that what is truly sexy is an educated, strong woman who doesn’t need to get undressed to succeed.
I completely agree with Lauren's entry that much of America's culture is centered around sex. In my opinion, too much is centered around it. While I have been at school, I have met people that judge others on how many people they've slept with or just based on how they look they must be a 'slut' or a 'whore.'My questions is, how does that have anything to do with what kind of person they are? What and who really decides what morals are and what standards we should live by? If somebody is really judging someone like that, they must be uncomfortable with who they are. If you have those opinions, live by them, but you have no right to judge those around you.
ReplyDeleteNo woman, or man for that matter should be called such degrading names such as a whore, a slut or skank. There is no need. If everybody had their own morals and lived how they wanted to live, there would be no issues. Just mind your own business.
I agree with Lauren's post, and I believe that sex is becoming too much a part of our culture today. At a very young age, children are exposed to sex on television and in the movies. They get a skewed view of sex, and comet o believe that everyone starts having sex with multiple partners while only in high school. Young girls begin to believe that in order to be beautiful and attractive to others, they must look like the super-skinny models they see on television. Boys believe that in order to be 'cool,' they must have many sexual partners before they even graduate from high school. It is true that sex sells, and producers are more concerned with making money that representing sex in its truest form in our generation. Although the media is hugely to blame for this, I also believe that it is the responsibility of the parents to talk to their children about what they see. It is nearly impossible to completely censor children from seeing sexually related topics, since they are virtually everywhere. But just as the media is not afraid to bring it up, parents have to take the initiative and talk to their children about what sex really is. They cannot wait until they are older in their teenage years, because sometimes that is too late. Honesty from parents is what children will listen to the most, and from this they will be able to decipher between what is real and what is not when it comes to how sex is represented in the media.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that sex is becoming part of our culture today. But, I do believe children should start knowing about sex atleast while they attend school. It may not sound right but I believe it does. It is better for them to learn about it in school than in the streets because at;east the school will let them know how to be safe, rather than them learning from their friends and doing it without protection. And when i say children I mean children from the ages of 12. Sex has been around for so long, and correct me if I'm wrong but its a normal thing now. I'm not saying you should have sex with everyone you see or want to have it with, but if you decide you are going to be commited to one person, I don't see why sex would be a bad thing in our society.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. I think that over time sex has taken much more of a prominent role in society. Not just the act itself happening more with younger people but in all aspects including the media and also everyday speech. I also degree that there is no doubt that "sex sells" because if you look at the media, guys think that if they consume products they will get those types of girls, and girls think that it they act like that or dress like that then they will be able to get any guy they want. I think that the reason why sex and the presentation of it has become a norm in society because we treat it like one and it is promoted more and more as a trend and thought of as something that everyone is doing in order to justify it. Obviously sex is a natural thing that we do, but I don't think that it should be put in the spot light or expressed in some of these ways in order to help market certain products.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with this post. Sex is definitely part of our society today. In my philosophy class, we are discussing C.S Lewis' thoughts on sex and what today's thoughts on sex are. According to Lewis, God meant sex should be between a married couple. Nowadays, sex is everywhere. Its sad to say, but sex is one of the best advertisements tricks in industries. Advertising a product or service, with some type of sexual innuendo, helps so much. People are so much more willing to buy the product or service. Just look, pornography is the most profitable industry in the world. It is sad to think that sex is taking over our society. Our society should be sad, that sex is so much over exaggerated, then what it should be.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with all these posts on sex. It is becoming a much bigger issue in the media and younger and younger kids seem to be knowledgeable on the subject, which they shouldn’t be. Almost every advertisement objectifies women, which is forcing young girls to act more like what they see in the media. This is a huge problem for the younger generations and America needs to stop with the whole notion of “sex sells”. Young girls have lower self-esteem because they think the need to look like models they see in advertisements in the media. I don’t think it is a huge issue for employers yet, but it definitely could grow based on how fast the media is growing on “sex sells”. I think this culture of sex could be potentially detrimental because kids are acting like people they see on television or in magazines.
ReplyDeleteSex is something that has become extremely integrated into everyday life, there is no escape from it. Everywhere you look there is a sexual innuendo or reference. The media is the biggest part of this movement because they are the ones that promote it to sell a product. They do this because it is effective, but it is also damaging to our society. Young girls in these times are so bombarded with images perfect looking women acting in an overly sexual manner. When these girls see this everywhere they think that is how they are supposed to look and act if they want to be popular or successful. I’m not saying that kids should be completely unaware of sex, they should know about it and be educated. However having constant reminders of sex everywhere they look is not a good thing. Young girls should know that they don’t have to look perfect or take their clothes off to get noticed. Young boys are also receiving negative messages. The media makes them think that to fit in they have to treat women in a bad manner and they have to hook up with lots of girls. Sex sells but is it really worth the price of the self-esteem of an entire generation of kids?
ReplyDeleteYes, I do believe that sex sells. This is the reality of things due to our culture and the fact that we are human. Even Maslow (a famous psychology figure) put sex on the hierarchy of needs. I am not denying that sex can have detrimental effects, what I am saying is that it is a ever present figure. It has been proven in our history that restraint never works. For example there was the ban on alcohol in the U.S. Did it work? No it did not because in the end people will do what they want. In the case of sexuality, it will effect you negatively, if you allow it too. If you want to be different, you have to rise above the power of societal thinking.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the culture of sex is detrimental to many people. I think the focus on sex throughout society-- in advertising, television shows, movies, magazines-- puts a great deal of pressure on people to "fit in." The focus is often on young women who have lowered self esteem due to not having a "perfect" body but I believe that this culture of sex affects all ages and both genders. We are bombarded daily with images (often airbrushed etc.) of what is considered "sexy." When people do not fit this image it leads to unhappiness, low confidence, and other detrimental feelings of not being good enough. In addition, the method of using sex to sell encourages people to demean themselves and their self respect by flaunting their body. The culture of sex has no positive aspects whatsoever. It ultimately leads to people disrespecting themselves and others.
ReplyDeleteSex does indeed sell...and it is becoming a greater problem now that it has been in years. Sex should be something people are comfortable talking about, especially parents to sons and daughters. It should also be something to be respected and kept private between whoever is "doing it". It is a social stigma, and sex is used as a way to get people to buy things and take notice of things which is not its purpose at all. As Emily cleared said "it leads to people disrespecting themselves and others", and that is completely true. We have to think of the future generation and what impact this will have on them as well.
ReplyDeleteSex obviously sells. We live in a world that thrives off of physical appearance, attraction, and sexuality. The media plays into that and uses sex to lure in a bigger audience. Sex is not only used to get people's attention but it is also used to get people to buy things. I feel that sex is misused everyday and teaches us the wrong way to view our bodies. The media can be offensive and disrespectful and it needs to be stopped to ensure that future generations are not affected negatively by this.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. Everything is this Nation in some way brings itself back to this subject. I believe that sexuality has made itself more open in this nation in spite of being something beutiful and more private. All the teen pregnancies there have been throughout these years. Young children are learning about these things at a young age. Yes Sex is becoming a social stigma, and this problem will get worse if we dont put a stop to it.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. In my high school religion courses, we could often talk about how different gender roles are portrayed in the media and how prominent sex is in advertising. As many before me have stated, sex sells. Dating back to the days of yellow journalism, sex and scandal have captured the attention of readers and drawn them in, leading to an increase in sales. Corporations only care about profit/revenue, and do not care whether or not the increased mention and images of sex are affecting the public by immunizing them to the negative aspects of such activities. Also, the concept of sex brings along with it the unrealistic body images that are portrayed in the media. Vulnerable and impressionable children at such a young age see that skinny sexually active people are the popular ones who are happy in life, when this is not necessarily the case. This is the negative side of an oversexed culture. All in all, sex, as well as the concept of body image that it drives along with it, should be something people are comfortable talking about but should not drive them to behave in a certain manner. If people can develop strong enough wills that will enable them to act responsibly on their own and not be influenced by the sex and body images that are so prominent in our culture today, then the problem is eliminated and people can go on living their own lives.
ReplyDeleteSex does sell in our culture. It is a bad thing though because it does have a negative affect on children, women and men. Men think that every woman wants sex, women feel like they have to look good to be liked by a man and children are exposed to thinking sex is a good thing from an early age. I think our culture needs to get over the idea of the perfect image because no one is perfect, we're humans. Maybe then young and old women alike won't become anorexic and have low self-esteem.
ReplyDeleteIts very upsetting to think that sex sells as well as it does, but it does. And we are all victims of it. And even today shows are based around sex. MTV had the show 16 ad pregnant and now they have a new show teen moms. The fact that these shows are becoming popular is scary. We need to focus on the fact that all these young teenagers are getting pregnant. It's a problem that needs to be fixed. We need to educate teens on practicing safe sex and being responsible. Sex is becoming too comfortable.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the idea that sex sells. I do not think that it should be this way because it's giving kids the wrong image of what people look like in reality. Commercials especially give off the idea of sex selling products. Whether it be cars, beer, or food, the image of provocative woman in particular is everywhere. I think this idea of having the perfect body gives young girls the wrong impression. This leads to girls seeking imperfection a reality that in our culture has become a deathly issue. I for one think that our culture has made this type of advertising acceptable. We as a culture would need to seek change so that sex isn't the main source of selling objects.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that sex sells in our culture but I think that sex is not a neccessity to marketing. It has just become so common that our society almost expects it. In my theology class last year, all of us wrote letters to stores like Abercrombie & Fitch and told them how we felt about their ads that we saw to offend women and treat women like objects. We never heard back from them obviously, but it felt good to speak out against such tasteless ads. Kids are born into a culture revolved around sex and its really quite sad. Sex is just not a 'big deal' anymore in our society and people just overlook its true purpose. It's really frustrating to hear the way people talk about the opposite sex and how they only focus on their physical appearance and their sexual appeal. This is all to the fault of commericals, music, television shows, and magazines all geared towards sex. I think we should all have more respect for ourselves and others and seek out different methods ( more original methods) for effective advertising. I think we could get more creative, don't you?
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with this and most of what everyone else is saying. Sex has defiantly become a major part of culture kind of sexual reference in the next five minutes. This is become very dangerous for the young generations in society. Being so exposed to this attitude that sex is okay and acceptable is misleading them to think that it is okay for them. This is just a personal opinion but I believe that kids are having sex earlier and earlier in recent generations because of what they are exposed to in current day culture. They believe it is okay because they might have seen it on TV or in the movies. This brings along the issues of increase in teen pregnancy and STD’s. The truth is though, like stated in the entry, sex sells and as it continues to sell it will defiantly stay a part of everyday life. today and has become more acceptable. Turn on the TV and you’re guaranteed to see some
ReplyDeletePowerful article and commentary, Lauren.
ReplyDeleteSo heres my take, sex has become such an accepted part of everyday life and something that is talked about and joked about almost nonchalantly. it isn't everyday you meet someone who is uncomfortable about these conversations and as the generations trickle down, the younger the age the more and more corrupt people are getting. there are stories heard of 5th graders becoming sexually active at such an early age. as it is important to be knowledgable about sex, it is also something we shouldn't partake in in excess and something that should remain more of a taboo. what happened to when everyone was prim and proper, and had more respect for sexual acts. today it's more self pleasure rather than really loving the person you're with. although it is true that people still are monogamous and love their partner, many falter and sex becomes something that's normal. how did we get so far down into this rabbit hole?
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