Charlie Dorf & Danielle Sorcher
Senior Editor & Special Reports Director
MAINSTREAM MEDIA:
Thirty years ago, Marvin Gaye released ‘Sexual Healing,’ a now iconic song associated with sex. Almost thirteen years ago, the men of American Pie decided to lose their virginities on prom night. Judd Apatow’s films Superbad, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Zach and Miri make a Porno all tackle the pursuit, the consequences, or, for the latter, the money-making opportunities of sex.
According to Film Teacher Greg Scalzo, modern television has experienced a shift following the success of such shows such as the Sopranos. “Television shows are about what the markets are looking for,” he said. “The Sopranos was a blockbuster, and it served as a tipping point for creators of shows to develop more adult series and storylines. We see the movement of shows to cable channels like AMC and HBO to have more freedom from the Federal Communications Commission to pursue these storylines.”
Senior Pierce mirrored Mr. Scalzo’s sentiments, saying that sex appeal has become more of a focus in visual media. “If you show some skin, people are going to watch your show or movie,” he said. “HBO is more popular simply because they can show a lot more.” Freshman Abed simply stated, “Sex sells.”
For many, the actual portrayal of sex is somewhat of a double-edged sword; at once heightening the importance of ‘the first time’ while making subsequent happens more casual and physically-focused. “I think in high school, the first time is generally over-emphasized, which is reflected in the media culture. Before sex becomes a regular thing you do, it seems like a much bigger deal,” senior Shirley said. “After that, in media, it’s more about the physical act than the emotional act.”
Junior Troy concurred, stating that the heightened importance of losing one’s virginity causes sex to lose some of its deeper meaning. “I think it’s glorified,” he said. “Popular culture turns it into something everyone strives for; it’s made into a very grandiose thing. Especially for young males, it has become both a right of passage and a symbol of status.”
In regards to film, the ‘snapshot’ nature of a movie contributes to this apparent glossed-over nature of sex portrayal. “Filmmakers are presenting a snapshot. Because they only have two hours to tell their story, we don’t see the consequences for characters, especially with sex, unless the lesson of the film lies there,” he said.
For Shirley, the dramatized portrayal of sex can give the inexperienced an inaccurate view of what to expect. “For impressionable people, especially children, media can give a skewed view of sex,” she said. “It’s rarely portrayed realistically and can lead people to try and emulate something that isn’t based in reality.”
Mr. Scalzo, however, believes that literal interpretation and direct emulation is usually unlikely. “When The Fast and the Furious came out, I’m sure a bunch of guys went out and tricked out their cars, but they didn’t start illegally drag racing for money,” he said. “When people have an open dialogue about a film, they are able to understand that a film is a snapshot. You have to watch a movie like you read a book, in that you should try to discern what the writer’s goal is.”
Senior Britta sees flaws within the way media portrays sex, but still stresses its importance in making sex a more comfortable topic in American culture. “In shows, it rarely shows the use of birth control or condoms, which sends the wrong message about proper sex etiquette,” she said. “Regardless, media has made sex less taboo, and even if it’s dramatized, increased media exposure has made young adults more prepared for sex.”
PORNOGRAPHY:
Pornography is another form of media that potentially has influence on what people expect regarding sex. Typically, boys tend to be the ones who watch pornography: 92% of boys out of 48 surveyed watch porn, while only 30% of girls out of 144 watch porn. Out of those who watch porn, the average amount out of 44 male respondents is 2-3 times per week, while out of 45 girls who watch porn, the average is once a month.
Most boys reported that they believe pornography depicts sex as unrealistic: 86% of 49 boys. When questioned, reasons varied.
“It depends on what kind of porn you watch,” senior Joe said. “It’s degrading to women in general—you’d have to have a pretty crazy girl to reenact some of the things they do.”
“It’s unrealistic because of the people who are involved—not everybody looks like that,” senior Dan said. “It also portrays falsified reactions, like exaggerated pleasure and fake orgasms.”
“I feel like a lot of it is cinematography—it is an industry, so any way you can make sex look as good as it can will happen in porn,” senior Jesse said. “Porn is fake or almost too good to be true. It’s not emotional; I think that’s what makes it unrealistic.”
Freshman Peter put it simply. “It’s made to be interesting, not realistic,” he said.
However, not everyone believes porn isn’t realistic. “It’s very realistic,” junior Matt said. “It’s the actual thing, it’s not like it’s animated or fake, for the most part. It gives guys different ideas to try in real life.”
The relationship between porn and what people actually experience—or will experience—is complicated. According to School Psychologist Dr. Rossella Fanelli, pornography is an inaccurate representation of what people will experience in a sexual activity. “I think it could lessen the experience of engaging in sexual activities because it’s fantasy based, and not reality based,” she said.
60% of males and females out of 93 surveyed believe that watching pornography has influenced their views on how sex should be.
Freshman Eric, who has not yet had sex and believes pornography to be “probably not realistic,” still believes it will most likely have an influence on what he expects for his first time. “I mean it’s really the only way that without having sex you can actually witness sex,” he said.
However, senior Dan, who has also not yet had sex, doesn’t think it will affect his expectations. “I’m smart enough to not believe what it shows me,” he said. “I realize the distinction between real life and pornography. But if someone doesn’t realize the distinction, then it could have a negative impact on their future experiences because they might be expecting more or something different than they will actually be getting—i.e. a woman might expect 45 minute stamina, which doesn’t exist in real life.”
