MASS MEDIA ANALYSIS

MEDIA PERSPECTIVE OF SEX

Through my analysis of the mass media bombarding us everyday, I realized that there is never a shortage of material relating to sexuality. Why? Because “sex sells.”

But this is an oversimplification of sexuality in the media. Does all sex sell? While there are markets for pretty much any kind of sex you can think of, there is an obvious difference in the effects of male sexuality versus female sexuality. But why is there a difference? Do males and females have different views on sexuality? It is my understanding that culture affects this greatly. Because of societal norms, most females will not admit “impure” thoughts, while studies show that most females think about sex more than they’d like to admit. And, by association, sexuality aimed at females is a lot less covered than male-themed sex ads. Why is sexuality perceived as it is by today’s society? There are a number of reasons that factor into what sexuality has become: differing coverage on male and female sexuality, historical development of sex in the media, censorship restraints, public market for sex (sex selling), “artistic freedom,” and predictions of future trends.

MEDIA COVERAGE OF SEXUALITY

When you’re waiting in line at the grocery store and you see the magazine rack by the checkout, what magazines attract you? Depending on whether you’re male or female, the answer will probably differ. But this is partly because you notice a difference in the way each magazine portrays the different sexes. Cultural bias also affects your decision. While you may not think much of what’s on the cover, you’re begging to be judged if you purchase a magazine you’re not expected to buy. In almost any issue of any of the following magazines, you’ll find that this applies.

Women are often depicted as beautiful sex objects in magazines such as Maxim and Playboy that are intended for men and like-minded individuals. Even in primarily female-oriented magazines, such as Cosmo and Vogue, women are often depicted the same way – but in those cases, it’s generally for a different reason. In women’s magazines, females are depicted as sexy as well, but it’s not to attract girls sexually, it’s to appeal to the girls that want to look like the models in the magazine. They put the girls that men want to see on there and add in fashion and dietary tips to aid females in their quest for obtaining the perfect body.

Men are depicted in magazines quite differently, with few exceptions. Other than “dirty magazines” intended for women, which are generally the inverse of Maxim and Playboy, men are generally shown wearing much more clothing than women. It still appeals to the female because of how the model is looking (or not looking, in some cases) at the camera. In men’s magazines, such as Men’s Health and Sports Illustrated, males are very tame and the sexuality level for females is rather high (such as Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Edition) because it still appeals to men, but it has a different focus that’s not just centered on sex. In the more sexual magazines, such as Playboy and Penthouse, men are shown very rarely at all in the entire magazine, because that’s generally not what males pay to see. And in female magazines, such as Women’s Health, men are featured just as rarely, while in Men’s Health, they still have suggestive female themes. In the female magazines that feature men on the cover and inside, they’re generally aimed at teen audiences, such as Teen Beat and Seventeen. They show a current heartthrob on the cover and feature in the magazine, “Dating tips from Johnny Depp,” or “What Zac Efron looks for in a girl.” The focus is less on how they themselves look, but more on how females are to attract them, because a women’s sexuality is often used as an effective instrument of power.

In other media outlets, such as radio, television, and film, it’s more of the same. Women are objectified sexually while men are strong, masculine, useful breadwinners.

If you look at commercials, most are male-appealing ads that use female sexuality to sell their product. Most people have seen Paris Hilton riding the bull and Audrina Patridge’s “bikini burger” ads for Carl’s Jr. Recently (as of December of 2009), there has been an M&M’s commercial that shows a female M&M (female because it has full, seductive lips, eye shadow and long eye lashes, and a sexually feminine voice) promoting new mint M&M’s. And after the spot, you see the other (male) M&M’s obviously turned on by the sexual power this female M&M has over them while talking about mint M&M’s. On the surface, this appeals to most people because of its humorous take on personifying M&M’s (which they’ve been doing for years) while also playing on real life stereotypes. While commercials generally mirror real life for comedic effect, it’s also an interesting way to look below the surface at how we really do see the world, as a culture. That same commercial with the sexy M&M would not be shown nor have the same effect in a culture dissimilar to ours, such as in the Middle East, where females are not regarded as having power over men. In other commercials aimed towards men, such as beer, sports, and sport drink commercials, the female is once again utilized for her sexual prowess. Beer goggles, a gag frequently used in beer commercials, are spectacles that a guy wears to make women appear more attractive – an effect that one supposedly has while intoxicated. It’s just another way to attract guys to buy their beer, for the hopeful purpose of maybe finding a woman more attractive after drinking the beer. Sports and sport drink commercials use similar marketing gimmicks, often showing women in sports gear, which appeals to men who like sports, thinking that this girl is perfect for them because they have a strong similar interest.

In sports themselves, females wear “sexier” clothing than their male counterparts – in the same sport. Soccer, for example, the female wears shorter shorts than the males. But the best example of this comes in the 1992 Penny Marshall film, A League of Their Own, starring Tom Hanks. The film is about the development and first female baseball league. And in it, the uniforms the baseball players are given are not too practical for the sport. They’re given a tight-fitting, almost sleeveless jersey with a mini-skirt instead of baseball pants (modeled on top of a dugout by a female who is obviously not an athlete). One of the players even asks, “How are we supposed to slide in that?” Needless to say, none of the ballplayers were happy in their given uniform, due to the feeling that they were there for male entertainment rather than their athletic talents.

Movie, television, and even radio programming also promote this kind of depiction, and are perhaps the most popular and powerful medium for it. It’s almost impossible for a girl that is not classically attractive to find a career in this industry, and as they age, their careers deteriorate. The ones that do make it beyond this point have established their mastery of talent in the craft of acting and achieve longevity for that reason. But if you’re a woman who can’t act, and still work in the business, you’ll be discarded as soon as your looks fade, unless you still make money for name value for a different reason. And there is such a double standard for this because a male actor can have a long and illustrious career and be appreciated for their talents, rather than looks. There are countless movies starring an actor who is not seen as classically good-looking, but there are very few movies headlined by a female who isn’t known for being a looker. But shows such as The O.C. and Gossip Girl – shows that appeal to both men and women, but mostly cater to women, have the same guidelines. The females must be sexy (acting chops rarely factors in) in order to attract audiences. Male-oriented shows, such as cop dramas and hospital shows, usually feature a grizzled-looking (often the age of an early middle-ager) male lead that may or may not be seen as “sexy,” but most of the supporting cast can look however they look, except for the female parts, which are generally cast by women that are still found attractive by most standards. No matter which audience you cater to, the guidelines for male and female sexuality is the same. The younger the audiences, the better looking the characters are for both sexes, but there is a higher demand that makes it almost mandatory to have at least one sexually attractive female character. Such a prerequisite doesn’t apply to male equivalents. Even radio shows like Howard Stern have a strong sexual influence on their programming. It’s a male-oriented program that is big on the objectification of women (a big controversy Stern has always had) and the power men have over them. Because of the vulgarity of the program and its popularity, his show is restricted to pay radio as to not offend casual listeners.

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT

However, this wasn’t always so. This is a slow development that was started from the beginning of media. World events such as the sexual revolution and the liberation of women affected the guidelines accepted in depicting sexuality. The early days of the Golden Age and the silent film era, the business and the world in general was more conservative because they never had this powerful of a medium and they were afraid of the potential possibilities and the affect it can have on future generations. But back then, virtually anything seen as slightly offensive was banned and not shown. However, there was still a select audience that watched “smut,” sexual films that were pornographic equivalents back in the day. These were very private and not shown all over and were usually hard to find. But the standards in mainstream movies were very strict; females were not allowed to show what they’re allowed to show now – and that’s a very big understatement. If you watch films from that era that feature women, you’ll find that most of them would barely show any skin other than heads and hands and sometimes (but rarely) the necks. Any other skin was very taboo and would only be shown in appropriate context, such as swimming (where everyone still wore very conservative – by today’s standards – long, one-piece swimsuits), where it was okay to show more skin because everybody knows that’s what you would wear to go swimming.

But there was always a fascination in sex, no matter how taboo, as evidenced by the eventual leniency on censorship. Even in animation, there was a development that included a sexier image of cartoons. The early “Steamboat Willie” cartoons were soon competing with the first sexual cartoon image: Betty Boop. Sex in animation has been developed ever since and has become mainstream, though not explicitly, other than hentai, which is a Japanese word used to describe explicit sexuality through animation, basically cartoon porn. Other than hentai and American forms of it, the sexuality was mostly implied, such as feminized animated animals, like Jessica Rabbit from Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988) and the Cadbury Caramel Bunny. However, sex in animation has grown from a rather tame Betty Boop to what is now a peak fascination with animated porn. There is an audience for every sexual fetish, and one of which is the image of a (most of the time, innocent) animated character drawn in sexually explicit ways.

After the Golden Age and beyond animation, the 1950’s rolled around. Sexuality became a little less tame, although strict guidelines were placed on productions and severe consequences were paid for “artistic freedom.” If one were to sign a contract with a studio to make a motion picture, a clause was generally stated that prevented the use of a list of words or images. Heavy fines would penalize filmmakers who broke this clause and the censorship board would slap the film with an “X” rating (now NC-17), meaning only adults were allowed to see it, thus heavily restricting the audience that could see it and therefore making less money. On T.V., because it was “free,” there was a little more strictness in the guidelines for productions. In one particular case, the still popular (and first ever) sitcom (situation comedy) I Love Lucy, Lucy and Ricky, the married leads of the show, were relegated to sleep in separate beds on the show to satisfy television censorship bosses who didn’t want to imply any sort of sexual relationship. However, later on, standards relaxed and their two beds merged into one during the later seasons.

Nowadays, sexual promiscuity is commonplace on standard cable channels, such as VH-1’s The Girl Next Door and F/X’s Nip/Tuck. Shows like these and N.Y.P.D. Blue constantly push the envelope of what can be shows on basic broadcasting. This is partly due to what was going on in the world around them. During the 1960’s and 70’s, a sexual revolution came about and “free love” and women’s liberation became popular and standards of sexuality changed drastically. While still taboo, censors were a lot more relaxed on what was able to be shown. Violence, language, sex, and drugs were ever popular during this period, and got more so down the line. Violent movies such as Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) became tame compared to Friday the 13th (1980), which in turn became tame compared to Scream (1996), Wes Craven’s popular horror trilogy. There is a growth in each of these movies on how violent is violent, how much sex is too much sex, and what can or can’t be shown. Each movie is increasingly gory but each was considered by many to be too gory for its time. As this trend continues parallel to the sex, language, and drugs trend, modern audiences become desensitized because they are exposed to too much that is considered inappropriate for the sake of entertainment.

CENSORSHIP

In the early days of Hollywood, as explained above, there was very strict censorship. Studios were provided with a list, given to them by censors, which were past on to the filmmakers, that stated everything that they were not allowed to put or say on screen. According to The Making Of “It’s a Wonderful Life (1946),” the said movie was given a list of words that seem rather tame for today’s standards, such as “darn” and “lousy.” Women’s dress as well in the early days was a big issue, for women that dressed too “trashy,” was just distracting and “asking for trouble.” It was a more conservative time where sexuality was deemed unfit and too taboo to even talk about. Although standards had lightened up considerably in the 1950’s, too much skin was still out of the question and sexuality/nudity in film was almost nonexistent unless you sought it out from pornographic movies.

Censorship led to the beginning of sexual innuendo – what they could say and get away with because nothing was explicitly stated, just implied. Censors caught on fast, and restricted what they could, but since innuendo was inferred, there was very little they could do about it. Because of this, subtle sexual innuendo was often utilized, such as Lauren Bacall’s famous line to Humphrey Bogart in To Have and Have Not (1944), “You remember how to whistle, don’t you? Just put your lips together…and blow.” Innuendo became popular quickly and is still utilized today.

Censorship has become extremely lax in today’s entertainment world all across the board: magazines, television, movies, advertising, etc. What used to be inappropriate (and still considered by some to be) is now commonplace and often the most effective way to sell a product or obtain an audience. Now, because of the creation of rating systems (which applies to television, movies, and video games, as well as “parental advisory” for harsh lyrics in music) and the MPAA, the censors don’t have to work as hard to prevent something from appearing on screen. Instead, the more questionable material that appear in the final product, the higher the rating will be, giving audiences an idea of what to expect in the media beforehand, and parents a chance to screen anything they don’t want their children to see. Censorship is a great and helpful tool that keeps the integrity of the art, as well as providing a warning to those who don’t want to be subjected to certain material.

SEX SELLS

We all know sex sells, as far as revenue goes for advertisers. At least, this is what I’ve come to find. If it didn’t, we wouldn’t be seeing as much of it in the mass media. From the looks of it, it always has. Because by the same reasoning, sexuality wouldn’t have blown up as it has and standards would likely be as they were if sex didn’t appeal to general audiences. Sex is and always has been a taboo subject, and people are fascinated by the mystery of the unknown.

However, is it only female sexuality that sells? Of course, there is a market for male sexuality, but it is fairly limited to those seeking male sexuality. For men, female sexuality comes at them. Men are rarely used as sex objects and even female-oriented ads such as Victoria’s Secret feature scantily-clad models to sell underwear. While there are male heartthrobs as well, and always has been, they’re generally dressed nicely to show off how “gentlemanly” and distinguished they are, such as Cary Grant, Sean Connery, Paul Newman, Robert Redford Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Johnny Depp, rather than barely clothed to show how sexy they are – and they’re not nearly as publicized. For females on the other hand, sexuality is key to beauty. Through the years, sex goddesses like Greta Garbo, Rita Hayworth, Raquel Welch, Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, Britney Spears, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Angelina Jolie, and Megan Fox, among many others. All of which used their sexuality, not their lady-like charm, to become who they were. All of which had enormous sex appeal that they used to their advantage. Men are rarely the object of sexual desire in movies unless it’s intended to be in a comedic effect because of the reversal of roles. In other words, most movies where guys are the sex object are comedies. The few exceptions usually include where women are being sexual desires as well as men, in the same movie.

This is all because it’s a male-dominated business with male-themed programming. Because of this, women are seen as sex objects and men are rare-to-never seen as such. This isn’t to say that it doesn’t ever happen, but it could in part be because women don’t respond as much to male sexuality. Whether or not females feel the same way about sex as men do, the fact is they don’t show it and therefore advertising doesn’t throw these kinds of ads their way very often. If all of a sudden it showed that male sexuality was a big driving factor in marketing, you would be seeing a lot more of it, because money is money and it talks. As of now, however, there are more guys who’d rather not see these kinds of ads than females who do. Therefore, advertisers are trying to please the majority. This also begs the question, is showing skin the only way for females to get ahead? The answer is no. But it’s extremely hard to break into this sexually-charged business otherwise, where “casting couch” sessions, “private meetings” with aspiring actresses and male big-wigs, are common. While directors who cast females that aren’t considered attractive aren’t uncommon, they’re usually regulated to smaller supporting parts, sometimes for comedic effect, other times for the “friend” role of the main character, which is usually played by somebody good-looking. Showing skin is definitely the quickest way in for aspiring actresses and there are many that know this and break into the biz that way. Because many actresses worth their salt are unwilling to do scenes which require nudity, producers and directors are free to cast unknown women aspiring to be actresses in such parts, even if their talent is less than par. This is usually why you see actresses without talent having careers, because they’re willing to take off their clothes. This is not to say that all women who take off their clothes are bad actresses or all who maintain a clean image mean their classy or even good actresses, but to break into the business, productions are always looking for women who are willing to take off their clothes (because sex sells) and there are several parts available that require this. And since most name actresses won’t accept those parts, new actresses have a better chance at nabbing it.

Hip-hop videos are also a key factor in how sex sells. Why are the girls in these videos almost always scantily-clad when it generally has no bearing on the video itself? Usually, these women are there purely for the sex appeal so audiences watch the whole video and ideally buy the album it’s promoting. In the movie, Tropic Thunder (2008), the sexuality in hip-hop music videos is parodied by fictional rapper “Alpa Chino,” who sings a song based on an energy drink he’s promoting, called “Booty Sweat.” These stereotypes are made relevant because they parody real-life music videos to such rappers as Sisqo, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Nelly, etc. In the fascinating documentary, Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes (2006), filmmaker Byron Hurt interviews many hip-hop artists who argue that the sexual superiority men have to project highly affect the images and lyrics in the hip-hop industry. They have to prove to be men, projecting strict heterosexuality for the sake of getting ridiculed by their peers in the “hood,” because “that’s just how it is” there. It’s very unforgiving for anything less than masculine because it’s potentially dangerous to be seen as anything less. If you are, your peers are to be distanced from you for fear of suffering the same ridicule or potential violence. And part of being “masculine” is to demean women and become sexually superior.

STATE OF SEXUALITY IN THE MEDIA

The current trend has been the more sex the better, as sexuality raises controversy, and therefore raises publicity, which therefore raises numbers. One can only speculate as to where the trends will go in the future. It would be an unsafe assumption to assume that we’re heading backwards, however. From the beginning, there was always a curious interest in sexuality – probably because it was so taboo. From Marlene Deitrich to Beyonce and from Clark Gable to Robert Pattinson, the future figures to delve more into sexuality. We live in a more liberal nation now, and the curiosity in sexuality is more active now than ever, due to the increasing popularity and exposure to the topic and the lessening taboo due to more open-minded acceptance of such thoughts. There is still a lot of sexuality to be explored without censorship, and the basic trend has been less and less censorship. There may also be a difference in the ways guys and girls are covered in the media. Perhaps there will be a trend in the future which makes it fashionable for men to be sexual objects and females to be accepted as males are currently, although there are no signs of such. It’s another chicken and the egg question. Is sexuality perceived by the media or the consumer? Who created this image of men and women that we see? They both blame each other, but culture is shaped by the way we live our life and the media undeniably has a vast effect on it. For better or worse, we’re headed in the direction of opening the floodgates of sexuality. We’ve still a lot to learn and only time will tell whether or not sexuality will be fully accepted within the media world.