The History of Sex in the Media and Present Day Implications

When I was first given this assignment it made me a bit uneasy. I was nervous about writing an extended essay on one particular topic. Being that there are so many social issues that need to be brought to light I was having a little trouble sticking to just one. However, with some guidance and encouragement I decided to finally settle with the issue of sex in the media. Within this extended essay I will attempt to shine light on the history of sex in advertisement and examples of different ads, prove sex sells any and everything, the role the media plays in our youth’s lives and creates hyperactive sexual development in children between thirteen and seventeen years old and how the media degrade women and associate them as mere objects. I will also provide various definitions of sex in the media, visual representation of gratuitous exposure in the media, statistics and interviews by people who support my position and oppose it.

Gratuitous sexual publicity in the media is destroying our children’s youth.

Which is the primary reason for my selection on this topic. I have witnessed the effects of television, music, cartoons, movies and video games on youths in my community, even in my own home. My little sister who is about 13 years old has grown up way faster than I did when I was her age, as well as my 14-year-old cousin who can already have a full conversation about sex. When asked where does she learn it from her reply is simply, television. It frightens me that they can comprehend the concept of sex and how it is done easily, but is naive about the consequences and aftermath of its actions. It angers me that the media does not tell both sides of the story; they flaunt sex, yet they do not advise you about protection and how it...

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...men becomes one of a passive and vulnerable person, rather than one who is assertive and in charge. She is illustrated with her finger in her mouth and looking timidly to the side or downward. This is NOT an image of power nor respect. However the way a man is depicted in the media is quite opposite. Men are most often shown in an active posture: legs apart, firmly on the ground with his chest poked out and his arms crossed. If they are not standing they are doing something active or taking hold of a passive woman.

Women are typically “broken up” in the media majority of the time. In those cases, it is not just a full figured woman on display, but rather her legs, butt, stomach or breast. One Guess Eyewear ad has a man’s head resting on a woman’s torso. While her breasts are visible, her head is not. Skyy Vodka continually uses women’s legs in their advertisements