Places teens see sex is television. Sex is on television now more than ever. Now there’s a such thing as daytime sex. In soap operas, there is daytime sex where it isn’t actually seen but the content is applied. Most people know that sex appeal is used on us every day, but few realize that they are also being manipulated through certain words and writing techniques. The number one method of selling many consumer goods is the use of sex appeal in advertisement. Of all the methods used in advertising, sex appeal catches the attention best, because it is our second strongest drive, next to our drive for survival. It is used to sell countless items such as cars, make up, clothes, cologne and alcohol. It is used everywhere, on billboards, in magazines, and on television.
Shows airing now have evolved to show heterosexual as well as homosexual sex. From Will and Grace to ER gay themes and characters change the TV landscape. In a recent episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the WB, two of Buffy's pals share a meaningful kiss at an emotional moment. Some viewers may not have thought twice about it, but this nonpublicized kiss between two women is one sign that things have changed. On prime-time TV today and you're likely to come across about a dozen shows that feature significant gay characters - from Spin City to ER. In an article for the September’s issue of the Television Guide to was notes that, “Perhaps you'll land on one of the three programs that center on the lives of homosexuals (CBS's sitcom Some of My Best Friends and Showtime's Queer as Folk). The same article in the Television Guide is said, “That number could grow next season when at least two more sitcoms with gay lead characters will likely hit the air. Programs about gay life don't outnumber those about policemen and lawyers just yet. But their growth is prompting more discussion about what direction the genre will take, and how it is affecting the way sexuality is talked about” (5).
The influence of sex in the media has a drastic effect on in individual’s life. There are campaigns airing on both Music Television (MTV) and Black Entertainment Television (BET) known as “The Choose or Lose Campaign (on MTV)” and “(BET’s) Rap It Up.” Sex in the media teaches teens and young adults about STD’s, HIV and AIDS prevention, and teenage pregnancies. In Beyond the Birds and the Bees, Linda R. Clark, Alwyn T. Cohall, Alain Joffe, and Cynthia Starr, researched that “One half of women and three-quarters of men stated that they had sex before they were 18 years old. Nearly 21% of female 12th graders and 25% of male 12th graders report having had four or more sex partners during their lifetime”(102). They have already been applicable to have being exposed to HIV or AIDS. It is very important that teens as well as young adults know the justifications of having safe sex. According to Seal & Palmer-Seal, “Condom usage and AIDS education are essential tools for reducing the impact of the disease, yet fewer than one third of sexually active college students report consistent condom use.”
The Johns Hopkins University Population Information Program “Reaching young adults through entertainment” says, “Using the media to get socially responsible message to teens has many advantages… It reaches people all over the world.” People seek out entertainment and pay attention. The Johns Hopkins University Population Information Program also believe that, “The situations can be both personal and meaningful to the target audience.” When an audience identifies with a role model, they will imitate this behavior. The Program has studied that using the media is cost effective. They also show that it is proven effective. The Program did a survey showing, “That messages in songs, dramas, and shows can and do influence knowledge, attitudes and behavior. (551)”
The importance of improving sex education is essential. In Beyond the birds and the bees, Linda R. Clark, Alwyn T. Cohall, Alain Joffe, and Cynthia Starr, stated that most adolescents appreciate clear, concise facts presented in a non-judgmental fashion by someone who genuinely cares about their health and well being. Family values play a big part in how kids assimilate the information they receive in the media. Sex education should start before children begin having sex. In “Sex sells and under age sex sells even more,” Ann Furedi studies show that if children are already sexually active, their practices are unlikely to change based on new information. Sex education was introduced to help solve the problem of STDs and teen pregnancies by giving teenagers real facts and correct information about sex. This was put into action so that teenagers can therefore make wise and safe choices about sex. Sex education is flawed in that it is ineffective when it comes to educating the teen or young adult on the basis of education the individual before having sex.
Browser, a consultant with the “Fight Against HIV and AIDS,” noted that the, “Primary prevention of AIDS remains uncoordinated, under funded, and limited in scope because of public perception that there is no generalized threat of AIDS in the mainstream population.” The UNAIDS group says that “60% of all new HIV infections are among 15-24 year-olds. Also the highest rates of STDs are usually found in the age range 20-24 years, followed by 15-19 years.” “According to UNAIDS estimates, there were 37.2 million adults and 2.2 million children living with HIV at the end of 2004, and during the year 4.9 million new people became infected with the virus. Around half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 and are killed by AIDS before they are 35. 95% of the total number of people with HIV/AIDS live in the developing world. But HIV still remains a threat to people of all ages and nationalities.”
At the HIV/AIDS forum at Xavier University during Wellness Week it was depicted that, “Providing effective HIV treatment and prevention services to adolescents has emerged as a significant issue in many areas of the U.S. hard hit by HIV. Young males with same sex contact, young injection drug users, and runaway youth are all at high risk for HIV, but females appear to acquire the larger proportion of HIV as young teens, and their risk characteristics are poorly understood. A particular challenge in HIV prevention is to identify the teenage girls at highest risk for HIV acquisition and to develop and implement effective prevention interventions.”
The Center of Media Literacy encouraged parents to “Keep It Simple.” The center devised a plan for parents to educate their children on the aspects of sex. The plan is as followed:
1. “Address both positive and negative messages- children quickly build barriers against doom-saying adults. Transform them by asking open-ended questions about your child’s view on the issues.
2. Be Selective about who is present- Some youngsters find it embarrassing to discuss sexuality with their parents, especially if their friends are around.
- Express your opinions- your children deserve to know your bottom line as a foundation for embarking on the struggle of determining their own views.
- Keep discussions informal and fun- Take a lesson from TV during the commercial break; deliver your own 30-second message to get some thinking started on what’s being communicated.
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Don’t expect a sudden burst of insight- because you don’t get a thoughtful response doesn’t mean you haven’t been heard. But if you regularly offer provocative questions, you will nurture the critical thinking that will help your children question for themselves the message implicit in the media” ().
Now that we have explored where we learn about sex, places we see sex, how sex influences our lives, and the importance of improving sex education in teens we know what needs to be done in order to preserve human life. Technology and life are evolving we don’t want a disease to make our days on earth shorter than what they should be. We should be able to live to at least 105. It is said that sex sells, and under age sex even more, but if we continue on this path of destruction, sex will kill, and unprotected sex will kill even more.
Works Cited
American Academy of Pediatrics. “Sexuality, Contraception, and the Media” Pediatrics, Feb. 1995 v95 n2 p298(3).
Clark, Linda R., Alwyn T. Cohall, Alain Joffe, and Cynthia Starr, “Beyond the birds and the bees: taking to teens about sex.” Patient Care, April 15, 1997 V31 n7 p102(15).
Furedi, Ann “Sex sells and under age sex sells even more” British Medical Journal, March 1, 1997 v314 n7081 p686(1)
John Hopkins University Population Information Program “Reaching young adults through entertainment” Population Reports, Oct 1995 v23 n3 p551(4)
Michael McDough “Sex in the Media” New York, New York , Blake Williams, issue 26, November 18, 2004
Alice Coleman “Sex and the Media,” Boston, Mass. , Tony Smithers, issue 4, December 1, 2004
Joan Clayton. “HIV/AIDS STATS: Taking Over” Washington D.C., , issue 76, December 1, 2004
Thomas Cappelio. “Sex in the Media” “HIV/AIDS,” New York, New York. , issue 112, Cathy Morningside, December 1, 2004
