One of the most apparent forms of sexual content seemed to be kissing. There are short modest kisses, and long passionate ones between characters. I noticed that kissing occurred most frequently between couples who were either involved in an established romantic relationship, or who were making the transition from friendship to a romantic relationship. In a study 1994, of the 333 acts studied, 225 were verbal references, with no visual counterpart. This holds true to all types of sexual activity except for kissing, which occurred the most at 1.1 times per hour. The talk about sexual intercourse seemed to occur between characters that were not sexually or romantically involved. The contexts of these discussions were more likely to be between friends, co-workers, or family members than between romantic partners.
When visual depiction of sexual intercourse occurs, it is usually shown to be within the context of a committed relationship. This visual depiction is less frequent than kissing, for example, and nude people are not shown. The way that they get their message across to the audience is by offering a perspective to the viewer, making it clear that the characters were nude. This generally meant that a characters back and legs were exposed from under the covers, bare shoulders emerging from a swimming pool, or depictions of a negligee or boxers falling to the floor around bare legs.
There is the sexual content of rape portrayed within soap operas as well. This, as we all know, is not a positive attribute to sex and sexuality, but it is covered within this genre. On the soap opera, “General Hospital,” this guy named Luke raped this woman named Laura. The two of them barely knew each other at the time but as time went on and they got closer, the horrific rape encounter transformed into a sexual or romantic encounter. In this instance, the soap is portraying a negative message to its audience and conveys the horrible thought that women want to be raped. This is obviously not true, but to younger audiences who do not understand their sexuality yet, they might be getting the wrong message.
In the soap operas, “All My Children,” and “Another World,” there are sexual issues that revolve around teenage relationships. There were discussions about whether or not to wait before having sexual intercourse. In, “All My Children,” the storyline was about a teen-aged birth mother suing the adoptive parents for custody of her child. This storyline allowed for several discussions about the consequences of unplanned and unprotected sexual activity, and about the importance of waiting until one is ready before engaging in sexual intercourse. In the 1994 study, the researchers looked for safe sex references within each episode. There were 50 episodes studied and there were only five references in three of the 50 episodes. “Thus, sex on soaps occurred in the absence of specific references to safe sex or contraception. AIDS was ignored, and no other sexually transmitted diseases were mentioned. Discussions about sex among teenagers seldom involved parents” (Journal of Sex Research, p.10). Although soaps sometime discuss the consequences of sexual acts, there are too many episodes that let sex just happen without any real discussion of its consequences.
The activity of viewing a soap opera can be seen as "feminine," which is not to say that only women are doing it. In speaking of "femininity," it appeals to the longstanding feminist principle of distinguishing between sex, a category based upon biological difference, and gender, a culturally constructed set of assumptions about what is supposed to be appropriate for women and for men, respectively. While the soap opera audience contains men as well as women, the genre "soap opera" carries heavily feminine connotations in contemporary culture. A soap operas audience is depicted as predominantly female, and interpreting the messages soap opera plots transmit to women as well. Soaps can either narrow its ramifications by specifying the kinds of women it describes (in terms of class, race, sexual orientation, nationality, age, and so on) or runs the risk of invoking a universalized "woman" whose affiliation with the codes of femininity is assumed as a norm. I do not aspire to generalize about "women" as viewers of soap operas, except to say that the cultural construction of femininity inevitably resonates with every woman's identity, whether she identifies with feminine codes, rejects them, or--more likely in postmodern U.S. culture--positions herself somewhere in the middle of the sliding scale of gender affiliation.
In focusing on gender (femininity) rather than sex (women) in soap opera viewing, includes men who are as dedicated to watching soaps as their female counterparts, and who are, in that sense, full participants in this aspect of feminine culture. I think that the movement of a soap's plot structures affects lives in much the same way as daily "box scores" do for sports fans. I am told that any loyal follower of a team will be cheered, on a difficult day, by a strong showing in the morning paper and that even on a pleasant day, the sports fan will feel at least a little depressed when the favorite team has failed. The sports fan, like the soap viewer, may be male or female, but in North American culture the enthusiasm for team sports is coded as masculine, just as soap viewing is coded feminine. Both activities have an impact on the emotional experience of those who participate and it is interesting to see the gendered implications of that impact. Baseball scores are unpredictable. The emotional ups and downs accompanying this masculine activity do not follow any identifiable pattern. Soap opera plots, by contrast, are highly structured over the long term, and in that sense, they provide a glimpse at the touchy implications of what it means to live "feminine" experience, at least in the American culture..
The presence of strong female characters can be largely accounted for by the fact that soap operas have traditionally been regarded as a women's genre. Men tend to put down women's tastes in television programs. So it can be argued that the pleasure women gain from watching soaps is partly as a result of their active defiance of masculine power. This could be one of the reasons for this genre to be so attractive to women.
Female characters play a more positive role in soaps than in many other types of dramatic fiction. They are often both strong and resourceful, and command the respect of those around them. Perhaps the now deceased Lou Beale, in, “East Enders,” is the most effective example of this commanding type of woman, since her personality was most forceful. A similar figure is the matriarch, who is often in a position to resolve conflict and dissent in the family ranks. She is often strong-willed, independent and ruthless, and can be seen to act as a confidante or advisor. Mimi White takes a more feminist stance in suggesting that the classic villain transforms feminine weakness into a source of power and strength, offering other women the image of vengeance against restraint. Perhaps the most striking example of such a figure is the super- bitch Alexis, in the Soap called, “Dynasty,” a character immortalized by Joan Collins.
However, the traditional role of the female is predominantly reinforced in soaps. The notion that 'the genre reflects the gender' is crucial here. The structure of different narratives reflects the interruptible and disjointed life of the housewife and her daily routine. There are a number of parallel characteristics of soap plots and women's lives. There is the multiplicity of characters and plot similar to the multiplicity of simultaneous household tasks. There is the frequent interruption in the soap's text, which is equivalent to the constant interruption in the daily life of the housewife. The lack of narrative closure is indicative of the endless nature of household chores. It is this lifestyle that dictates viewing mode, in that women generally perform other activities while watching the program, being unable to devote time to concentration. This explains the relatively undemanding nature of soaps that are designed to be followed with the great ease.
The soap opera genre actually reinforces the status quo regarding the position of women in society. For instance, the way in which Pippa Ross, in Australia's “Home and Away,” is portrayed as a kind of “super mom,” dedicated to all her foster-children rather than to any high-flying career. This is a negative aspect in that “Home and Away,” attracts an audience of mainly of young people, like teenage girls who watch the program after coming home from school. The figure of the mother is made positive and desirable and that an education for the future is not really necessary. There is no concrete evidence as to the degree that young girls are effected by this kind of characterization, but they may subconsciously feel that a life of motherhood is most desirable than a life of professionalism.
Indeed, this notion is continued when one considers the negative images that arise if a female character takes the initiative to be educated and career orientated. For example, Michelle Fowler in “East Enders,” returned to education after becoming pregnant at the age of sixteen. While she was trying to get herself a well-paid job, , she is “punished” by a second unwanted pregnancy. In this way, soaps tend to demonstrate the way in which women communicate and are trapped within the family, and that men communicate as professionals. This is further enforced by the lack of self-expression men possess about their home lives. Women fall into the two stereotypical images of the “good woman” and the “bad woman,” the good women being family orientated and non-sexual, and the latter being openly seductive and using sex as a weapon.
There are so many underlying reasons for the meaning of sexuality in the female gender. The questions that were raised about how seriously people are affected by the content of soaps, I imagine would be difficult to determine. There are so many underlying connotations that depict women in a certain light that I don’t know if it is possible to escape all of them, especially if there is an audience of young viewers. If this is true, then why are women so attracted to soap operas? Maybe the tragedies that occur within each episode make reality seem less hectic, and help a person feel more “normal.”
If I were to speculate on the potential effects of viewing such content, I would say that viewers are getting ample information about sexual activity that promotes the idea that sexual activity is appropriate and beneficial fro heterosexual couples in established relationships. An individual’s morals and values about sex should stem from the home. It is the parents’ job to try and teach their children what sex and being a sexual person is all about. If these values are implemented, the young viewer should be able to decipher between what is right, what is wrong, and what is exaggerated.
References
Greenberg, S.B, &Woods, M.G.(1999). The soaps” their sex, gratifications, and
Outcomes. The Journal Of Sex Research, 36(3), 250.
Committee on Communications, American Academy of Pediatrics. (1995). Sexuality,
Contraception, and the media. Pediatrics, 95(2), 298(3).
The Journal of Sex Research
