Sex sex sex

by SURABHI RAJ BHANDARI

FROM ISSUE # 144 (December 2007) | IN THIS ISSUE
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I can barely breathe. The room is cramped, surrounded by girls trying too hard and boys drinking. Everyone's dancing. Nelly Furtado blaring out, Promiscuous girl …I know what you want and I got what you need. Just the sound of it makes my stomach churn and the smell of cigarettes and perfume is getting too much to bear. Somehow I stumble into one of the other rooms. I close the door behind me, shutting out the racket and confusion. Ah, finally some peace. I reach for the remote and turn on the TV and again, it's there. Marissa from The OC with her make-up intact is waking up. Ryan her boyfriend is asleep next to her, not a single hair out of place. So wait, how old are they again? Yes, that's right, in high school.

It's at times like this when you have to question yourself, what's going on here? Wherever we are, billboards, videos, commercials and magazines all portray images that show (or strongly imply) amazingly attractive people having incredible sex.

Mass media has the most pervasive influence on adolescent sexuality. Messages make talking about sex, dressing sexy and indifferently engaging in it seem like the norm. The pressure on young girls to be sexually attractive and active is pushed by provocative images on ads, TV and film. When did we give a black box in our room the right to tell us what's hot or not? Women's sexuality is no longer a taboo subject, but is a woman's body being associated with a bottle of perfume really liberating? Presently, it is insinuated that a women's sexuality is submissive to men's satisfaction. Media stereotypes are important because surveys show most teenagers turn to the media for enlightenment on the matter of sex.

The commercialisation of promiscuous behaviour in the media has a highly romanticised and idealistic representation, increasing the pressure on young adults to meet an unrealistic "standard". What is missing from these depictions is information about safe sex. How many times have you seen a man fumbling around for a condom? Or a woman hassled about if she's taken birth control pills or not?

The media has a bigger hand in trivialising sex than in endorsing it. Sex is presented cynically and this decorated fantasy offers only pseudo-sexuality, impeding teenagers from discovering their sexual identity. Had it not been so glamorised, windows would open for individual limitations and, on a larger scale, a healthier social attitude. Surveys have shown that teenagers on an excessive media diet are twice more likely to engage in intercourse, or, to initiate sexual activities than those who do not watch as much. But the answer is not to blur out all sexual content, but for the media to be an effective sex educator by including information about sexually transmitted diseases and contraception. It needs to be stressed on because our attitude towards sexuality reflects who we are and what we stand for.