Sex in Popular Culture

Almost as old as complaints about TV violence are complaints about the way television handles sex and intimacy. Those complaints have expanded to tackle the content of movies and more and more music videos. Controversy has swirled around both the amount of sexual activity shown and the ways in which it is shown. Many critics contend there is too much skin in much of popular entertainment, others contend that too much sex occurs outside of marriage or between teens and may send the wrong message to viewers. Other critics are quick to point out that sex in pop culture often misses opportunities to show or discuss safer sex techniques.

Whatever point of view you take on sex in entertainment, our study reveals that it is a pervasive aspect of popular culture. As with portrayals of violence, depictions of sex are often devoid of context. Sex in popular entertainment is often sex without strings, consequences or emotional impact. From the research into the effects of such messages, there is an emerging sense that sex without context can be just as harmful as violence without context. Such depictions may give young viewers very unrealistic views on sex and a skewed perspective of how it fits into the fabric of life.

Our most recent work included an analysis of the amounts of sexual behavior and dialogue found in broadcast and cable television, theatrical movies and music videos. The results of the most recent analysis can be found in Hollywood Cleans Up Its Act. Sex in Popular Entertainment examined sexual content in the 1998 season. The Rude and the Crude explored the use of profanity in entertainment media and represents the final part of our examination of pop culture from the 1998 season.