Graduation Day: A Race to Manhood

           In this clip from “American Pie” four high school boys make a pact to lose their virginity by the time they graduate. They make this agreement after one of their friends becomes the first in the group to  “become a man.” In this excerpt, the characters conform to two sexual scripts popular in media portrayals of sex and sexuality.  First, is the urgency script where virginity is seen as a stigma one should lose as quickly as possible (Kelly, 485). Next, is the heterosexual male script where sexuality is seen as a critical component of masculinity (Kim, Collins, Zylbergold, Schooler, & Tolman, 150).

            In this “American Pie” clip each character expresses his desire to lose the stigma of his virginity, forgoing the other common concepts of virginity as a gift or rite of passage (Kelly, 479). Instead, they lament about how their previous attempts to have sex have proven unsuccessful. One character complains that despite putting in “months of quality time” he has been unable to sleep with his girlfriend. With this, he implies that the central goal of his relationship is to have sex rather than achieve emotional fulfillment. Another boy questions how he can become a “sensitive guy,” in order to make himself more desirable to a potential partner. These examples illustrate the desperation and deception that can be found in many urgency scripts (Kelly, 485). Here, the characters are desperate to lose their virginities, even willing to deceive others to achieve this accomplishment.

            The other important sexual script reinforced in this clip is the heterosexual male script, where sex is closely tied to masculinity (Kim, Collins, Zylbergold, Schooler, & Tolman, 150). After one character loses his virginity, he claims “I am now a man, I highly recommend you join the club.” The clip continues to strengthen the connection with heterosexual sex to manhood as other characters claim that by not having sex “their very manhood [is] at stake.”

            The above clip and the movie it comes from, enforce important sexual scripts about virginity, masculinity, and coming of age. By connecting manhood to sexual experience, American Pie contributes to the often flawed knowledge surrounding sexual development in young adults.   

Kelly, M. (2010). Virginity loss narratives in “teen drama” television programs. Journal of Sex Research, 47(5), 479-489. doi: 10.1080/00224490903132044 


Kim, J. L., Sorsoli, C. L., Collins, K., Zylbergold, B. A., Schooler, D., & Tolman, D. L. (2007). From sex to sexuality: Exposing the heterosexual script on primetime network television. Journal of Sex Research, 44(2), 145-157. doi: 10.1080/00224490701263660