The Meaning of Sex

The meaning of sex over the years has quickly transformed from being an intimate action that is performed when two individuals are in love into now being a word that is associated with describing a  “no strings attached relationship” otherwise known as sex without commitment or emotion for the other individual. With there being over twelve movies that instantly come to mind in regards to having a storyline involving friends with benefits, it is safe to say that individuals, more specially the target audience, adolescents, are believing that casual sex is the new trend. With a majority of these movies containing multiple sex scenes that show reoccurring premarital and non relational sex interactions that don’t include any sort of protection or condom usage, it is not a surprise that youth in the United States have the highest rates of STDs.

This serves to be a large problem within society, because not only are these movies not portraying positive messages about true love, but they also are justifying unprotected sex through multiple sex scenes. Instead, if movies simply made an effort to focus more so on the negative consequences that come with having multiple partners or having unprotected sex with an individual than according to social cognitive theory, these negative reinforcements would discourage these observed behaviors and there would be a good chance that the United States would hopefully no longer be recognized as having the highest rates of STDs.

Within this specific movie trailer for “Friends with Benefits” it is clear that not only are the characters engaging in unprotected sex, but also they make it look as though they enjoy it more than having sex in a relationship. They only focus on the positive aspects that are associated with sex and the pleasure that comes from sexual intercourse even without affection existing for either of the partners. Therefore this media example as well as many out there that are related to friends with benefits or no strings attached, defines sexual socialization as being totally acceptable to go against everything that was ever taught in health classes and instead engage in unprotected sex. As Eyal and Kunkel say in their article “ The Effects of Sex In Television Drama Shows on Emerging Adults’ Sexual Attitudes and Moral Judgments’” “many portrayals of sexual intercourse on television are seen to result in positive consequences or in no clear consequences for the characters involved in this activity is likely related to enhanced sexual activity.” This study and this video trailer make it clear that sexual socialization could be very different if it wasn’t for the acceptance of these movies that portrayal only the positive aspects of unprotected sex. Yes, although there might be television shows such as “Sixteen and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom” these shows don’t truly show the negative consequences of unprotected and casual sex except for the fact that these individuals have children but enjoyed their relations with their significant others and are still with that person. It would be more impactful in my opinion if some of these friends with benefits movies focused also on the negative consequences that can occur because individuals are more likely to listen to well known and respect celebrities than the stereotypical individuals on television who talk about why causal sex is bad. 

                                                                 Works Cited

Eyal, K., & Kunkel, D. (2008). The effects of sex in television drama shows on emerging adults' 

     sexual attitudes and moral judgments. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 52(2), 161-  

     181. doi: 10.1080/08838150801991757