Virginity Loss as told by Friday Night Lights

http://www.netflix.com/watch/70080659?trackId=13752289&tctx=0%252C0%252Cbe691a3f-1a08-431e-8b2d-ac1d76d8533a-1258117 

            Virginity loss is different for everyone. Some prefer to wait until marriage, while others do not for a variety of reasons. Thus, this topic is often presented in television. In “Virginity Loss Narratives in ‘Teen Drama’ Television Programs,” Maura Kelly investigates virginity loss in “teen dramas.”  She identifies three common scripts for virginity loss, including virginity as a gift, virginity as a stigma, and virginity loss as a rite of passage. In Season 1 Episode 17 of Friday Night Lights, directors spend almost an entire episode covering the virginity loss of a main character, and her struggle to determine her beliefs on virginity.

Friday Night Lights tells the story of a small, close-knit American community in rural Texas. More specifically, the show surrounds the public high school’s football team. Every Friday night, students and their families come together to cheer on the team. Main character Julie Taylor is the daughter of the team’s head coach, and she also engages in a serious relationship with quarterback Matt Sarasen.

In episode 17, Julie discusses losing her virginity with her mother and promiscuous friend Tyra. In Julie’s discussion with her mother, she is told that “this is something that is special; it is meant for people who are in love.” Her mother raises her voice and almost cries, wanting Julie to understand why she should wait.

Julie then discusses the situation with Tyra, who assures her that she does not have to have sex with Matt if she is not ready. Julie responds by saying, “Matt is different and I really like him, and he likes me and it is the perfect opportunity to control the whole experience. Get the information and gather the data.” 

            Viewers watch as Julie struggles to decide her beliefs regarding virginity loss. Similar to Kelly’s description of “The Abstinence Script,” Julie’s mother hopes to enforce that virginity is a gift, and that there are many dangers of sex that Julie is not ready for. Though Julie’s family is a devout Christian family and her mother tries to enforce abstinence, viewers are able to tell that Julie struggles with the urgency of virginity.  Julie is eager to lose her virginity, and feels that her relationship with Matt presents the perfect opportunity to officially lose it. In the end of the episode, Matt confesses his love for Julie, but she decides not to have sex with him. The episode concludes with her and her mom hugging, and Julie thanking her mom for the talk.

            As discussed by Kelly, “teen dramas” present virginity in a variety of ways through their main characters. In Friday Night Lights, Julie does not embody solely one belief on virginity-loss, but rather struggles to interpret her conflicting beliefs. Through Kelly’s description of sex, and Julie’s struggle in the episode, I feel that Friday Night Lights does a successful job of representing teenage virginity loss. Rather than revealing that Julie simply decides not to have sex with her boyfriend, directors show her fight her conflicting feelings over the situation. While there are many different beliefs on virginity loss as discussed by Kelly, the main issue, in my opinion, lies in officially making the decision. Friday Night Lights sheds light that this is no easy decision for a high school student to make, and that one should put a lot of thought into the action.

References: 

Cohen, David Aaron (Writer), & Berg, Peter (Director). (2006). I Think We Should Have Sex [Television series episode]. Friday Night Lights. United States of America: NBC. 

Kelly, M. (2010). Virginity Loss Narratives in “Teen Drama” Television Programs. Journal of Sex Research, 47:5, 479-489.