Two different coming out process in “Glee”

The study of Bond et al shows that instead of face-to-face interpersonal relationships, more people prefer to use media to gather information during the coming-out process (40). However, they also suggest that media may stress extreme stereotypes of LGBT people, and as a result, warp other’s opinion towards them (41). The following clips excerpted from Glee represent both of these two points.

            In this episode of Glee, Kurt refuses to admit his gayness. After being caught dancing “Single Ladies” by his dad, to prove that he is not gay, he joins the football team and helps save the team by, ironically, dancing. After the game he finally decides to face who he truly is and comes out to his dad. Surprisingly his dad accepts it pretty well. It turns out Kurt’s dad has always known that his son is gay. Although he does not really like his son being that way, he still respects Kurt’s decision and loves him anyway.

            First of all, by observing Kurt’s come out, many teenagers who are struggling with their sexual identities may be inspired and may receive the message that coming out might not harm them much or make others love them less. Yes, it takes courage. But admitting who they are will make them feel more relieved. It will also stop the people around them from guessing and make them feel relaxed as well. When looking at this episode I thought of some teenage films where gay teenagers kill themselves because they cannot stand the judgment and pressure after coming out. Well this is not the case for Kurt in Glee (but is the case for someone else, which will be stated in the following paragraph), as well as in many famous shows. Going along with Bond et al’s theory, the more shows depicting smooth coming out experience, the more at ease teenagers would feel about coming out in real life.

            Meanwhile, these excerpts also stress the stereotype that gay people tend to be “artsy” or “theatre-y” or pay extra attention to things that are normally considered “girly” such as skin care. All these characteristics of Kurt potentially imply that certain types of gays are more acceptable and therefore easier to come out, while others, like the masculine football player, Karofsky, in Glee, are hard to admit their sexual orientation. It takes Karofsky way more mental struggle than Kurt to come out. Kurt, though has been bullied for who he is, just needs the courage to say it out load, but Karofsky struggles so much that he even tries to kill himself. It may be true that in real life, it is harder for non-stereotypical LGBT people to come out, but showing that struggle completely without any valid solution does not help either. In Glee, although Karofsky comes out eventually, this character may still stress the stereotypes and make certain LGBT people in real life hide their identities even deeper.

Reference

Bradley J. Bond, Veronica Hefner, Kristin L. Drogos (2008) Information-Seeking Practices during the Sexual Development of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Individuals: The Influence and Effects of Coming Out in a Mediated Environment, Sexuality & Culture (2009) 13:32-50, DOI 10.1007/s12119-008-9041-y

Sexual Media Attitudes in "Freaks and Geeks"

In our class discussion on the article, Disinterest, Intrigue, Resistance: Early Adolescent Girls’ Use of Sexual Media content, many students volunteered information and memories from their adolescence.  The study conducted in this article looked at girls from the ages of eleven to fifteen to determine their sexual media use.  The girls were then put under three categories of either “disinterested,” “intrigued,” or “resisting.”

This made me wonder about the attitudes characters portray towards sex and sexual media in the media, and not just how these characters behave sexually.  I immediately thought of an episode of “Freaks and Geeks” I recently watched when Lindsay gets her first boyfriend, Nick.  Lindsay and Nick have been friends the whole season, however, one day, when Nick was feeling sad, Lindsay decided to kiss him.  At this moment in time, Lindsay seemed like she enjoyed this kiss.

 

As Nick and Lindsay started hanging out more and became official “boyfriend and girlfriend,” the viewer becomes aware that Lindsay is nervous about the next sexual step for the two of them.  Kim, a sexually promiscuous character on the show, as well as some of Nick friends, often asked Nick and Lindsay “when they’re going to do it.”  This clearly implies that sex would be the next logical step in the progression of their relationship in the eyes of Kim.  Lindsay, who is much less mature sexually than Kim, shows obvious signs of disinterest and resistance towards the ideas of sex.

As I’ve touched on, Kim, a very sexually promiscuous character, appears to have a lot of sex and seems to like it…a lot.  As a viewer, I tend to dislike Kim, who often bullies other characters, including Lindsay.

Another instance in this television show when the characters show attitudes towards sexual media is when Sam and his friends watch a pornographic film for the first time.  Their facial expressions all demonstrate how they feel about it. One friend appears to be intrigued, while Sam seems to resist the pornography.  Sam is also clearly the least sexually mature adolescent of his friend group.

So, I wonder. I am watching this show as an adult with a decent amount of exposure to sexual media.  I have formed my opinions about sex and promiscuity.  However, “Freaks and Geeks” is a show that is geared towards younger audiences.  Do other fifteen year olds tend to mimic not only the sexual behaviors of the characters in television shows, but also their attitudes towards sex?  I am curious as to what are the social predictors of whether an adolescent girl would identify with the attitudes of Lindsay, or with Kim; with Sam, or with his friend.

Works cited:

Brown, J. D., White, A. B., & Nikopoulou, L. (1993). Disinterest, intrigue, resistance: Early adolescent girls' use of sexual media content. IN B. S. Greenberg, J. D. Brown & N. Buerkel-Rothfuss (Eds.), Media, sex and the adolescent (pp. 177-195). Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.

Are Men Influencing What We See On Television?

       We live in a world dominated by men and in the media industry, this is no exception. Men manipulate the jobs in front of and behind the camera. As a matter of fact, when looking at the word “manipulate”, focus on the first three letters.  How interesting!  Does this dominance affect what is produced for viewing and how it is viewed? I believe the answer to this question is yes. The article titled, The Effects of Sex in Television Drama Shows on Emerging Adults’ Sexual Attitudes and Moral Judgments, by Keren Eyal and Dale Kunkel examines the “effects of exposure to differentially valenced consequences of premarital sexual intercourse” (Eyal 162).

       This research supports the other findings that have been obtained in previous studies. There is more sex on television and as a result, premarital, sexual intercourse is being viewed as acceptable. Previously, it has been discussed that males are not held to the same standards as females in the commission of acceptable sexual acts. In discussion, it has been determined that, it is more tolerated for a male to have multiple sexual partners, whereas when a female considers this idea, it is frowned upon. Males control the media industry as do their sexual ideas and philosophies. According to the Hollywood Diversity Report released in 2014 by the University of California Los Angeles, both as directors and lead actors, men are more successful Oscar winners than females.

       Concepts that are appropriate for males to say and do, surface during production of films and television shows. Males, in general, have the ability to be accepted regardless of the vulgar language they use and the sexual ideas and philosophies they have. The image below depicts the different words and phrases commonly used in social media. There is an obvious difference as to what is acceptable and common in men versus women. Since males have a much higher tolerance for what is acceptable in the media, I feel more inappropriate behavior from them is acceded to. Subsequently, there are more male producers than female producers, resulting in a additional sexually explicit media. Therefore, the sexual media that is being produced in this industry can influence us as viewers, either in a negative or positive way, depending on our individual morals and values.

Citation

Bunche,  R. (2014). 2014 Hollywood Diversity Report: Making Sense of the Disconnect, 1-36.

Eyal, K. Kunkel, D. (2008). The Effects of Sex in Television Drama Shows on Emerging Adults’ Sexual Attitudes and Moral Judgments. Pediatrics, 122-181.

Asian men don't have sex! (in the media)

I'm trying to think of Asians or Asian Americans in the media and it's still not the most promising. But I do think that we are currently at a very important period for Asian portrayals on mainstream media. There is probably an all time high for Asian actors and there is even a show all about Asian families and being a second generation kid in America (Fresh Off The Boat, ABC) and it's an amazing thing. My parents were immigrants and I grew up in a predominantly white community. I was always the Asian kid in class, on the sports team and the stereotypes were the only way people could interact with me. One thing that people like to make fun of is the stereotype that Asians have small dicks. This is an on going joke in mainstream media and it also perpetuates the perception that Asian men will never be real sex symbols. And I think this is extremely damaging to male Asian youth. I think that there was a reason I "bloomed" late and that was because there was no Asian male in the media in a relationship.

I wanted to relate this to the reading by Brown, L'Engle, Pardun, Guo, Kenneavy, and Jackson called "Sexy Media Matter" (2006). I thought that the finding that media exposure didn't matter as much for black youth possibly because they didn't see relatable figures in mainstream media. Those who had heavy and medium sexual media diet had almost the same reporting for having sexual intercourse and low sexual media diet youths weren't too far behind. Their average higher numbers could also be due to the overly sexualized models in media for them. But that same effect could probably be used when examining Asian youths. It might also be an interesting final paper topic to look into (but I have already picked mine). 

Currently, I can think of one Asian in the media who has finally "gotten" the girl, and not being the nerdy shy Asian. Glenn Rhee (played by Steven Yuen) in "The Walking Dead" (AMC, 2010) has a romantic relationship with Maggie Greene (Lauren Cohen). He's shown as a leader and not as a the sidekick to a main hero. Steven Yuen was also in People magazine as one of the sexiest men of 2013. I think that it's important to see role models in media that Asian youths can look up to and be proud of. Cultivation effects are important with the growing prevalence of media in people's lives. And also here is this video (Maggie does take the lead in this one, but it's a start!). 

Citation

Brown, J. (2006). Sexy Media Matter: Exposure To Sexual Content In Music, Movies, Television, And Magazines Predicts Black And White Adolescents' Sexual Behavior. Pediatrics, 1018-1027.

The One Where Rachel Tells...

I swear by the fact that I have seen every episode of Friends at some point in my life. I know by heart the layout of Rachel and Monica's apartment and the relationships that will or won't work out. When my boyfriend's roommate recently started watching every episode from season 1 forward, I realized that even with all of my Friends knowledge, I wasn't aware of how frequently sexual content was discussed. I recently watched two episodes from season 8  in which Rachel tells her friends that she is pregnant and plans to tell the father, whose identity is kept a mystery throughout the first of the two episodes. She tells Pheobe her plan for telling the father, to which Pheobe tells her that it is a bad idea and asking their other friend Joey what he would do if someone called to tell him that he was going to be a dad. When Joey freaks out, Rachel rethinks telling the father at all. In the next episode she does tell the father (Ross) who immediately blames her, asking how this could possibly happen even though he was the one who provided the contraception. After a long discussion he decides that they have to get married, which she turns down, and then goes to her doctor's appointment with her.

It could just be my general dislike for Ross' character, but this was such a stereotypical depiction of the negative consequences of sex outside of marriage that I was kind of disappointed. The woman is held responsible, not only for her choices (not theirs), but for ruining or disrupting the life of the guy she slept with. Once the man accepts that he is having this baby he rushes to propose marriage even though they are not and have not been in a relationship for an extended period of time, as though it is unacceptable for her to have this baby out of wedlock.

In "Understanding the role of entertainment media in the sexual socialization of American youth: A review of empirical research," L. Monique Ward discusses how "the media are often forthcoming and explicit about sexuality when others are not," which is very true of Friends. The entire cast of characters is sexually active and constantly seeking sex. Ward also discusses how the media generally avoids topics like STDs, pregnancy, and contraception. Friends does take on pregnancy multiple times, but contraception only comes up in reference to the condom breaking. STDs, even though the characters all have various sexual partners, are not discussed. Congruent with Ward's article, the show focuses on the emotional consequences of sex. Unfortunately, the show also follows societal scripts, portraying Rachel as the one at fault for the unplanned pregnancy.

-----

Ward, L. (2002). The media are often forthcoming and explicit about sexuality when others are not.
     Developmental Review, 347-388.

Trojan... Man?

It was late on a weekend night and I was laughing out loud watching Amy Schumer's stand up comedy routine on Comedy Central. I was watching the program as I was sleepily finishing up some homework and a certain commercial caught my attention. It was a commercial for Trojan Double Ecstasy Condoms and it was interesting to say the least.

The commercial shows a couple, the young girl straddling the young guy, kissing quite passionately. The guy reaches into his pocket to pull out a shiny blue square packet. The camera focuses on the package, which reads "Trojan Double Ecstasy." The guy, however, drops the condom on the floor and while trying to grab it knocks it under the couch. The girl is still trying to kiss her distracted partner until she sits up and grabs a double ecstasy condom from her back pocket. She shows it to him and smiles while he bashfully covers his face. They both quietly laugh and resume kissing:

This commercial seemed to fit perfectly into the research reported by Hust, Brown and L'Engle (2008) in their article "Boys Will Be Boys and Girls Better Be Prepared: An Analysis of the Rare Sexual Health Messages in Young Adolescents' Media." The trio found that sexual health was represented as something funny and embarrassing and rarely a natural part of a romantic relationship. They also concluded that boys are obsessed with sex and sexual performance and that girls, on the other hand, are responsible for teen pregnancy, contraception, and STD prevention (p. 14).

After thinking about this article in the context of this Trojan commercial, I was quite frankly taken aback. I couldn't believe that a commercial for a condom, a form of contraception worn by the male, was targeting girls. It was clear that the guy is supposed to fumble and be unable to provide adequate protection for sex. It was also clear that this responsibility falls to the girl, that she should always be prepared. The subject of protected sex also seemed to be quite embarrassing for the guy, something that he just couldn't figure out and, in the end, didn't have to deal with. This interaction, as Hust et al. found, seemed unnatural- the search for a condom interrupted the couple's passionate kissing and seemed to test the guy's confidence as he bashfully covers his face when the girl pulls out the condom.

While I laughed at this paradox, this commercial for condom that focused on a girl's sexual responsibility, I did see some good in it. As Brown, Halpern, and L'Engle (2005) concluded, the mass media can serve as a kind of sexual super peer for early maturing girls, that girls maturing before their peers turn to the media as a kind of informant (p. 426). For those girls that might be classified as intrigued or in the resistance stage of sexual development (Brown, White, & Nikopoulou, 1998) and turning to the media for answers about how to behave sexually, this commercial does show that women can be dominant in a sexual relationship. With the young girl shown in this commercial on top of the guy, she seems to be guiding the kissing and guiding the pace of the sexual encounter. It is also shown in this commercial that the girl's forethought about protection for sex is okay, that it is actually expected of her not to let the guy in the relationship completely control sex. For these young girls that are just at the beginning of their sexual exploration, this kind of commercial might show them that female does not have to equal passive and quiet.

Same kind of thing with this commercial for Plan B:

Women are shown that, even though boys will be boys, it can be empowering for them to assume the responsibility for contraception and protection for sex. Plan B shows the women as not passively accepting the unknown consequences of unprotected sex or sex where birth control has failed. The Trojan condom commercial does not show the girl as passively accepting the guy's lack of preparation. So while boys might remain obsessed with sexual performance, girls using the media as a sexual super peer might learn from a young age that part of sex is being a powerful and responsible female.

References

Brown, J. D., Halpern, C. T., & L'Engle, K. L. (2005). Mass media as a sexual super peer for early maturing girls. Journal of Adolescent Health, 36(5), 420-427. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2004.06.003

Brown, J. D., White, A. B., & Nikopoulou, L. (1993). Disinterest, intrigue, resistance: Early adolescent girls' use of sexual media content. IN B. S. Greenberg, J. D. Brown & N. Buerkel-Rothfuss (Eds.), Media, sex and the adolescent (pp. 177-195). Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.

Hust, S. J. T., Brown, J.B., & L'Engle, K. L. (2008). Boys will be boys and girls better be prepared: An analysis of the rare sexual health messages in young adolescents' media. Mass Communication & Society, 11(1), 3-23. doi: 10.1080/15205430701668139

Dexter Season 1 Super Peer?

Dexter Season 1 Episode 8

During our last class period we recently discussed whether or not media can serve as a sexual “super peer”. One of the con’s mentioned during our group discussion was the idea of young girls engaging in media content not meant for adolescents. Showtime’s Dexter , now in syndication, is a widely popular crime/horror/comedy. Dexter is a forensic detective with the Miami police by day, and a serial killer at night. Interestingly though, he only kills individuals who should justifiably die. Season 1 also explores Dexter’s softer side, with his relationship with girlfriend,  Rita. At this point in the show, the audience knows that Rita has two kids, by her ex-husband who was physically and sexually abusive towards her and has been recently paroled. Rita is a woman who has been through a lot and has been clearly broken down. In other episodes, Rita and Dexter have gotten close to, but had not consummated their relationship. Dexter is understanding, and patient with Rita, progressing their sexual relationship on her terms. Dexter’s sister Deb,  on the other hand,  is sexually liberated and adventurous. Deb, also works in the Miami police department as an officer and entertains a few sexual relationships during the course of the show. Dexter is the emotionally void psychopath, who is also in a relationship with an emotionally battered woman. Deb is the not so smart, cutie who doesn’t seem to pick men for the right reasons. Though in this episode, her relationship with the prosthetics doctor seems promising.  

The relationship dichotomies prompted me to think about a couple of questions. How does the relationship between Dexter and Rita come across to young audiences? More specifically, the 13-15 female age group discussed in Mass media as a sexual super peer for early maturing girls, as their Table 1 results showed that 13, 14-15 girls reported higher interest in sexual media content than their 12 year old female counterparts ( Brown et al., 2005, p.5). Although Dexter isn’t focused around romance, I wonder what sort of messages young females would gather from the show. I also wonder if younger females would be able to identify with the female characters on the show, since the cast are all adults. 

References

Brown, J, D., Halpern, C. T., L'Engle, K. L., (2005). Mass media as a sexual super peer for early maturing girls. Journal of Adolescent Health. (420-427).                                                        

Sexy and I Know It?

Studies initiated by Brown et al., "found that adolescents (12–17 years old) who watched television shows with more sexual content were more likely than those who saw fewer shows with sexual content to have engaged in more advanced sexual behavior, as well as sexual intercourse, up to 1 year later" (2006). While sitting in front of the television is considered a thing of the past nowadays, web based sites such as Netflix and Youtube are what kids are using...making it harder for parents to control what their kids are consuming. For example, in response to LMFAO's "Sexy and I know It," a concerned parent left the following comment:

Now, why is this parent so concerned? LMFAO is a group who produces humorous music videos, not to be consumed seriously, right? Well, this isn't necessarily the case with younger kids who turn to the Internet as a sexual super peer, or a "source of information and models about sexuality that is unavailable in their peer group" (Brown, Halpern, & L'Engle 2005).  After acknowledging the fact that consuming sexual media as a super peer may increase the chances of a young boy or girl to engage in sex earlier in life, let's examine LMFAO's video and find out why a parent, such as the one above, might show concern. 

First, off we notice the group walking down the Venice Beach strip while hip thrusting several times while women look on and lick their lips seductively. While I find this video hilarious, and not to be taken seriously, a 12 year boy old might think being "sexy" by hip thrusting in the direction of these women is a great way to get a girl. After this initial hip thrusting, the main singer rips off his pants to show off a brightly covered speedo and proceeds to whip his junk around in front of the camera with confidence while the women are mesmerized. Then his back up dancers also reveal their speedos, which result in a group hip thrust junk shaking scene. We see here how the penis is the object of focus in this video, and women look on with desire, which again raises a red flag for young children because a young male learns that his penis is a source of power in a sense that women "want" it. In fact, before the men shake their junk, they sing "I've got a passion in my pants and I ain't afraid to show it," which may contribute to this notion of penis pride in this video, which could cause a young boy to be more willing to engage in sexual activity earlier in life in order to entice women, as seen in the music video.    

You'd think the thrusting diminishes after this first scene. However, as the video progresses we see how the penis is the SOLE and only focus of this music video as weird as this sounds. The next scene progresses to a bar where the group parades down a table like a runway shaking their parts, while women literally grab their package...yes the actually grab it in the video. Other men parade down the table the same way...so it becomes almost like a speedo fashion show highlighting the male genitalia, so we now understand this parent's cause of concern.

This leads me to my next thought...the phrase "she wants the D" is one I hear on a daily basis in college. This phrase is used to describe women who put off a vibe that they want sex.  In my personal experience, guys use this as a degrading term due to the fact that these women are "desperately" seeking sex. Although this phrase is somewhat new in my opinion, this idea isn't new, as seen in this 2011 video. We see women distracted by "the D" and one women grabbing one. I honestly hate this phrase because it makes women look submissive and weak. So what if women want sex? Men want sex all the time and they aren't punished for it.  I've heard this phrase only in my college years, but I'm sure that this phrase is popular among the younger generations due to the increased prevalence of sexual content in the media. So, we can see how this parent has a right to be angry and hopefully their son won't be seen in a speedo dancing around anytime soon.


Works Cited:

Brown, J. D., L'Engle, K. L., Pardun, C. J., Guo, G., Kenneavy, K., & Jackson, C. (2006). Sexy      media matter: Exposure to sexual content in music, movies, television, and magazines predicts Black  and White adolescents' sexual behavior. Pediatrics, 117(4), 1018-1027. doi: 10.1542/peds.2005-1406

Brown, J. D., Halpern, C. T., & L'Engle, K. L. (2005). Mass media as a sexual super peer for early maturing girls. Journal of Adolescent Health, 36(5), 420-427. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2004.06.003

BusRadio Promoting 90210: Sexualization Scandal

In 2008, a remake of the original show 90210 was created by The CW, and was claiming to be "sexier" and "more entertaining" than the first series which aired twenty years prior. Around the same time, there was an initiative going around in public school buses called BusRadio. BusRadio was created to "provide several services to school buses, their drivers, and passengers. It was envisioned that the service would transmit music, original programming, PSAs, and paid commercials to school children traveling on school buses in selected school districts" (BusRadio, Wiki). It only had about 16% approval rating from parents, and there was a lot of controversy surrounding the initial movement. 

BusRadio claimed that they are an alternative to traditional FM Radio, and they promote age-appropriate material. However, parents began to find out that they were heavily promoting The CW's new show, 90210, to children as young as 6 years old. The CW's marketing strategy was to target tweens and young children, because they are most intrigued about the sexualized content, since they don't know much about it yet. 

Parents were angry because they felt their children were being assaulted with sexualized media in an area that they could not escape: the school bus. These parents have been working to shield their children from the harmful effects of pop culture. This type of media can influence their children's perception of their own self-image, other peoples images, and their own and other peoples behaviors.

After reading Jane Brown's article, "Disinterest, Intrigue, Resistance: Early Adolescent Girls' use of Sexual Media Content," we learn that there are three types of adolescent girls: disinterested, intrigued, and resistant. A large group of adolescent girls were studied, and divided into these three groups based on the their attitude toward sexuality in the media and in their life (Brown, 1987). The intrigued group is who The CW is targeting with their new show, 90210. These girls are interested heavily in the newly discovered world of "romance, sex, and relationships," and the media helped to provide them with these answers (Brown, 1987). 

Also, looking at "Sexy Media Matter: Exposure to Sexual Content in Music, Movies, Television, and Magazines Predicts Black and White Adolescents’ Sexual Behavior" written by Jane Brown, it showed that white girls who consume a larger amount of sexual media are more likely to have sexual intercourse at a younger age (Brown, 2006). In addition, "exposure to sexual content in music, movies, television, and magazines accelerates white adolescents’ sexual activity and increases their risk of engaging in early sexual intercourse" (Brown, 2006).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5ajU1Tk0Tw

In the clip shown above, it is a hate sex scene. Liam hates Vanessa, but is trying to keep her happy or else she will turn him in to the cops. In the second clip (which I couldn't get to imbed), Annie and Liam have sex for the first time. The catch: Annie is dating another guy named Charlie, and cheated on him with Liam. These are the kinds of things that BusRadio was promoting to these young girls on the bus, and making them intrigued about what was happening. Keep in mind that both scenes are showing the same guy, Liam, having sex with two different girls. Although it is at different times, this could easily influence young girls who are starting to explore sexualization in media that it is okay to act promiscuous and have multiple partners.

I'm not trying to talk bad about the show. I actually used to watch it religiously each week, but advertising this type of material to the easily molded brains of young girls can influence them to think certain ways and set certain ideals for themselves. This is especially potent if they are just beginning to explore sexual media content.

References:

Brown, J., White, A., Nikopoulou, L. (1987). Disinterest, Intrigue, Resistance: Early Adolescent Girls' use of Sexual Media Content. Center for Population Options.

Brown, J., (2006). Sexy Media Matter: Exposure to Sexual Content in Music, Movies, Television, and Magazines Predicts Black and White Adolescents' Sexual Behavior. Pediatrics.

"BusRadio." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.

Golin, Josh. "CCFC to BusRadio: Stop Promoting 90210 to Six-Year-Olds." Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2015.

The Internet (Buzzfeed Yellow): The Better Super Peer Option?

Recently I've been watching tons of Buzzfeed videos during study breaks when I want to take my mind off of papers and such. Buzzfeed videos can change a lot for content depending on what type of channel it's from. Sometimes they're science videos, and sometimes they're short skits about experiences that everyone goes through. Well a few weeks ago, I saw a really interesting video called "Girls Try Cosmo Flirting Tips On Real Guys" from Buzzfeed Yellow, where some women at Buzzfeed read tips from Cosmo and then try them out. Then they discuss it with the men that they tested it to. 

What's really interesting is that the women in this video question these tips straight away and by showing what happens when these tips are tried out on video, they show the ridiculousness and perhaps strangeness of these tips. What's different about this video compared to other media about sexuality is that these women point out the falsity and the lack of reality in Cosmo magazine, something that a lot of young girls use as a source of information. According to Brown, L' Engle, and Halpern (2005), "One-half to three-fourths of girls aged 12 to 15 years read magazines such as “Seventeen,” “Teen,” and “YM.”" (421). That means that most young girls that are in puberty use typical media such as TV shows and Magazines to get information about sex. And even when I was a teenager, I learned a lot of these social norms about romance and relationships from the shows that I saw on TV and even on the internet. In fact, the same study (2005) mentions that "the media may serve as a kind of super peer, especially for earlier maturing girls who may be unable or unwilling to turn to their actual peers for information and norm setting," (426). Which means for girls that don't have the outside resources such as family and sex-ed, the media might be more relied on for giving information on sexuality. This can be problematic when mass media gives only few portrayals of sexuality in ways that might not be so accurate to real life. This is why this Buzzfeed Yellow video resonates so well, because it not only points to the idea that we all thought these were valid suggestions when we were young, but it also shows that not all mass media messages are accurate for every consumer. And it's hilarious to see the tips we've always wanted to test out be played out in real life, with results that were sometimes positive, and sometimes not. 

These things have become more prevalent in more recent years, through cultural sites such as Buzzfeed. Through these media sources, there have been a lot of these sources that were discussed or questioned. It's almost as if these sites are a third party voice of reason or doubt that teaches young people to be more media literate. I used to think that the internet was basically a portable TV. But recently with more and more opinion articles or YouTube videos that take these types of mainstream messages and take them apart, it provides a bigger, more holistic view of what people think about sexuality. By having a variety of opinions and visuals, the internet provides different voices to an interested reader/viewer, giving them a wider spectrum of ideas and thoughts to take and makes sense of themselves. Maybe it's a better super peer option because people can seek our their own information and form an opinion about things themselves, rather than being given these norms by mass media. 

Resources

Brown, J, D., Halpern, C. T., L'Engle, K. L., (2005). Mass media as a sexual super peer for early maturing girls. Journal of Adolescent Health. (420-427).

"Mobile Love" Review

Last week, I attended a Sexpertise talk called "Mobile Love" given by Dr. Jose Bauermeister. I chose to attend this lecture because I thought it would be applicable to my own romantic life, given that the description mentioned Dr. Bauermeister would cover topics such as Tinder and Snapchat. I was surprised when he instead focused on the gay app Grindr. I had heard of Grindr, and likened it to a homosexual Tinder, but didn't really understand the influence that the app has had on the gay community. Dr. Bauermeister mentioned that technology has made dating easier for people in the gay community, because it allows them to maintain a sense of anonymity in a very straight world, and a way to connect with other people who are gay. The internet- and other communicative media- allows accessibility, affordability, anonymity, and accessibility for homosexuals to connect with each other for hookups or relationships. It has also helped to broaden the public discourse of sexuality.

However, there is a dark side to apps such as Grindr. The internet allows users a virtual space where they can present an ideal, or even fake, self. This anonymity breeds losing inhibitions, and for users to view each other as objects. This can even become a way for users to view others as sexual products to be used to one's own advantage. Additionally, apps like Grindr come with the usual risks of online connections- trusting a stranger, physical safety, sexual safety, being robbed, etc. Dr. Bauermeister met his husband on OKCupid, so he does not condemn these apps or websites, but there is no denying the danger.

After listening to this talk, I was a little frustrated because Tinder and Snapchat were never discussed, and being straight, I couldn't relate to Grindr or other gay websites. However, after thinking about it, I realized that I actually could apply some of Dr. Bauermeister's findings to my own life. I may not use Grindr, or any online dating website, but I use social media and have a Tinder account. While I use Tinder more as a game or a joking way to match with friends, I have definitely experienced some of the effects listed by Dr. Bauermeister. I could easily use Tinder as a way to hook up with someone or try to start a relationship, because of the accessibility, affordability, anonymity, and accessibility afforded by the app. I don't use Tinder for this purpose, but I easily could try to find someone. However, I have sometimes matched with people who have sent me extremely vulgar messages. Usually, I brush it off and have a good laugh with my friends, because most likely, the person who sent the message is using Tinder for the same reason I am- as a joke. Even so, I always feel a little violated when receiving these messages, so I can't imagine how someone who is seriously using a dating app would feel if someone sent them something similar.

Although I was disappointed in Dr. Bauermeister's talk initially due to the fact that I was not a member of his target audience, I found the information he presented to be surprisingly relevant to my own experiences using Tinder.

"My Husband's Not Gay" The Media Is Still Falling Short

With media serving as a super peer to young adolescents it becomes particularly interesting to look at how the media is serving as a super peer in educating gay adolescents. While browsing the Internet I came across a controversial show that has been making headlines for its content. The show My Husband’s Not Gay aired in January on TLC, and follows the lives of four married men in Salt Lake City, Utah who express attraction to men. With organizations such as GLAAD announcing that the show is “downright irresponsible” I look into the deeper meaning of the show to expose what I believe its strengths and weaknesses are, especially pertaining to the possible effects on gay adolescents.

As TLC has coined many popular shows such as Say Yes to the Dress, 19 Kids and counting, and countless other shows, its viewership is wide and diverse. With TLC being able to reach individuals that are often not represented on mainstream television, the messages they convey can become controversial or inspirational. While watching the first (and only) episode, Jeff states that “ my sexuality is not a choice, and my faith is not a choice either, it’s a deep, deep part of me”. By saying this I thought that Jeff offered a key insight that gay adolescents may be currently struggling with. By stating that he won’t choose and that he will remain faith-filled his statement served as a powerful message that functions as a healthy portrayal, that deconstructs the notion of religion only pertaining to heterosexual couples. In regards to gay (or coming out) adolescents I also believe that this message is beneficial in allowing adolescents to identify and discover their sexuality as it relates to their religion as well. “Media may now be serving as the primary information source for LGB adolescents”(Bond et. al, 2008).  Due to the fact that gay adolescents are using media to identify themselves, due to the lack of acceptance in their direct environments, shows like this can also serve as a platform for adolescents to discover themselves. “After LGB individuals are able to express their sexual identities to themselves, the next developmental task to tackle is coming out to others” (Bond et. al, 2008). Furthermore, this show may also aid religious gay adolescents in obtaining the strength and confidence to come out to their families and peers that also share their strong religious backgrounds.

“Dichotomously gendered portrayals of same-sex couples on television could have repercussions on the way same sex couples function and are perceived in reality” (Ivory et. al, 2008). Although, this show follows real life couples, it falls short in providing harmful representations of gays that deteriorates its production value in providing a positive message. In a later part of the program Jeff relates his attraction to men as being on a diet, something that he often doesn’t physically act on because he ultimately desires a “healthy” lifestyle. What is problematic about this statement is that at face value it’s shunning gays, and telling them to resist sexual urges in order to live up to the status quo of a “healthy” lifestyle, such as fitting in with the heterosexual community. If gay adolescents are choosing to consume this media, they may feel even more reluctant to come out because they see married men that have conflicting sexuality that are choosing to stay in heterosexual marriages in order to fit in, and glamorizing it, as though they are happy. Consuming this kind of a media diet forces fear of exclusion rather than inclusion.

Moving forward media must remember the important role that they play as super peers to adolescents nationwide.  Although we are seeing an increase in media surrounding topics pertaining to sexuality, we must continue to scrutinize the content to extract the deeper meaning, because adolescents are seeking out media to help affirm their identities. Furthermore, although shows like My Husbands Not Gay put controversial topics on the table surrounding the gay community, they are also functioning under the guise of the dominant heterosexual ideology.

Works Cited:

·       • Holz Ivory, A., Gibson, R., & Ivory, J. D. (2009). Gendered relationships on television: Portrayals of same-sex and heterosexual couples. Mass Communication & Society, 12(2), 170-192. doi: 10.1080/15205430802169607

·       Bond, B. J., Hefner, V., & Drogos, K. L. (2009). Information-seeking practices during the sexual development of lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals: The influence and effects of coming out in a mediated environment. Sexuality & Culture: An Interdisciplinary Quarterly, 13(1), 32-50. doi: 10.1007/s12119-008-9041-y

·       My Husband’s Not Gay (2015). Hot Snakes Media. TLC.