'The Fappening' and the Troubling Distinction of Legality.

Back in September of 2014, the internet experienced what has since been termed 'The Fappening'. What was never definitively called a hack of iCloud, 'The Fappening' is known as one the biggest hacks on the internet leading to massive leaks of personal (often sexual) images of female celebrities. What started on the internet forum 4Chan moved to Reddit were a subreddit with the now infamous name was created (Fappening because it is a portmanteau of the words 'the happening' and 'fap' which is slang for maturbation).

While 'The Fappening' was enormous, enduring it was not. Not long after the stolen images started to spread, they began to disappear. Many a sad boy was quick to cry foul, with claims of first amendment rights and freedom to distribute. While many tried to justify their theft and enjoyment of the images, or legitimized it by donating profits from the stolen images to charity, celebrities' legal teams were quick and powerful, and the images were being removed faster than they were being uploaded.


'The Fappening' represents an ugly time in a time of questionable privacy on the internet. Most of the victims were women, and most of the images clearly displayed a notion of intimacy between the celebrity and the intended viewer. This sort of breach of privacy women suffer on the internet is not new. Far more than the average man on the internet, women must deal with harassment, rape threats, and the fear of having their personal information exposed for the trivial reason of simply being female. Unlike these celebrities, the women who are often victimized by men on the internet don't have the legal backing that can actually lead to any attempts to charge those who harass them or remove personal information or photos.

Sexting has become more and more popular as the technology of cell phones has moved forward. Some have argued that this trend may be a way for teens to enjoy sexual agency for the first time (Brown et al., 2009) while others have pointed to the double standards of females who engage in sexting (Lippman & Campbell, 2014). Could it be that this understanding has lead to some of the problems many women face in order to protect themselves or prosecute those who are stealing their personal info? When 'The Fappening' occurred, many blamed the women who had taken the photos in the first place. And when the founders of numerous revenge pornsites were finally taken to court after a lengthy battle, the same argument was heard. For the latter though, the problem with how to prosecute was felt particularly hard because, in most cases, the photos were submitted by those who had obtained the photos legally (jilted ex-boyfriends). As we move forward, many states have started to craft new laws to address the problems found on these revenge porn sites, but for now the problem still persists. And it may be time to consider how our understanding of victimization is contributing to this phenomenon.

Reference:
Brown, J. D., Keller, S., & Stern, S. (2009). Sex, sexuality, sexting, and sexed: Adolescents and the media. Prevention Researcher, 16(4), 12-16.

Lippman, J. R. & Campbell. S. W. (2014) Damned if you do, damned if you don’t…if you’re a girl: Relational and normative contexts of adolescent sexting in the United States. Journal of Children and Media, 8:4, 371-386, doi: 10.1080/17482798.2014.923009


Image from Jezebel.com

Life Without Internet

My house lost our internet connection two days ago. My hate for Comcast has increased exponentially as each hour without Netflix passes. We have an appointment to get it back tomorrow, but wow, have these past few days been boring. I have actually had to resort to watching TV on a real television. Today, I marathoned with SVU, Ted, A Walk to Remember, and one of my all-time favorite movies, 13 Going on 30. Anyway, while watching all this TV, I noticed that I was watching really critically. Not just the media content, but also the commercials. Two things really struck me while I vegged out on my bed on a beautiful day (I suck). First was a commercial for 1800 Silver tequila, which corresponded perfectly with our class discussion on alcohol and gender. The commercial featured two guys who were at a bar enjoying themselves while drinking cosmopolitans. Another guy walked up to the bar and ordered tequila on the rocks. When he received his drink, he looked at the cosmo guys and gave them a really judging look while sipping his own drink. The other guys noticed, and embarrassed, asked their waiter to take their drinks away and bring them tequila, as well. This kind of bugged me. Why does it matter what people drink? Why should someone be ashamed that they prefer a fruitier drink over straight tequila? (Tequila without salt and lime or in a mixed drink is really disgusting in my opinion.) It bothered me that alcohol companies are promoting this gendered-drink phenomenon that is so rampant in our culture.

The second thing I noticed was in 13 Going on 30. The movie is very similar to any other rom-com, but after our discussion on porn I really thought about my obsession with the movie. For me, 13 Going on 30 is that movie that I always watch when I see that it is on TV, no matter what. I love it. I love the idea of being able to redo your life and do things differently, and how every choice we make affects our future, and that being a good person and being good to people is incredibly influential on having a successful life. However, I realized that I may expect this of my own life- that if I make an effort to be nice and a good person, that I will find love and marry my best friend. This is my own personal form of porn- a media fantasy that I buy into and expect, but one that is realistic. Peter & Valkenburg found that sexually explicit media content has effects on peoples' perceptions of realism, but I believe that this carries over to romantic ideals in other kinds of media, including romantic comedies. I am so glad that I have gained more media literacy this semester, and am able to realize that even my favorite movies portray really unrealistic ideals.

Sex Sells

Sex Sells. It's a phrase that we constantly hear and consistently see in the media. The Super Bowl is known for the "new" commercials in which brands make their commercial debut for the year. Many of the commercials are of women being sexualized to sell a product that doesn't really have anything to do with the context of the commercial. Hardee's and Carl's Jr are known for some of the most sexually explicit "soft porn" commercials in attempts to sell their burgers. 

Here are a few examples of their Super Bowl commercials the past three years:

The commercials present scantily-clad women licking sauce off of each other, with emphasis on their chests, legs, and stomach's. Although many women opposed these commercials, saying that they have no decency for families watching the game, there was a consistent rise in sales at Hardee's and Carl Jr's after the airing of these ads, and a huge increase in online fans. "Hardees.com has seen a 104% increase in traffic, and there has been an 83% increase for Carlsjr.com, and both  have added upwards of 120,000 Facebook fans" (Bhasin, 2012). In addition, there were 5,000+ Twitter mentions about the commercials in the first hour after it aired (Bhasin, 2012). 

Despite the increase in sales and online mentioning for the company, one must wonder how these sexually explicit ads, as well as the multitude of other sexually explicit media we see on television, affect adolescents and their views on sex. It was found that 64% of television shows today contain some sort of sexual content (Eyal & Kunkel, 2008). Chia and Gunther talk about the Cultivation Theory, and how "heavy viewers [of television] start to believe that they live in the narrative world portrayed on TV," which includes the multitude of sexualization of women in the media in shows, movies, and commercials" (Chia & Gunther, 2006). As a result, they are more likely to think certain sexual acts occur more frequently than they do, resulting in a higher amount of sexual intimacy between high school and college students (Chia & Gunther, 2006). 

Another article I stumbled across a few days ago listed a plethora of interesting facts about the sexualization in media today, and why we should care. A few of the directly quoted facts are as follows:

• 72% of teens think watching TV with a lot of sexual content influences their peers' behavior somewhat or a lot.
• Programs with sexual content average 4.4 scenes per hour.
• On average, music videos contain 93 sexual situations per hour, including 11 hard-core scenes depicting behavior like intercourse and oral sex. 
• Watching a lot of sexual content on TV and listening to sexually explicit music lyrics increase the chances that a teen will have sex at an earlier age. (Sexual Behavior, 2014)

These facts were some of the more interesting and pertinent in regards to the prevalence of sexual media that is consumed by adolescents. When thinking about adolescents who are intrigued by sexualized media, they are likely to have a fascination with romance, sex, and relationships, more than disinterested or resistant adolescent girls (Brown & White, 1987). These intrigued girls are typically concerned with becoming popular and trying to look good to impress the boys at school (Brown & White, 1987).

From the evidence presented above, we can see how the prevalence of sexualized media can lead to women believing certain things and acting in particular ways, even in early adolescent stages. It is important to remember that not everything you see in the media is realistic. Although TV shows and commercials are made more exciting and interesting with sexual media content, it is not always the norm in every day life, and those portrayals have large impacts on views and attitudes toward sexual norms.

References:

Bhasin, K. (2012, April 4). That Sexed-Up Kate Upton Ad For Carl's Jr. Is Working Incredibly Well. Retrieved April 17, 2015, from http://www.businessinsider.com/that-sexed-up-kate-upton-ad-for-carls-jr-is-working-incredibly-well-2012-4

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

Chia, S., & Gunther, A. (2006). How Media Contribute To Misperceptions Of Social Norms About Sex. Mass Communication Society, 301-320. Retrieved April 17, 2015.

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,161-181.

Sexual behavior: What teens learn from media. (2014). Retrieved April 17, 2015, from http://www.greatschools.org/students/media-kids/510-sexual-behavior-teens-learn-from-media.gs

Selfie Reality

Rupi Kaur was doing a final project for one of her classes and had to take a series of photos, she posted one of those to Instagram. It wasn’t long before her photo was removed and she was sent this message: 

What did she post? Was it degrading to women? Was it explicit? Well see for yourself:

This is one of her several photos she took to tell the following story:

“i bleed each month to help make humankind a possibility. my womb is home to the divine. a source of life for our species. whether i choose to create or not. but very few times it is seen that way. in older civilizations this blood was considered holy. in some it still is. but a majority of people. societies. and communities shun this natural process. some are more comfortable with the pornification of women. the sexualization of women. the violence and degradation of women than this. they cannot be bothered to express their disgust about all that. but will be angered and bothered by this. we menstruate and they see it as dirty. attention seeking. sick. a burden. as if this process is less natural than breathing. as if it is not a bridge between this universe and the last. as if this process is not love. labour. life. selfless and strikingly beautiful.”

I thought this was a really compelling story so I researched it further. Instagram ended up apologizing to her and added the photo back to Instagram. This goes back to the selfie debate. Are selfies a form of expression or sure sign of a narcissistic human being?

In Elizabeth Day’s How Selfies Became a Global Phenomenon, she says “A selfie can, in some respects, be a more authentic representation of beauty than other media images.” In Rupi’s selfie she is arguably showing the most authentic portrayal of a woman, and what it is like to be a woman. This photo supports that debate. This photo doesn’t degrade women and show them off in scandalous clothing. It in fact portrays the reality of what it is like to be a woman. It also agrees with Day’s article, “Instagram also allows us the opportunity to see below the surface. We capture a glimpse into the makings of people’s daily lives. We get a sense of those things that make the everyday extraordinary.” This photo that was posted on Instagram showed males the striking reality of what women go through. The fact that it was deleted is concerning because why are photos of half naked women able to be posted, when this is not. This selfie shows women and what they go through, while other photos portray a small percent of unrealistic women. Selfies are a great way to tell a story, and this definitely supports that. This photo should have never been deleted, it is a selfie that is compelling, and I am happy it has been added back to Instagram. 

Works Cited

Day, E. (2013, July 13). How selfies became a global phenomenon. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/jul/14/how-selfies-became-a-global-phenomenon

Parasocial Heartbreak

In case you weren't aware, Zayn Malik announced that he was leaving popular boyband One Direction at the end of March and the world pretty much stopped turning. Much like NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys in the early 2000s, the members of One Direction are the fake boyfriends most teenage (and even some college) girls dream about. Although Rachel Karniol states that these parasocial romantic relationships are safe and provide an outlet for sexual socialization, the reaction that followed Zayn's announcement seemed extremely unhealthy.

Twitter, Vine, and Tumblr exploded with images and videos of girls crying and posts about how much they loved him and will never forget him. The fact that this little change in pop culture caused young girls to skip class, break out in tears, and miss out on sleep is unhealthy. He wasn't hurt, he's not even going to stop singing, he is just leaving the band.

And new media outlets played right into all of the chaos. Buzzfeed managed to publish over 20 stories just on people reacting to Zayn leaving One Direction and continued coverage for weeks.

Yet stories about things like the shooting in Kenya or the Israeli Palestinian conflict barely get touched and would not garner a similar reaction from any one of those girls. I don't think these parasocial relationships can be considered healthy when they cause young girls to become this attached to a person they will likely never meet and miss out on important news.

On the other hand, One Direction definitely proves Karniol's theory that "teenage girls tend to idolize feminine-looking men [...] when an individual who is not feminine-looking is selected as an idol, the idol will nonetheless be attributed highly feminine characteristics, such as being cute and lovable," especially in their younger days which at the very least makes them relatively safe role models or ideal boyfriends.

References

Karniol, R. (2001). Adolescent Females’ Idolization of Male Media Stars as a Transition Into Sexuality. Sex Roles, 61-77.

Youtubers, should they have restrictions?

This is an extremely touchy issue because Youtube is all about user-generated content, but should popular Youtubers be responsible for what they say and do? Some vloggers today get millions of views on every single one of their videos and have as much reach as popular television shows. Does this mean that they should be held to those same standards? The internet is complicating things because of how accessible everything is and it's getting harder and harder to control what children or young adults view. It's already been shown in multiple studies and readings we've discussed in class that heavy exposure to media leads to greater media effects and an adoption of the views shown in said media. If a popular Youtuber has sexist views and people are able to watch their content as much as they please, then isn't it much more dangerous than any kind of television show or movie? I'm 100% for free speech and freedom of the internet, but should we hold these popular Youtubers to a different standard? They aren't normal people making movies in their basements anymore. They are actual superstars with massive a fanbase. It was even stated in the Dredge article that popular Youtubers have more influence than traditional film and music stars.

I went back and watched some of the Sam Peppers videos. It was an honest struggle to watch. He calls them pranks and social experiments, but most of the time it's just harassment. I went through the comment section of his latest video and debates are still going on about his sexual harassment and rape allegations. He has the trust and backing of millions of followers and they all still believe in him even though he's been proven to sexually assault girls. It's actually pretty sickening to read some of these hateful comments and people defending him saying things like everyone needs to get over what he did because he's funny and he posts good content. The law is often lagging behind technology, which is something I briefly discussed in my paper. I support freedom on the internet, but not when it is used to harass. And here's some great Sam Pepper content...

Sexting & Snapchat

The issue of sexting is very interesting to me.  After our class discussion on Damned if you do, damned if you don't...If you're a girl: Relational and normative contexts of adolescent sexting in the United States (Campbell & Lippman, 2014), I was reminded of a course I took last semester, titled "Social Consequences of Mobile Communication," we were given the opportunity to design a research project about any topic we thought was important.  This issue also had to have very little previous research done on it in the past.  We weren't instructed to actually execute this project, and in our project design, we were allowed to pretend we were given unlimited resources and funds in our research.  So, I formulated a research question about how Snapchat may be having an influence on sexting.  I looked into not only how Snapchat may be affecting sexting in a behavioral sense, but also in a stigma sense.  I want to know how the effects of Snapchat may be changing the negative rap surrounding sending and receiving sexts. Now this stigma may be unavoidable, as there have been legal repercussions for those who are underage who send a receive sexts.  However, I personally have taken up some issues with this stigma, as well as some sexting experts that I came across when doing my research.  And I believe that Snapchat may be working in sexting's favor.

One of the main concerns we discussed in class surrounds the idea of consensual sexting.  In this sense, an individual takes a picture or writes a sext and sends it to another person--a person who they intended to see this image. This becomes nonconsensual sexting when that image or text gets distributed to those the author did not intend to see.

Amy Adele Hasinoff (2012) also discusses this idea of consensual sexting in her article, Sexting as media production: Rethinking social media and sexuality.  She writes that many of today's stigma surrounding sexting may be more harmful than helpful when examining sexting.  She feels that consensual sexting may be more productively referred to as "media production," and that there may be some beneficial aspects of sexting that many researchers fail to recognize (Hasinoff, 2012).  She goes on to explain that sexting may be a new and important form of sexual and self expression (Hasinoff, 2012).

I agree with Hasinoff, and to expand on this idea, Snapchat may be a helpful turning point for this self-expression.  Many individuals feel as though their messages sent through Snapchat are safer and more secure due to the self-destructive nature of a Snapchat.  Ideally, this allows for sexting to be done in a secure and safe manner, encouraging and enabling consensual sexting.  Therefore, the stigma surrounding consensual sexting may be slowly but surely diminished.

Nonconsensual sexting seems as though it has an opposite effect as one may expect.  For example, if a girl sends a naked picture of herself to her boyfriend, this seems like an act of consensual sexting.  However, if they were to break up or fight, the boyfriend may show his friends. This could potentially harm the reputation of the girl, not the boy, who is going against his unspoken consensual contract.  However, if this couple were to have sexted via Snapchat, the boyfriend would not be able to show his friends this sext at a later date.

I have high hopes for the realm of sexting and culture will progress as our technology and communication abilities are changing everyday.




Works Cited:

Hasinoff, A. A. (2012). Sexting as media production: Rethinking social media and sexuality. New Media & Society, 15 (4) 449-465.

Campbell, S., Lippman, J. (2014). Damned if you do, damned if you don't...If you're a girl: Relational and normative contexts of adolescent sexting in the United States. Journal of Children and Media, 8 (4) 371-386.

Tips for Sexting: Progressive or Problematic?

When thinking about sexting, some argue that is it problematic, while others may argue that it’s progressive.  I have been split on the issue since we spoke about it in class, which also sparked me to look up sexting and its views.  While I was in the midst of Googling things about sexting, I came across this article by Cosmopolitan called “4 Tricks For Your Steamiest Sexts”.  Although this article can be see as controversial, with each one, I have tried to see a progressive/positive point, and also a problematic/negative point. 

1.     Paint a Snapchat with your Words:

In this “tip”, it suggests that a person shouldn’t necessarily jump the gun and send a “nudie pic” right off the bat, but rather, “paint a picture” to the receiving end; “get their mind and heart racing” by suggesting something in a text or snapchat.

Progressive point: It’s still sexy and it is confident without feeling pressured to send a fully nude photo. As Lippman & Campbell (2014) said, over half of all people that were in this study, sexted with a romantic or sexual context.  Because of this, it is a progressive idea to “sext” to someone who you plan to be romantic with/have already been romantic with.  More power to you!

Problematic: The more of these types of texts or photos a person sends, the more they may feel pressured to send more and more, being a little racier each time.  People should have to feel pressured, they should do it on their own time.

2.     Cut the Cutesy Emoji

In this “tip”, Cosmo says that by adding cutesy wink faces or emojis, it adds many different mixed signals, cut all of the cuteness out, and there won’t be any confusion about “am I texting my little cousin” or “does she think this is a joke?”

Progressive: Showing your sexy side.  If a person really is confident enough to send a sext and they cut the cuteness out, they will feel better about themselves, as well as their partner.

Problematic: If someone isn’t comfortable enough sexting, or in their own skin, then using emojis could lighten the mood and help them.  This tip might push people to feel more uncomfortable than needed.

3.     Let Your Freak Fantasy Fly

Cosmopolitan suggests that it is better to “picture who you’re sexting in their underwear” and be aggressive; say whatever you feel because it’ll turn into something great.

Progressive: It’ll help partners to be comfortable with one another and have jokes with each other, lightening the mood and sharing personal information with one another without feeling self-conscious about it.

Problematic: Telling someone to be more aggressive could again, push them in the wrong direction, telling them to do something they normally wouldn’t do otherwise.  This may also push someone to say something to someone they don’t necessarily fully trust yet.

4.     Figure Out Your Sext Goals

This “tip” tells the readers to make sure both parties know what the end result of sexting is.  There should be a clear idea of where the sexting is leading to.

Progressive: There are no blurred lines.  Are you meeting in person sometime soon?  Cool.  Are you strictly sexting buddies?  Also cool.  By stating what is expected, no one is mislead.

Problematic:  If two people find out that their goals aren’t in line, this could lead to rejection and hurt feelings. 

All in all, I believe there will always be mixed feelings about sexting.  However, what I think is important is that people need to see that with every tip and every sext, there are pros, cons, progressive points, and problematic points.  Just make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into with every sext you send!



Grant, D. (2014). "4 Tricks For Your Steamiest Sexts". Cosmopolitan Magazine. Retrieved from: http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/advice/a6941/sext-whisperer/


Lippman, J. & Campbell, S. (2014). "Damned if you do, damned if you don't". Journal of Children and Media. 8: 4. 371-386.

Rape Culture in Music Festivals?

I recently read an article on Vice.com which focused on the sexual harassment received by women who attend music festivals.  The author was prompted to write this article after a coworker attended Cochella 2015 in California and snapped a photo of a man grinning while wearing a  t-shirt titled “Eat. Sleep. Rape. Repeat”.  The extremely inappropriate shirt is an ill-fated pun on the phrase “ Eat. Sleep. Rave. Repeat”. The phrase, was first coined in a song by Fatboy Slim, Riva Starr and Beardyman called “Eat. Sleep. Rave. Repeat” and has quickly become synonymous with rave culture. If one were to go to any festival around the nation, you would probably see someone wearing a shirt with that phrase. However, by changing one letter in the expression, the shirt quickly become an uncomfortable eyesore.

As the author points out and I agree, free speech should not necessarily limit rape jokes, but there is a time and place for everything. Music festivals, a  place where people are intoxicated, dancing and possibly under the influence of illicit drugs is most definitely not one of those places. It’s like yelling fire in a movie theater, you just don’t do it. I was curious about why the individual felt that wearing that shirt was acceptable. This point connects to one of the readings discussed earlier in the semester about acceptance of sexual harassment. Researchers found that when participants were exposed to promiscuous and non-promiscuous views of women, the participants attributed greater responsibility onto promiscuous women ( Ferguson et. at., 2005). Participants also perceived that promiscuous women suffered less trauma than non-promiscuous women when exposed to verbal and comment sexual harassment ( Ferguson et. al., 2005). If you have attended a large music festival, especially an electronic-dance music fest, you will notice that many women wear interesting costumes, usually scantily clad. Is it possible that this exposure, could lead men to classify women as promiscuous and thus view women at these festivals as deserving of sexual harassment?

Ferguson, T., Berlin, J., Noles, E., Johnson, J., Reed, W., & Spicer, C. V. (2005). Variation in the application of the 'promiscuous female' stereotype and the nature of the application domain: Influences on sexual harassment judgments after exposure to the Jerry Springer Show. Sex Roles, 52(7-8), 477-487. doi: 10.1007/s11199-005- 3713-y

Lhooq, M. (2015, April 13). What the "Eat sleep rape repeat" shirt at coachella says about rape culture at music festivals | Thump. http://thump.vice.com/en_us/article/what-the-eat-sleep-rape-repeat-shirt-at-coachella-says-about-rape-culture-at-music-festivals

When is it art and when is it porn?

I'm a design student here at Michigan, so I spend a lot of time at the art school. Recently, there were a series of sexually suggestive paintings hung up in the school as part of the senior thesis show. I didn't think anything of it at first, because the school is no stranger to sexually explicit work—I've witnessed a giant 2-dimensional painted vagina (complete with fake fur glued on) and an installation with a wall of vaginas made out of clay. It did make me think, however, of our recent discussion on pornography. When is something art, and when is it porn? Is it important to even make a distinction?

Of course, the porn we've looked at has been in relation to media such television and the Internet. Fine art such as painting and photography may not be as widely viewed as online pornography videos so effects of exposure aren't as much of a consideration, but there's always the argument that a video like this isn't porn, it's "art" (and therefore assumed to be elevated above judgement). There's definitely an attitude that art is okay...but porn is not.

As we read in the Peter & Valkenburg article (and as has been pointed out by many researchers), pornography as a term is both "polarizing" and "emotionally loaded". In many ways, it is understood to be a negative and shameful thing, especially for women. It's defined as sexually explicit material intended to arouse the viewer. So perhaps the difference between "porn" and "art" is the intent... and that's where the line gets blurred.

I came across the story of Leena McCall's "Portrait of Ms Ruby May, Standing" from 2014 while researching how to further define the difference between porn and art. This painting was removed from a London gallery because it was allegedly "disgusting" and "pornographic". The official statement was that the gallery "has a responsibility to its trustees and to the children and vulnerable adults who use its galleries". The painting was removed after several complaints were made. The painting in question was replaced with a "less provocative nude", one where the female model was less sexually aggressive in her stance, with a more passive gaze.

Fine art and painting has a long-standing tradition of nude portraiture. In fact, art students at Michigan are required to do nude figure drawings as part of the introduction drawing class. The arts are not a place where people are shy about the human body. So what's especially interesting and telling to me about this entire story is that in a world where nude figures are so common and accepted, this one particular painting of a sexually forward woman is deemed to be porn, and thus inappropriate for a gallery.

This whole story gets more ridiculous when you consider that the painting was meant to depict "how woman choose to express their sexual identity beyond the male gaze". Oh, and the work was "removed from an all-female exhibition, curated by a woman".

To me, this is essentially just another example of how stigmatized porn and sexually explicit material is for women to create and view. If a woman is fully in control and not ashamed of her sexuality (whether through depictions of her or even just by watching porn), she becomes censored and/or judged. Women are only allowed to be sexual in the presence of men, or for the enjoyment of men.

I'm not sure where my final standing on art vs porn is, but it's clear to me that what we've learned this semester about the the role of men vs. women when it comes to sexual norms and expectancies run deep. These are thoroughly embedded into our media, our culture, and even our attitudes and beliefs.



References:

Peter, J. & Valkenburg, P.M. (2010). Process underlying the effects of adolescents' use of sexually explicit internet material: The role of perceived realism. Communication Research, 37(3), 375-399.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jul/07/painting-pornographic-pubic-hair-outrage

I'm Concerned for my Future Children...

I remember seeing this commercial aired again and again a couple of years ago, and I really have a problem with how sexual this commercial is. While parents must shield their young children from the sexual messages and images that most prime time television shows provide, now they have to shield their children from commercials that air all day, which is quite impossible. 

We already know that "the media—and television in particular—have received substantial attention as potentially important sources of information about sex" (Fisher et al., 2009).  If  a young child was watching this ad, he or she now learns that a male's pelvic region is something that all women desire and that a man is clearly dominant in a relationship and can do what he wants sexually with a women, or as in this scene, the man can freely start taking off the woman's swimsuit bottoms.  So, a younger child who hasn't been exposed to sex on television now learns that sexual encounters involve a man and woman's "private parts." 

As a young child, my parents often engaged in restrictive mediation when it came to sexual content in shows, so I never was allowed to watch TV shows that were highly sexual. However, now its harder than ever to restrict children from watching sexual TV shows because sexual content, cough cough HIGHLY sexual content, are prevalent in commercials that air all day long. 

Now as we've discussed, "according to social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986, 2001), individuals will imitate the behavior of others, including media models, when those behaviors are rewarded" (Fisher et al., 2009). While we've discussed that teens are often the primary age group imitating sexual behavior they see on television, I'd argue we have to worry about an even younger age group imitating sexual behavior they see due to commercials such as this one. In imagining myself as a mom, a long long long time from now, it would be nice to engage in restrictive mediation when it comes to sexual television programs, but how am I to shield my future children from sexualized commercials? As a future mother, I would be concerned that these commercials would implant these sexual messages into my children's brains earlier, and as a consequence they might engage in imitating sexual behavior earlier than their adolescent years, yikes!

 I'd also like to point out the fact that these sexual advertisements are often associated with luxury fashion brands. So does this mean that those who are wealthier have more sex because they're "fabulous?" Or does buying these luxury brands cause a person to become sexier and more desirable to the opposite sex? I think this association would be very interesting to study because when I see these overly sexual print ads, they are often for a luxury brand.

So, in my opinion it's close to impossible to shield children from sexual content in today's world, making this idea of restrictive mediation almost obsolete in this day and age.

Work Cited

Fisher, D. A., Hill, D. L., Grube, J. W., Bersamin, M. M., Walker, S., & Gruber, E. L. (2009). Televised sexual content and parental mediation: Influences on adolescent sexuality. Media Psychology, 12(2), 121-147. doi: 10.1080/15213260902849901