Sex+on+American+Television

Mary Mahoney

 **Sex on American Television** **Introduction**  Sex has been a prevalent part of American television for years, ranging from sexual acts to sexual education to sexual orientation, and as times change, television continues to push the envelope by including racier images, more taboo topics, and more blood lust. Sex on American TV plays an incredibly important role in informing people on sexual stereotypes, acts, taboos, crimes, and much more. TV is one of the most widespread communication measures, therefore it is important to consider how these images effect beliefs, discussions, and behaviors related to sex.

**History**  Sex on television has always been a topic of controversy since TV broadcasts became widespread. It began with shows in the 1950’s, such as //I Love Lucy// in which characters could not even use the word pregnant. It propelled into the future and caused more controversy in the 70’s with the introduction of the first openly gay main character and again in 1989 with the image of two men sharing a bed (Silver, 2011). Overall there are mixed reviews on the progressively open sexuality in television differing from the utmost praise to intense outrage. It is clear however that as history progresses, producers and creators of shows are attempting to push the envelope further in the exploration of sexual topics on television. **Homosexuality in TV**  Nowadays it is much more common to see not only homosexual characters on TV but also acts of love between these characters.

The hit FOX TV show //Glee// closely follows the high schooler Kurt Hummel as he struggles with the repercussions of his sexual orientation at a very close-minded high school in Lima, Ohio. The show has also revealed a potential lesbian relationship between ex-”Cheerios” Brittany Pierce and Santana Lopez Other prime time shows such as the CW’s //Gossip Girl// and //90210// and ABC shows such as //Modern Family, The Whole Truth, Desperate Housewives,// and //Grey’s Anatomy,// include openly homosexual characters.

Premium cable television shows are also very much pushing the envelope with homosexuality and graphic nudity. Shows such as HBO’s //True Blood// constantly demonstrate acts of love between same sexed characters and presents many of the show’s characters as bisexual or unconcerned with the sex of their mate. It has also been stated that major points in //True Blood//’s plot mirror that of the LGBT movement such as fighting for equal rights as well as persecution from religious groups. (Grigoriadis, 2010). HBO’s //Bored to Death// will also feature LGBT characters in its second season with one of its detectives taking on a transgender case (“Flipping the Script,” 2010).

Overall sexual orientation is slowly becoming much more represented in American television, reflecting upon society’s new movement towards LGBT rights and an awareness of the true role LGBT people play. For many television shows popular today these LGBT characters both fit the “gay” stereotype and dispel it, depending on the show’s context.

**Sexual Acts and Nudity in TV**  Sexual acts and nudity in television is another subject that is receiving wide coverage in the media. Recent analyses of prime time television programs indicate that sexual content is prevalent, appearing in 70% of prime-time television programs (Manganello, Franzin, & Jordan, 2008).

In prime time TV the amount of sex and nudity featured is quite high. In nearly every CW show sex is mentioned if not displayed or inferred. In shows such as //Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries,// and //90210,// sex is one of th  e main plot points that attracts viewers to the show. ABC’s prime time features an overwhelming amount of sex in shows such as //Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Cougar Town,// and //Private Practice.//

Reality television is anoth er genre of TV that features unbelievable amounts of sex on TV. Examples of this are MTV’s //Jersey Shore,// ABC’s //The Bachelor,// CW’s //America’s Next Top Model,// and E!‘s //Holly’s World// and //Keeping Up with the Kardashians.// They all feature sex and sexual activity in some point of the show whether it be the ultimate goal, a constant quest, or in the appearance of their bodies.

Cable programming also provides heavily sexualized content as with shows on MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, and Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. Shows such as MTV’s //Skins// have caused a number of controversies in pushing the envelope too far for cable content. Constant arguments have erupted that provide interesting insights into both sides of the argument. President of the Parents Television Council Tim Winter says, “It’s become downright ubiquitous. Families are under siege, teenage girls are under siege. You don't know what the cultural impact will be down the road." (Gary, 2010). However Fordham University media observer Paul Levinson disagrees, “It sounds radical, but this is healthy for popular culture. Mainstream TV has been frozen in a very puritanical position by Congress, the FCC and the Supreme Court -- all who don't seem to understand the First Amendment. Sex is part of life. If people are offended, there's a simple remedy: Don't watch." (Gary, 2010).

Premium cable channels such as HBO, Showtime, and Starz are much more sexually provocative in their content than any other programming available (besides full-on pornographic material). The proportion of shows on premium cable movie networks with intercourse implied was nearly 4 times greater (Fisher et al., 2004). Starz show //Spartacus: Blood and Sand// shows “full-frontal male nudity, heterosexual, homosexual and group sex, and graphic scenes rarely- if ever- seen on mainstream TV,” (Gary, 2010). Other shows on premium cable have often been described as “soft-core porn.”

**Sexual Health in TV** <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">One of the most constant debates among sexual scholars is television's effect on sexual health practices.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">A large majority of regular television viewers consider TV as their primary source of health information and further, a growing body of evidence demonstrates that popular prime time TV programs provide a unique opportunity for the viewing public to learn health-related information and even modify their attitudes and behaviors (Hether & Murphy, 2009).

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">It has often been debated whether or not television should be used to inform adolescents on sexual education. In a study of adolescents viewing the sitcom //Friends,// one out of every ten reported learning something new about condoms ([|Friends]). They also found “increased interpersonal communication” following the episode with one out of every five discussing the episode with an adult (Hether & Murphy, 2009).

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">However problems exist in television’s sexual education abilities. Shows such as //True Blood, Grey’s Anatomy, Gossip Girl,// and more rarely discuss the repercussions of sexual activity, such as emotional distress, STD’s, pregnancy, and more. This is particularly a problem because survey evidence suggests that substantial numbers of teens—more than 40% in one survey—find television portrayals of sexual matters to be accurate reflections of real world experiences and outcomes (Fisher et al., 2004).

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">**Sex Crimes in TV** With an incredible amount of television shows dedicated to crime fighting (//CSI, Law and Order, Criminal Minds, NCIS,// etc.), sexual crimes are often represented throughout television.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;"> Sexual violence and rape are very significant public health issues in the United States, recent studies suggest that 1/6 adult women and 3/100 men in the United States experience sexual assault at some time in their lives. These acts are also present throughout television programming. Violent sexual contact was the most pre-dominant form of sexual interaction in daytime soap operas and studies of MTV programming showed that 31% of the 30-second video segments portrayed sexual violence.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">//Law & Order: SVU// has a following of about 4.7 million viewers each week according to Nielsen, and therefore plays a major role in providing information about sexual crime to the masses. According to Lee et al. (2007) the series contests many popular rape myths and includes important discussions about sexual consent.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Portrayals of sexual crimes on television have several implications. In some cases sexual assault becomes such a common image that it is trivialized and the true horrors of true sexual assault become downplayed. This is often the case with images of violence in the media. However it was demonstrated in the study in Lee et al. (2007) that when these images are framed within a criminal context people may be better educated about sexual violence and less supportive of rape myths.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">**Conclusion** Sexuality in television alters remarkably as the times change. In some ways sex in TV can provide a positive impact on the sexual communication of America today, by providing sound information to the masses and making certain sexual issues more commonplace and thus more easily approachable (such as homosexuality, sexual crime, STD’s, and pregnancy). However it also causes many repercussions such as overlooking key sexual health practices, creating stereotypes, and trivializing horrific sexual crimes. Sex is as prevalent a part of TV as the remote control and as scholars debate its effects on the American people, one thing is undeniable, it is here to stay.

**Works Cited** <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Cuklanz, L. (2000). Rape on prime time. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Cuklanz, L. M., & Moorti, S. (2006). Television’s ‘‘new’’ feminism: Prime-time representations <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 18px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">of women and victimization. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 23, 302–321.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Fisher, D. A., Hill, D. L., Grube, J. W., & Gruber, E. L. (2004). Sex on American Television: An <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 18px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Analysis Across Program Genres and Network Types. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 48(4), 529-553. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Flipping the Script. (2010). //Advocate//, (1041), 10. Retrieved from EBSCO//host//. <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Gary, S. (n.d). TV sex: Uncut, unavoidable. //USA Today//. Retrieved from EBSCO//host//.. <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 18px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: -18px;">Grigoriadis, V. (2010). THE JOY OF VAMPIRE SEX. //Rolling Stone//, (1112), 54-59. Retrieved from EBSCO//host//. <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Hether, H., & Murphy, S. (2010). Sex Roles in Health Storylines on Prime Time Television: A <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 18px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Content Analysis. Sex Roles, 62(11/12), 810-821. doi:10.1007/s11199-009-9654-0

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Lee, M. J., Hust, S., Zhang, L., & Zhang, Y. (2011). Effects of Violence Against Women in <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 18px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Popular Crime Dramas on Viewers' Attitudes Related to Sexual Violence. Mass Communication & Society, 14(1), 25-44. doi:10.1080/15205430903531440

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Manganello, J., Franzini, A., & Jordan, A. (2008). Sampling Television Programs for Content <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 18px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Analysis of Sex on TV: How Many Episodes are Enough?. Journal of Sex Research, 45(1), 9-16. doi:10.1080/00224490701629514

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Silver, A. (2011). Brief History. //Time//, 177(5), 19. Retrieved from EBSCO//host//. <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Tjaden, P., & Thoennes, N. (2000). Prevalence, incidence, and consequences of violence against <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 18px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">women: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. Research report. Washington, DC, and Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;"> Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">With thanks to: <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Google, Wikipedia, Youtube, and the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)