In today’s society, everyone is worried about their external appearance; both with and without clothes on. Women and men experience discomfort, anxiousness, and worry about how they appear to the opposite sex. Some men even worry how they appear in locker rooms to other men, even if they are heterosexual. Media has depicted to a lot of young adults of how women and men should appear and act sexually. Pornography has created false images of how sex should look and feel like, especially women who have perfect sized boobs, perfect sized labia’s and are skinny. Having the best sized boobs and the symmetrically sized labia’s does not determine if sex is pleasurable or not. As mentioned by Laurie Mintz in “A Letter to Young Sexually Active Heterosexual …show more content…
There are no better words then the ones Laurie used in her article about this. Growing up, both from my parents and sex education classes, I thought sex was wrong, bad, and not meant for pleasure. Sexual Education classes gave me false ideas that sex would lead to nothing but rape, sexual transmitted diseases, pregnancy, or an unfulfilled future. These things were all negative and was meant to scare the directed audience of middle and high school aged girls and boys. I think it is crucial for two people who have sex, either casually or because they are in a relationship/married, need to communicate their feelings and what helps them to achieve orgasm. It has been said that several women can never achieve orgasm during sex and this could be fixed with communication. As shown in many pornography clips, women are reaching orgasm through penis stimulation and as Laurie Mintz mentioned, only a small amount of women truly reach orgasm this way. Many reach orgasm through clitoral stimulation. Communication is key and many women forget this small component when it comes to having sex with their partners. Do not be afraid of telling your partner what you enjoy and find …show more content…
Communication can be difficult because most of the time people are afraid of hurting someone’s feelings, especially if it has to do with sex or reaching orgasm. Communication is always a healthier choice and better for people’s mental health. Media has always depicted sex wrong and created false images of how people, both women and men should act and dress. I strongly believe that communication is the key to a pleasurable sex life. Stop worrying about penis size, breast size, vaginal smell, or being able to keep an erection and as Laurie Mintz mentions, have pleasurable
Choices and types of lifestyle a young woman chooses help them to create their identity. However when the choices and the lifestyle chosen are affected by the various forces, it can create a fake identity of that young women. In “Selections from “Hard to Get: Twenty-Something Women and the Paradox of Sexual Freedom,” the author Leslie Bell insists that pressure from a young women’s traditional community and family create a complex situation for young women where they are forced to divide their choices and choose a lifestyle. The author writes about the uncertainty and lost identities of young women 's. Identity is a complex issue which can be divided into two parts; one being given identity and real identity. Given identity is best described
McCabeLina, M.A., & Ridge, A.R. (2006). "Who thinks I need a perfect body?" Perceptions and internal dialogue among adolescents about their bodies. Sex Roles, 55(5-6), 409-419.
In reality, women have to live up to various standards. In Rosewarne’s writing, one standard that is brought to light is that whatever is portrayed on these advertisements promoting a precise body figure, hair color, skin color, etc. is what a women has to look like in order for men to find them pleasurable. Nonetheless, this mindset on young girls is truly damaging our youth into thinking that they have to look that way in order to feel admirable by society. A new report by the American Psychological Association says, “Advertising and media images that encourage girls to focus on looks and sexuality are harmful to their emotional and physical health” (Jayson). This is destructive to society because the media is molding social labels that can conclude in the development of unhealthy social and physical habits. Women and young girls intensify the representation of seeing their bodies as sexual objects from a young age. Rosewarne highlights this in her article when she says ”The basic idea of a pin-up is to provide an inexpensive, mass-produced image of a woman for a man 's viewing pleasure” (Rosewarne 317). Also stating that “women are ‘bodies’ rather than ‘somebodies” (Rosewarne 318). Furthermore, when she talks about the pinups in relation with the standards she says, “Pin-ups help define what men find attractive, in the
Reading Chapter 11, “Genders and Sexualities,” written by Carrie Hintz was to construct and enact alternatives for these two traditional categories. Data is clearly indicated that sexual material is some of the most controversial content in literature. Children’s literature that is involved with adolescent’s childhood are key battlegrounds for attitudes about gender and sexuality. The significance of gender and sexuality in children’s literature is the persistent investment in what is perceived to be the innocence of children. Innocence is defined in part by children’s enforced ignorance of sexual matters. According to James Kincaid, “Youth and innocence are two of the most eroticized constructions of the past two centuries. Innocence was that
Since the dawn of the Victorian Era, society has perpetuated unrealistic gender performance ideals that supposedly find their roots within biological sexual differences. Judith Butler has spent a lifetime seeking to break the mold todays social constructions, specifically surrounding gender and sexuality. The theory this pioneer pegged is now known as Queer Theory, and brought forth in the education system through Queer Studies courses. In the text Sexing the Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality by author Anne Fausto-Sterling, gender and sex are similarly challenged on both a social and biological level. When reviewing Fausto-Sterling’s work in conjunction with Queer Studies and Human Sexuality, an efficient and effective format is loosely based upon a Critical Literary analysis.
In this particular era, the nudity of a human was highly recognized and favored in different art pieces. In paintings, women were naked and covered certain parts of her body. Sculptures would lack the appearance of a woman, but would also show attributes of a female's body. Even though this topic was praised in earlier times, in today's society the topic of sex is looked upon in a negative manner. As time changes, I believe that the viewpoint and mindset of people are completely different from the 19th century point of view. Sex has become a dreadful topic because people are more attached to religious beliefs that doesn't put sex on the high level that it once “ sat” upon in the 19th century. If an artist decided to put some type of nudity or sexual visual ...
While societies change and old forms of patriarchy corrode, new ones concentrate and develop (Bartky 94). A woman’s feminity is no longer restricted to certain forms of disciplinary practices such as her dressing and her smile. However, the center of attention in today’s modern society is a female’s body and its appearance. Bartky argues that when this anonymous power controls a woman about how she should feel about her body, oversees everything she does and directs her to change what is not good enough, she immediately becomes objectified (Bartky, 94). While today‘s world is advancing, a female’s body, such as her breasts will always be the center of attraction and always be seen as sexual.
The media has had an increasingly destructive effect on young people who are becoming worryingly obsessed with their body image. The media is saturated in sexual imagery in which young people have to face every day. The sheer volume of sexual imagery in the media today has resulted in the vast majority of young people to become hooked on looking as near to perfection everyday by using the latest products and buying the latest fashions. This used to be enough but lately the next step to achieving perfection is cosmetic surgery. Everyone wants to look attractive, especially teenagers who are not only put under massive strain to succeed but to look beautiful and climb the ranks of the social ladder, and it seems that the only way to achieve the much desired beauty is to turn to drastic measures.
Being more open about sex could also cause people to be more educated about it. Instead, lack of education causes ignorance to the subject. As a result people often view common myths and misconceptions as true facts. Also, not knowing about the subject leads our curiosity to find out more about the subject. For instance, most teens are not taught about sex in educational classes, but they learn about it from their peers. (Relate yourself in here and something about psychology) As they learn more, mostly false, information, they become curious about sex. As they become more curious, they often times engage in intercourse, unaware of the potential consequences of their actions. As a result, some teens may become teen parents, contract STDs or STIs, or regret engaging in activities. Nonetheless, all this could be avoided if people were more open to discuss sex for educational and preventative purposes. As a result, I believe sex education is a subject that should be taught in school during the typical ages of the onset of
It is becoming an increasing phenomenon that women are coming out as lesbians in their middle-adulthood. While defining one’s sexual identity is often a confusing time for youth it becomes that much more difficult for women as they get older. As women age they are more likely to get married, have children, begin careers, and settle into a lifestyle that is dictated to them by patriarchal rules.
Amidst consumers, pornography appears to be popular. In an anonymous survey of 688 Danish young adults, a great majority reported that pornography had a positive effect on their lives, this being particularly significant for males (Hald & Malamuth, 2008). Another study with American college students (Weinberg, Williams, Kleiner, & Irizarry, 2010) suggested that for many consumers, porn could be a way to learn about sexual practices and make them seem more appealing. However, such positivism is not as clear cut on research. Duggan and McCreary (2004) found that reading magazines focused on “improving” male physique was linked to poorer self-image on both gay and heterosexual males, and that porn consumption by gay males was linked to increased body image anxiety. The present study aims to see whether the same pattern of results holds true about women: Would women who watch porn have lower self-esteem?
Today’s society is a sexual playing field. Celebrities on television and movies, models on the covers of magazines, and even politicians have become sexual legends in the map of American society. The issue of sex is publicly discussed, on media and otherwise, and as such, it has become, to a great degree, a measure of self-worth. Issues such as breast size, penis size, and sexual stamina have flooded the American public with the idea that one is defined by how sexually appealing s/he is.
Pornography degrades the moral values of a society. With increased pornography in the contemporary society, sex is no longer a sacred act shared between two people who love each other. Sex has been abused by many people, while there has been an increase in promiscuity (Sabo 150). In addition, the perceptions that people have about sex and women has changed. Women are seen as objects or instruments of sexual satisfaction. They are no longer respected while men expect sexual gratification from acts that can even be termed as beastly. The effects are far reaching as young people as young as 12 years have been fed with the same perception (Peter and Valkenburg 179).
The article Exposure to Sexually Exposure to Sexually Objectifying Media and Body Self-Perceptions among College Women: An Examination of the Selective Exposure Hypothesis and the Role of Moderating Variables is a two year study conducted on female undergraduate students and was written by Jennifer Stevens Aubrey. The main premise of the article is the exploration of objectivity theory. Objectivity theory states that “media that places women’s bodies and appearances at a premium can acculturate women to self objectify or to feel anxious or ashamed of their appearance”(Aubrey 161). The article tries to understand if media that sexually objectifies women, creates the environment whereby women think of themselves as objects to be appreciated. The article points out that this is a direct result of the American media’s focus on women’s bodies and body parts. Also, the other part of the study is to “understand the...
Communication is important in relationships as it allows us to share our interest, concerns, support each other; organize our lives and make decisions; and it allows us to work together. Effective communication is based on the way we talk and listen, how we respond and our body language. We can all learn how to improve the way we communicate.