4 ms·

There's been a bit of a backlash among younger generations against sex scenes in movies and shows, and while some people think it's because they're more prudish

by wumeow 2y ago

There's been a bit of a backlash among younger generations against sex scenes in movies and shows, and while some people think it's because they're more prudish, I wonder if part of it may be because of easy access to porn. Watching two naked actors bounce around suggestively is less titillating than it used to be when you can pull up the real deal, on demand, from your pocket.

josefresco 2y ago
The backlash is because they aren't having sex themselves. Whether their sexual needs are being "met" or satisfied by porn is another question. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/people-have-been-having-less-sex-whether-theyre-teenagers-or-40-somethings/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/people-have-been-... https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/teen-sexual-activity-continues-to-decline-a-new-cdc-report-shows/ https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/teen-sexual-activity-c... https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr196.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr196.pdf
yieldcrv 2y ago
in addition to the other comment they also are more prudish, in that context. they don't want to be turned on in that context specifically because they're inundated on social media feeds and the specifically erotic sources they compulsory indulge in. there's a pushback because many are addicted and don't actually want to be. they lack any world where there was a healthy balance to refer to, so its not just an indulgence, its debilitating. and many aren't socially adept at getting what they're seeing in person, or able to afford recreational use to get that in person. its a pretty unique combination.
- init2null 2y ago
  I'd argue that erotic sources are nothing new. Consider swimsuit calendars and pinup girls. You could even look at the shows from the sixties and seventies to find people being chosen for sex appeal. For instance, there's the classic question for Gilligan's Island: Ginger or Mary Ann. The debate was literally over their relative sex appeal. This isn't a new trick. I'd suggest that perhaps the style of seduction has changed, but the negative response is wholly new, at least among the targeted recipients.
  - yieldcrv 2y ago
    Its not about the sex appeal, its about actual sex Depictions of that existed in the 60s and 70s in the US but was limited to some magazines, there was stigma of obtaining, possessing, browsing. There was stigma on the creators, and the creators relied on producers Pretty much all of those frictions are gone, and now its an algorithm fueled funnel to independent creators and their highly interactive porn, from social media to subscription feeds. live streams weekly like a tv show from any adept creator. in some areas there’s a non-negligible to high chance that any pretty woman you meet and exchange social media with has a link to her porn or “content”, all while the followup direct messages never come for a more casual or nontransactional relationship, if replied to at all. a world where the strangers, random porn actors, are still accessible in a separate tab, or suggested on the site where the other girl’s profile led to. I’ve been at pool parties and bars where a girl shows me her OnlyFans content feed on her phone, just scrolling. I think this has nothing to do with the consistency of an outlet, for a tease. And recognizing it as different explains the demand for these neutered films. A lot of people, the target audience, wants a break from being targeted.
christophilus 2y ago
I think it’s because the sex scenes are almost always gratuitous and out of place. They rarely serve the story and almost always detract, and many movies would arguably be better without it. I feel the same way when a movie pauses to make a political or social PSA. Like, it’s fine if it’s a natural flow of the story arc. But it’s almost always just a jarring deviation.
- mingus88 2y ago
  In the days of the early web there was a database that would give you timestamps and descriptions of nudity in movies, so that you could cut straight to the chase Or maybe I am remembering a scene from a raunchy comedy of that era (which probably prompted someone to make it) But the point is that in the dial up era there was no other way for horny people to get full motion video and audio smut, and there was a high demand for it Today the supply has far outpaced demand and we can consume as much as we can, all day every day. Movies simply don’t need to cater to that need any longer, and the movies are better for it
doright 2y ago
It could be that a large amount of porn consumption is kept as a private thing, but when sex scenes appear in media that is consumed "in public" (theatres, on the living room couch with friends, etc.) any reminder of that private life might cause anxiety about sexual preferences being found out by others. So the natural inclination is to react as strongly as the rest of the people against such scenes to avoid standing out. Also, maybe such prudishness could also publicly channel negative thoughts about the private porn consumption in an indirect way, in a "that's not really me" sense. I'm speculating here since porn is easier to hide the consumption of entirely unlike something like drugs. A more sympathetic reaction towards such scenes could be unconsciously seen as as much as a giveaway as a razor with mystery powder on it.
Yizahi 2y ago
And maybe finally there will be less focus on sex in the thematically unrelated movies. It's simply boring and predictable at this point, while taking valuable screen time out of 99 minute runtime. Same with forced old audience references in kids content and kid jokes and in the older audience content. Movies shouldn't be a salad of all possible tropes, genres and references just to try catch widest possible audience.

by wumeow 2y ago

josefresco 2y ago

The backlash is because they aren't having sex themselves. Whether their sexual needs are being "met" or satisfied by porn is another question. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/people-have-been-having-less-sex-whether-theyre-teenagers-or-40-somethings/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/people-have-been-... https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/teen-sexual-activity-continues-to-decline-a-new-cdc-report-shows/ https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/teen-sexual-activity-c... https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr196.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr196.pdf

yieldcrv 2y ago

in addition to the other comment they also are more prudish, in that context. they don't want to be turned on in that context specifically because they're inundated on social media feeds and the specifically erotic sources they compulsory indulge in. there's a pushback because many are addicted and don't actually want to be. they lack any world where there was a healthy balance to refer to, so its not just an indulgence, its debilitating. and many aren't socially adept at getting what they're seeing in person, or able to afford recreational use to get that in person. its a pretty unique combination.

init2null 2y ago
I'd argue that erotic sources are nothing new. Consider swimsuit calendars and pinup girls. You could even look at the shows from the sixties and seventies to find people being chosen for sex appeal. For instance, there's the classic question for Gilligan's Island: Ginger or Mary Ann. The debate was literally over their relative sex appeal. This isn't a new trick. I'd suggest that perhaps the style of seduction has changed, but the negative response is wholly new, at least among the targeted recipients.
- yieldcrv 2y ago
  Its not about the sex appeal, its about actual sex Depictions of that existed in the 60s and 70s in the US but was limited to some magazines, there was stigma of obtaining, possessing, browsing. There was stigma on the creators, and the creators relied on producers Pretty much all of those frictions are gone, and now its an algorithm fueled funnel to independent creators and their highly interactive porn, from social media to subscription feeds. live streams weekly like a tv show from any adept creator. in some areas there’s a non-negligible to high chance that any pretty woman you meet and exchange social media with has a link to her porn or “content”, all while the followup direct messages never come for a more casual or nontransactional relationship, if replied to at all. a world where the strangers, random porn actors, are still accessible in a separate tab, or suggested on the site where the other girl’s profile led to. I’ve been at pool parties and bars where a girl shows me her OnlyFans content feed on her phone, just scrolling. I think this has nothing to do with the consistency of an outlet, for a tease. And recognizing it as different explains the demand for these neutered films. A lot of people, the target audience, wants a break from being targeted.

christophilus 2y ago

I think it’s because the sex scenes are almost always gratuitous and out of place. They rarely serve the story and almost always detract, and many movies would arguably be better without it. I feel the same way when a movie pauses to make a political or social PSA. Like, it’s fine if it’s a natural flow of the story arc. But it’s almost always just a jarring deviation.

mingus88 2y ago
In the days of the early web there was a database that would give you timestamps and descriptions of nudity in movies, so that you could cut straight to the chase Or maybe I am remembering a scene from a raunchy comedy of that era (which probably prompted someone to make it) But the point is that in the dial up era there was no other way for horny people to get full motion video and audio smut, and there was a high demand for it Today the supply has far outpaced demand and we can consume as much as we can, all day every day. Movies simply don’t need to cater to that need any longer, and the movies are better for it

doright 2y ago

It could be that a large amount of porn consumption is kept as a private thing, but when sex scenes appear in media that is consumed "in public" (theatres, on the living room couch with friends, etc.) any reminder of that private life might cause anxiety about sexual preferences being found out by others. So the natural inclination is to react as strongly as the rest of the people against such scenes to avoid standing out. Also, maybe such prudishness could also publicly channel negative thoughts about the private porn consumption in an indirect way, in a "that's not really me" sense. I'm speculating here since porn is easier to hide the consumption of entirely unlike something like drugs. A more sympathetic reaction towards such scenes could be unconsciously seen as as much as a giveaway as a razor with mystery powder on it.

Yizahi 2y ago

And maybe finally there will be less focus on sex in the thematically unrelated movies. It's simply boring and predictable at this point, while taking valuable screen time out of 99 minute runtime. Same with forced old audience references in kids content and kid jokes and in the older audience content. Movies shouldn't be a salad of all possible tropes, genres and references just to try catch widest possible audience.