Perspectives on Sexuality Flashcards
Biological Sex
biological condition of being male or female determined by genes, physiology and hormones.
Gender
The psychological experience of femaleness and maleness
How does the media influence how we think about sex and sexuality?
- Shapes our own view of ourselves and norms.
- What is normal what should be desired but that in itself is a social construct
- Often portrays stereotypes. ex: gay flamboyant male
- Allows people who don’t feel they fit in to find their group
- Doesn’t always show “real life”
Sex has been used in ______ for decades to sell things
advertisements
The Kiss (1896)
The first ever motion picture kiss, considered very “scandalous”
Mary Kay & Johnny (1947)
First couple to sleep in a bed together, moral outrage even though they were married
I Love Lucy
Lucille Ball was pregnant in “I Love Lucy” but the word “pregnant” was not allowed. Tried to hide the fact she was pregnant and too scandalous to talk about.
What was the first vibrator created for?
To relieve women of hysteria by inducing orgasms
What is hysteria?
A controversial mental illness specific to women characterized by the conversion of psychological stresses (sexual frustration) into physical symptoms, volatile emotions and attention seeking behaviours.
What are two examples where sex started to become key in advertisements for non-sexual items
- Luxury soaps said to “keep the romance alive”
2. Pin-up girls used in cola ads
Why do ads that showcase women’s sexuality not always be a good things?
They can convince women that buying a certain product will close the gap between themselves and the ideal woman.
What has the internet created in the police department?
A whole department for sex crimes facilitated by the internet.
How does the media portray the fantasy of sex in relation to STI and pregnancy?
Makes out pregnancy and STIs to be rare. It idealizes sexual scripts that are not including safe sex behaviour is dangerous.
STIs
An illness, disease or infection transmitted from one person to another by means of sexual behaviour, including sexual intercourse (both vaginal and anal), oral sex, and the use of shared sex toys.
What is a sexual script?
a series of learned predictable actions that lead to intercourse.
Contraception
Deliberate use of natural techniques, an artificially created barrier, or hormonal methods to prevent pregnancy as a result of sexual intercourse.
What is BDSM?
A type of roleplay or lifestyle choice between two or more individuals that includes a wide range of activities involving safe and consensual manipulation of erotic power. The term stands for “bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, sadism and masochism”
What % of primetime television addressed safe sex as well as sex?
11%
What % of primetime television addressed sexual precautions during sex scenes
2%
There is a high correlation between _________ _______ _________ and exposure to sex in the media
risky sexual behaviour
When was the first female-female kiss?
1991
When was the first male-male kiss?
1960
How was Caitlyn Jenner helpful?
she promoted positivty for the transgender community
When was the first interracial kiss on television vs. film?
1968 & 1903
How have other races been portrayed in the media?
in a negative light
How are white vs. black males portrayed different in the media?
The media tends to dehumanize black males and by objectifying their bodies during sex scenes more than white males. Often given norms where: sex without intimacy is the norm, partners are acknowledged though dominance or violence.
What may contribute to the high rates of STIs in black populations
black music videos tend to be more sexualized than whites. Poses the greatest threat to black women who model what they see
Ethnocentrism
the tendency to believe that one’s ethnic group or cultural group is the norm and to view other ethnicities or cultures as abnormal or different.
How has America changed in terms of their sexual norms?
Americans tend to be more accepting of casual relationships, sex before marriage and have more sexual partners
What do Americans still find appauling
sex outside of marriage
How do our norms change?
Media has changed. Not as many people are reading religious texts but looking to television/media
What is sex in Judeo-Christian texts?
The Original Sin
What is the story of Pandora?
Pandora opens a box with all the knowledge and bad things (sickness, evil & death) therefore releasing all the bad into the world, the box has been compared to the woman’s womb