Sex in Society

However you may see it, repulsive, vulgar, natural, blameless, imperative, no one can deny that sex is part of life. And like all things concerning life it has evolved with time. Sex, once being a simple act of reproduction to our ancestors, slowly picked up extra associations such as pleasure, emotion and expression to become a complicated performance with much conflicting interpretation. In the 1950's sex was a secret well swept under the rug, separate beds for married couples, a "no questions asked" subject that was seen as nothing more than a sinful deed; in the 1970's many people took a new outlook on sex as a beautiful means of expression of love, peace and freedom while thousands of daisy chained wearing hippies ran topless with few if any constraints. And finally we have now, the present day, where the deliberation of sexual education in schools is only one of the many concerns of the American people regarding sex. Through music, through films, television, almost every single thing that already plays an extremely huge role in America's culture is being bombarded with images of crude sex. And most of the time it is not displayed, I believe, in an appropriate style that brings truth and represents kindness.

Sex is displayed in one of the hugest, most prominent forms of today's

pop culture: music. Every single outlet of music that we have is easily available from records, cd's, ipods, mp3 players, radio to music videos, mtv and more. Certain artists have more fame than others and their music is generally what is played on the radio; their music videos are shown on the t.v. and they hold great influence over today's youth with their lyrics. Teenagers spend four to five hours a day listening to music and tend to list it as one of their top hobbies (PopCult Mag.). So music plays an incredible stimulus in teenagers' principles and mentality. Such popular artists as 50-Cent, Snoop Dogg and Lil' Kim have many songs which are laced with lyrics that glorify promiscuous sex and gratuitous violence. In one of Snoop Dogg's songs titled "Big Pimpin' " he speaks back and forth with Nate Dogg, another well known artist, "Now do I love them hoes? (HELL NAW!)

And why is that? (Because you're Snoop Doggy Dogg!)

(And you never gave a fuck about a bitch;

cause to you, bitches ain't shit but hoes and tricks)"

In this particular set of lyrics it is the terminology that Snoop and Nate use describing the female gender that damages the bond of man and woman depicting an image in young male minds that a girl/woman is just a "hoe/bitch/trick". Labeling women with such derogatory titles further diminishes the amiability that sexual relationships should hold. As this music is pushed to the forefront of the dominating music industry it devalues the sacredness of sex and makes it into act of rude behavior, no consequences and most often no respect for the partner.

Another huge industry blooming with popularity and displaying sex regularly is porn. And this particular industry is the most blatant about demeaning sex into an act of straight vulgarity with such names as "Deep Throat", "Sex Starved F*** Sluts", "Crack Whores of America" and millions more (100 Worst Porn Movie Titles). Although porn is intended for older viewers, no one can pretend that teenagers and even younger children do not have easy access to it. As they watch such films, they can easily perceive the belief that sex is nothing more than two, three, four people with no emotions attached participating in an act with no purpose but to entertain. When seeing the same actors and actresses have sex with multiple partners through the 30 minute film it sends the message that sex is no longer a monogamous act but a cheap charade that has no