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wait til they turn 13yrs old.
Gen Z wants less sex in movies
Right, and that's a lot of content. Heck, even material which is not ostensibly marketed to kids is marketed to kids. Consider those G-rated toys which only make sense if you've seen the R-rated movie.
On top of the Robocop cartoon.
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OH! My bad! I thought Gen Zers were adult age
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It feels like people are responding to this without actually reading the study and its specifics.
The questions about sexual content in TV/movies were directed at 13-24 year olds. Many of them articulated that they found explicit sexual content uncomfortable when they are watching with their friends. And I get it. When I was a teenager, I wouldn't have wanted to consistently sit through sex scenes while watching TV or movies with my friends. Even now when shows put excessive sex or violence in their episodes, I'll sometimes just end up walking away.
They also expressed that they wanted to see more stories that were centered on friendship instead of romance. I also highly relate to this. Sex and romance are definitely part of life--including life as a teen/young adult---but they aren't the be-all and end-all.
Kids these days are absolutely surrounded by sex. Heck, I've had kids in my classroom trying to do simple searches on their devices getting hit with explicit imagery that managed to sneak around the filter. From conversations with my students, I know that it's incredibly common for children to have seen pornographic imagery/content by the time they are like 8 or 9 years old. Sometimes by accident. Sometimes because a kid with a phone can google whatever they want, and inevitably many of them do, just out of curiosity.
I think that especially after the pandemic, young people need more support in building and maintaining friendships and platonic relationships. It can be overwhelming when every relationship you see on TV or in movies inevitably arcs into sex or romance.
Overall I just find myself agreeing with a lot of what they say. A lot of them think that sex isn't needed for the plot of most TV shows. Agree. They think that they'd like to see romances portrayed more realistically. Agree. They'd like to see more stories that center on friendship or family relationships. Agree. They are tired of franchises and reboots. Agree. They want stories that are uplifting. Agree.
The questions about sexual content in TV/movies were directed at 13-24 year olds. Many of them articulated that they found explicit sexual content uncomfortable when they are watching with their friends. And I get it. When I was a teenager, I wouldn't have wanted to consistently sit through sex scenes while watching TV or movies with my friends. Even now when shows put excessive sex or violence in their episodes, I'll sometimes just end up walking away.
They also expressed that they wanted to see more stories that were centered on friendship instead of romance. I also highly relate to this. Sex and romance are definitely part of life--including life as a teen/young adult---but they aren't the be-all and end-all.
Kids these days are absolutely surrounded by sex. Heck, I've had kids in my classroom trying to do simple searches on their devices getting hit with explicit imagery that managed to sneak around the filter. From conversations with my students, I know that it's incredibly common for children to have seen pornographic imagery/content by the time they are like 8 or 9 years old. Sometimes by accident. Sometimes because a kid with a phone can google whatever they want, and inevitably many of them do, just out of curiosity.
I think that especially after the pandemic, young people need more support in building and maintaining friendships and platonic relationships. It can be overwhelming when every relationship you see on TV or in movies inevitably arcs into sex or romance.
Overall I just find myself agreeing with a lot of what they say. A lot of them think that sex isn't needed for the plot of most TV shows. Agree. They think that they'd like to see romances portrayed more realistically. Agree. They'd like to see more stories that center on friendship or family relationships. Agree. They are tired of franchises and reboots. Agree. They want stories that are uplifting. Agree.
I think they're right. Most sex in TV and film is unnecessary. A few scattered exceptions come to mind, but overwhelmingly it adds very little. And most of the seeming exceptions could achieve the same thing without nudity or without an entire scene dedicated to the act.
Part of this, of course, is that we don't seem to tell as many stories where it would add something, which is to say, things like erotic thrillers. Anecdotally these seemed a good deal more prevalent in the 80s and 90s. I think they have value, I wouldn't mind it if they staged a relative comeback. But in the absence of making films that actually get something out of the natural interplay of sex and tension (the genre staple of sex and gore you see in slasher films being a simplistic and increasingly lazy expression of this), reducing it otherwise makes perfect sense.
And to put it in more market-based terms, you'd just expect there to be less "demand" for sex in mainstream fare when sexually explicit content is, as others have noted, not just readily available but even difficult to avoid. Mainstream shows and films present a necessarily diluted form of all that, so watching a mainstream production for the sex makes about as much sense as watching pornography for the acting.
I'll be all for them having more sex in mainstream stories when the people making them relearn the difference between sex and eroticism.
Part of this, of course, is that we don't seem to tell as many stories where it would add something, which is to say, things like erotic thrillers. Anecdotally these seemed a good deal more prevalent in the 80s and 90s. I think they have value, I wouldn't mind it if they staged a relative comeback. But in the absence of making films that actually get something out of the natural interplay of sex and tension (the genre staple of sex and gore you see in slasher films being a simplistic and increasingly lazy expression of this), reducing it otherwise makes perfect sense.
And to put it in more market-based terms, you'd just expect there to be less "demand" for sex in mainstream fare when sexually explicit content is, as others have noted, not just readily available but even difficult to avoid. Mainstream shows and films present a necessarily diluted form of all that, so watching a mainstream production for the sex makes about as much sense as watching pornography for the acting.
I'll be all for them having more sex in mainstream stories when the people making them relearn the difference between sex and eroticism.
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Having read articles about this for a long time, this one doesn't have much that's new, just an update on current practice. The see-saw aspect of attitudes about cinematic sex often end up with the question about whether sex will attract or repel customers. There was a period when it was considered "liberating" (whatever that means), but from what I've seen in movies, at least in the mainstream, not much is brought to the movie by more skin. There's not much more plot line movement that occurs in 10 minutes of sex than there is in a fairly quick suggestion that something happened.
On the other hand, if explicit sex is what you actually want, a 2 hour movie with 10 minutes of sex seems like a waste of 110 minutes.....just get down to business and quit with the dialog and plot action.
Personally, I don't care what people want to watch, but if I were financing a movie and someone brought a script that had a lot of sex time and/or action that was age-restricted, I'd have to wonder whether people will be going to see that movie because of the sex and whether that will offset the people that won't see the movie because of the sex. I doubt that sex is a convincing financial argument, especially in a world where you can stream more than you ever need to see for free and do it in the basement with the curtains shut.
On the other hand, if explicit sex is what you actually want, a 2 hour movie with 10 minutes of sex seems like a waste of 110 minutes.....just get down to business and quit with the dialog and plot action.
Personally, I don't care what people want to watch, but if I were financing a movie and someone brought a script that had a lot of sex time and/or action that was age-restricted, I'd have to wonder whether people will be going to see that movie because of the sex and whether that will offset the people that won't see the movie because of the sex. I doubt that sex is a convincing financial argument, especially in a world where you can stream more than you ever need to see for free and do it in the basement with the curtains shut.
Last edited by skizzerflake; 10-30-23 at 03:44 PM.
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Having read articles about this for a long time, this one doesn't have much that's new, just an update on current practice. The see-saw aspect of attitudes about cinematic sex often end up with the question about whether sex will attract or repel customers. There was a period when it was considered "liberating" (whatever that means), but from what I've seen in movies, at least in the mainstream, not much is brought to the movie by more skin. There's not much more plot line movement that occurs in 10 minutes of sex than there is in a fairly quick suggestion that something happened.
On the other hand, if explicit sex is what you actually want, a 2 hour movie with 10 minutes of sex seems like a waste of 110 minutes.....just get down to business and quit with the dialog and plot action.
Personally, I don't care what people want to watch, but if I were financing a movie and someone brought a script that had a lot of sex time and/or action that was age-restricted, I'd have to wonder who's going to see that movie because of the sex to offset the people that won't see the movie because of the sex. I doubt that sex is a convincing financial argument, especially in a world where you can stream more than you ever need to see for free.
On the other hand, if explicit sex is what you actually want, a 2 hour movie with 10 minutes of sex seems like a waste of 110 minutes.....just get down to business and quit with the dialog and plot action.
Personally, I don't care what people want to watch, but if I were financing a movie and someone brought a script that had a lot of sex time and/or action that was age-restricted, I'd have to wonder who's going to see that movie because of the sex to offset the people that won't see the movie because of the sex. I doubt that sex is a convincing financial argument, especially in a world where you can stream more than you ever need to see for free.
I think we're so used to selling everything with sex, that it's a reflex action. What are they supposed to do? Write compelling dialogue?
Most of us already know that a cosmetic or article of clothing won't change what I see in the mirror. The illusion or suggestion that we will look or smell as good as the people on the screen falls apart when we realize that when it gets more explicit, most of us don't "measure up". The business of selling stuff with sex only works when you don't actually see much, but assume that some new jeans will make YOU into the object of desire.
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Every generation is influenced by the one before it, so when you hear Gen Z calling Millennials cringe they are also talking about themselves. They just don’t realize it yet. They’ll grow out of it, I hope.
I just think about when I was about 17, and the adults kept saying we were a lazy bunch of good-for-nothings who had no work ethic, listened to "devil music", and dressed like a bunch of bums.
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Part of this, of course, is that we don't seem to tell as many stories where it would add something, which is to say, things like erotic thrillers. Anecdotally these seemed a good deal more prevalent in the 80s and 90s. I think they have value, I wouldn't mind it if they staged a relative comeback. But in the absence of making films that actually get something out of the natural interplay of sex and tension (the genre staple of sex and gore you see in slasher films being a simplistic and increasingly lazy expression of this), reducing it otherwise makes perfect sense.
I'm not saying that you specifically are interpreting this study as a mandate, but that I'm seeing a lot of reactions that are seeing this conversation as all or nothing. I think that the Infinity Pools of the world can co-exist with films that center friendship.
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And it's important to keep in mind that the demographic of this study was teens and young adults.
Then again, my generation was one of latchkey kids playing in the streets, vacuous consumerism, and a lot of stuff that our parents shouldn't have let us watch.Cup: You're going to make me feel lousy? I want to feel better. What kind of therapy is this?
Therapist: You don't have any inner demons. You have inner crapola. Inner debris, garbage... ...horseshit in staggering amounts.
I don't disagree that kids should not be watching this stuff, but a part of me (perhaps irrational) thinks it unnatural to not want to watch (i.e., kids are supposed to push boundaries and we're supposed to slow them down enough that they don't break too much furniture). Have we failed these kids so badly that they're self-parenting or are they growing old before their time? I dunno. But their movies suck.
Like I said before if you trust the survey you trust the survey, But as we saw with the Sight and Sound poll these things can easily be manipulated based on who you ask. It's one thing to say oh it's Gen Z...are these American Gen Z or are these people who fill out surveys in Latin American countries for money (that happens). Also we don't know what the questions were asked....one of the more troubling things I saw was this...
How many films with blatant sex or romance are even released every year. No Hard Feelings was very successful this year but Past Lives was not
Other findings:
— Racial stereotypes in shows were intensely disliked. In fact, just having a person of color portraying a villain, or portraying a character with negative traits, was also disliked.
— Gen Z considers social media to be “authentic media,” with TikTok considered the most authentic platform (even though its search feature delivers far more misinformation than, say, Google, according to a report).
— Their favorite theme in stories was “hopeful, uplifting content with people beating the odds” and “people with lives like my own.”
— Racial stereotypes in shows were intensely disliked. In fact, just having a person of color portraying a villain, or portraying a character with negative traits, was also disliked.
— Gen Z considers social media to be “authentic media,” with TikTok considered the most authentic platform (even though its search feature delivers far more misinformation than, say, Google, according to a report).
— Their favorite theme in stories was “hopeful, uplifting content with people beating the odds” and “people with lives like my own.”
How many films with blatant sex or romance are even released every year. No Hard Feelings was very successful this year but Past Lives was not
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I propose the Toilet Test.
Should we see our hero on the toilet? Everybody poops? Are poop prudes? Yes, as a matter of fact, we are. If the moment of pooing is relevant to the story and it is tastefully handled, sure we can be in the crapper with our hero. However, gratuitous sex in the movies (especially in an age of free ubiquitous hardcore porn) is pointless. A sex scene should meet the same criteria that a crapper scene should meet. Why are we watching this? What is the point? Is this in bad taste?
Should we see our hero on the toilet? Everybody poops? Are poop prudes? Yes, as a matter of fact, we are. If the moment of pooing is relevant to the story and it is tastefully handled, sure we can be in the crapper with our hero. However, gratuitous sex in the movies (especially in an age of free ubiquitous hardcore porn) is pointless. A sex scene should meet the same criteria that a crapper scene should meet. Why are we watching this? What is the point? Is this in bad taste?
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What's interesting in this context as well is that reality TV seems to have way more sex now than it ever did, at least in my experience. Not nearly as explicit as what might appear in movies, but there nonetheless.
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What's interesting in this context as well is that reality TV seems to have way more sex now than it ever did, at least in my experience. Not nearly as explicit as what might appear in movies, but there nonetheless.
If 90% of content appeals to 50% of the audience while 10% appeals to 40% which side to going to be more successful?
And this is all based not on results but market research that seemed to cover a wide variety of topics with pieces of data getting cherry picked.
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Slightly off-topic but connected: I think that nowadays we lost the genre of erotica almost entirely and I don't like that. We can choose between hard porno and mainstream fare with a few sex scenes awkwardly pasted onto forcefully. But back in the day, we had eroticism that was everywhere between these two extremes. And I think there's a need for this kind of adult entertainment. Something like American erotic thrillers or Hong Kongese sex comedies / CAT III - just something for adults to enjoy watching for entertainment and thrill and not sexual satisfaction.
BTW what a ludicrous notion that nobody pays attention to acting in porn. Good acting is essential for a good porn video.
BTW what a ludicrous notion that nobody pays attention to acting in porn. Good acting is essential for a good porn video.
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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.
Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.
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I think that nowadays we lost the genre of erotica almost entirely and I don't like that.
On a related note I recall a poster on RT once commented that porn itself had lost an essential feature in the age of the internet, shame. That is, decades ago a consumer would have to go to the register and ask for "that" magazine or rent "that" VHS. The idea being that this was a self-regulatory feature (keeping maintenance levels from getting out of hand), but also part of the rush (the overall aesthetic experience). More intense and less frequent consumption by the public, but with many bemused, amused, and disturbed clerks.
Interesting thought. The disappearance seems to suggest that, for most viewers, it was a stop gap. That is, give them the choice in the privacy of their own home, and they'll go hardcore.
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