Media Representation Of Sex: More Than Just The Fantasies
Cinema is said to be the mirrors of society. Movies and TV shows raise the bar for expectations for experiences in life, and sex is no exception. With Positive ones there are negative ones as well. Many TV shows and movies include aspects of sex that is not sex positive. These days the audience realizes that they have a choice for the content that they can consume. With that we can only hope that there are Films and TV can bring up a sex positive environment in the society. Before that, let’s talk about the parts that make us say ” That was amazing!” .
This is well done! Parts we would love to see more of in 2022:
Before pointing the red flags, let’s appreciate the green ones which get sex and sexuality right.
While western cinema tries to commercialize sex, Indian cinema moves far from it. Indian cinema also does not overdo sex in it’s stories. Shafi, A student who is interested in breaking down movies and understanding the parts of it says ” Most western TV shows and movies force it into the scene even when it is not needed. Indian movies and shows on the other hand, carefully craft it and do not overly commercialize it.”. It also helps that there are some mainstream movies that do show sex as it is, without any drama or “Masala” to it. This is something we want to see more in 2022. Now let’s talk about the
What makes us Cringe? The Parts we need to leave in 2021:
[ DISCLAIMER!!: CONTAINS MENTIONS OF RAPE AND NEXT TO RAPE. KINDLY PROCEED WITH CAUTION OR DO NOT READ IT]
When having conversations on what is not done well in media about sex and sexuality, there are so many elements that we see. Some of them are:
- Dismissing Consent: Consent is that one aspect that we see dismissed in the world of movies. While there are some movies that do get it right, many do not, which is problematic to a very large extent. Consent should not be skipped when you talk about sex. We can only hope this changes in 2022.
- Omission of Rape: Many movies in Indian cinema in the world is criticized for the portrayal of Rape. Men in movies are portrayed to be dominating figures or glorified to a large extent. But, Women are portrayed in either a overly sexual way or in a way that compliments the male lead, which isn’t what happens in real life. This idea leads to misogynistic and patriarchal plots. While, Rape isn’t induced in the story, these “norms” in society show signs of Rape. We can hope we don’t get to watch movies like that.
- Sexualizing the actors: Sexualizing women and men in Indian cinema has become very common. It is done so much that it has come to a point where we are forced to look away from the screen. This kind of inappropriateness is what we need to leave in 2021 for good.
- Misrepresentation of the LGBTQ+ community: YES! This problem does exist and we are no strangers to it. There are many movies and TV shows that use Gay/ trans characters as either comic reliefs or someone who is a “predator”. This misrepresentation is something we need to say goodbye to in 2022 because it’s the 21st century.
Conclusion
While it is the 21st century, there are a lot of mainstream movies and TV shows that do not get sex right. The constant use of misogyny, heavy promotion of Gender roles, Using LGBTQ+ characters as punching lines and many other problematic concepts doesn’t help with normalising sex.
One important step we need to take as audience with sound minds is normalizing sex and sexualities.
Sex is also not a tool to lure people into watching a movie or a show so we really hope that changes too. So dear 2022, I hope you’ve heard all this and you try to make this happen.
Cover Graphic: Pinterest.com
Author
Parnika
Media Representation Of Sex: More Than Just The Fantasies
Cinema is said to be the mirrors of society. Movies and TV shows raise the bar for expectations for experiences in life, and sex is no exception. With Positive ones there are negative ones as well. Many TV shows and movies include aspects of sex that is not sex positive. These days the audience realizes that they have a choice for the content that they can consume. With that we can only hope that there are Films and TV can bring up a sex positive environment in the society. Let’s talk about the red flags that make us look away from our screens.
This is well done! Parts we would love to see more of in 2022:
Before pointing the red flags, let’s appreciate the green ones which get sex and sexuality right.
While western cinema tries to commercialize sex, Indian cinema moves far from it. Indian cinema also does not overdo sex in it’s stories. Shafi, A student who is interested in breaking down movies and understanding the parts of it says ” Most western TV shows and movies force it into the scene even when it is not needed. Indian movies and shows on the other hand, carefully craft it and do not overly commercialize it.”. It also helps that there are some mainstream movies that do show sex as it is, without any drama or “Masala” to it. This is something we want to see more in 2022. Now let’s talk about the
What makes us Cringe? The Parts we need to leave in 2021:
[ DISCLAIMER!!: CONTAINS MENTIONS OF RAPE AND NEXT TO RAPE. KINDLY PROCEED WITH CAUTION OR DO NOT READ IT]
When having conversations on what is not done well in media about sex and sexuality, there are so many elements that we see. Some of them are:
- Dismissing Consent: Consent is that one aspect that we see dismissed in the world of movies. While there are some movies that do get it right, many do not, which is problematic to a very large extent. Consent should not be skipped when you talk about sex. We can only hope this changes in 2022.
- Omission of Rape: Many movies in Indian cinema in the world is criticized for the portrayal of Rape. Men in movies are portrayed to be dominating figures or glorified to a large extent. But, Women are shown in a way that fits that character, which isn’t what happens in real life. This idea leads to misogynistic and patriarchal plots. While, Rape isn’t induced in the story, these “norms” in society show signs of Rape. We can hope we don’t get to watch movies like that.
- Sexualizing the actors: Sexualizing women and men in Indian cinema has become very common. It is done so much that it has come to a point where we are forced to look away from the screen. This kind of inappropriateness is what we need to leave in 2021 for good.
Conclusion
While it is the 21st century, there are a lot of mainstream movies and TV shows that do not get sex right. The constant use of misogyny, heavy promotion of Gender roles, Using LGBTQ+ characters as punching lines and many other problematic concepts doesn’t help with normalising sex.
One important step we need to take as audience with sound minds is normalizing sex and sexualities.
Sex is also not a tool to lure people into watching a movie or a show so we really hope that changes too. So dear 2022, I hope you’ve heard all this and you try to make this happen.
Author