Over the past fifty years, popular culture has done a lot to shape our ideas of sex and has had a huge impact on our own, personal sex lives. The media has shaped our views and attitudes to sex in a range of different forms, with the internet, books, movies and television all having a part to play. The media has also played a significant part on the way that we view ourselves sexually, with media role models and ‘sex symbols’ setting the standard by which many people measure themselves.
Celebrities and Sex
Fifty years ago, the idea of a celebrity releasing a sex tape would have been an event met with much shock and even disgust, and most likely hidden away as a scandal never to be spoken of again. However, popular culture has changed people’s views on sex, meaning that society as a whole is more accepting of sex tapes and celebrities being open about aspects of their sex lives. In general, popular culture over the years has taught us that sex is a normal part of life and nothing to be ashamed of. Kim Kardashian, Pamela Anderson, and Paris Hilton are amongst celebrities who became even more famous due to a sex tape.
Romantic Fiction
Books have played a huge part in shaping our views on sex over the years. Romantic fiction has always been popular, and have been devoured by women everywhere for decades. Over the years, romantic fiction has become more and more explicit, with the recent Fifty Shades of Grey books being hugely popular with both women and men everywhere. Although the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy received some criticisms for being too sexual and has even been referred to as a controlling and violent relationship, there is no doubt that these books changed the way many people see BDSM and dominant/submissive sex – in fact, many readers wanted to give it a try with their partners.
The Internet
The development of the internet over the past twenty-five years has changed our outlook on a number of different things, with sex definitely being one of them. Thanks to the internet there is a lot more information about sex widely available online, information which regular people may have not been able to access beforehand. Not only does the internet serve to educate us about better sex, it has also been useful to many young people by providing them with access to information about sexually transmitted diseases and how to practice safe sex. The internet has also caused an increase in the amount of people using sex toys in order to enhance their sex lives and experiences, thanks to adult stores such as EdenFantasys taking away the need to walk into a physical sex shop to buy items such as sex toys and lubricants – something which is still embarrassing for some.
There is no doubt that popular culture has had and is still having a huge impact on our sex lives, with much of this impact being positive thanks to access to more information.
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