Kristen Stewart: Sexuality In The Media

If you turn on the television or flip through a fashion magazine, it is very likely you will presented with many displays of hypersexualization of girls and women in advertising images and in media. There are many components to sexualization. It occurs, according to the American Psychological Association, when “a person’s value comes only from his or her sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics.” This person is held to a standard that equates physical attractiveness with being sexy. “Sexualization” happens when a person is sexually objectified- that is, made into a thing for others’ sexual use, rather than being seen as a person with their own independent actions and abilities to make decisions. Oftentimes, sexuality is inappropriately imposed upon a person without their knowing it or consent. Sometimes, researchers use the word “hypersexualization” to describe roughly the same idea. In the article, “Media’s Growing Sexualization of Women”, hypersexualization is defined as, “The act of making something extremely sexual and erotic.”

Interestingly, statistics show that the mothers’ side of the family has a greater influence on gender orientation rather than the fathers. Also noted that over 65% of the candidates who identified as homosexual, their mothers either had none or only one live brother. (4) Comparing myself to this, my mother only has one brother!

"I don't believe in rape. No means no. Wait, if no meant no, all men would die a virgin. No means work on the neck, the nipples and come back in five minutes. I'm not saying a father should give this version of the birds and bees to his son. Listen she's gonna block your hands four or five times at least. I didn't raise you to be a quitter out there now did I. She wouldn't dress like that if she didn't want to get fingered." Comedian, Daniel Tosh expressed this quote meaning for it to be harmful. But, is it really harmful? Is this what society really thinks? Are women supposed to be easy? Do men need to take control and get what they want? A simple joke can be seen as what our society really

There is a huge controversy in whether or not young girls are sexualized in the media. I absolutely agree that young girls and women are sexualized, us women are shown as sex objects and the world thinks its right. As a community, we should not let the media provoke women in the way they do. It disgusting on how they show women in tiny bathing suits. When did beauty ever become on what’s on the outside of a human being, beauty is on the inside; what’s in the heart. The media has set crazy standards for young girls and everyone is to blind to realize.

With the media becoming the main source from which the current society gets their daily information concerning products, news stories, and entertainment, it is wise to think critically about the messages they are conveying to us. These corporations spend large sums of money every day in order to grasp our attention. The question as to whether or not they have their customer’s best interest in mind arises and leaves the public no answer but to look to the advertisements they have produced. Consider the pistachio industry using a woman with a whip to grasp the viewers’ attention. In reality, is a provocative image what it takes to sell us a simple bag of pistachios? With advertising decisions like these come negative consequences such as the

Transgender characters in scripted television can seem like a phenomenon. The very fact that there are shows on air that feature transgender characters in reoccurring or starring roles is a huge step for the transgender community. Visibility in the media is the first step in the long journey of erasing the bias and hate that the transgender population faces. However, these steps are only productive if the depictions are positive. Television helps inform and shape the public opinion of the transgender community, and has a strong effect on the formation of self-identity when watched by transgender individuals. Using examples from The Golden Girls, Matlock, Orange is the New Black, The L Word, and Transparent, this paper shows common tropes and characters of transgender representation. Although scripted television shows have become more inclusive in regards to transgender visibility, the onscreen depiction of transgender individuals is still misguided.

Isabella Marie Swan “Bella” as she likes to be called, is a character and the hero of the Twilight series. Bella is depressed and there seems to be something missing inside of her. She appears to be 'emotionless'. Bella is seen as 'vacant'. Bella has no outside interests. Even at school, she is unsociable and reserve (Durham, 2015). Bella wants to keep to herself. It appears that she's hesitant to put stock into individuals, and reluctant to show anyone her identity, or let them get to know her (Durham, 2015). She doesn't especially like the attention, she is uncomfortable in the spotlight. Bella has a dependency and its frequently goes with Depression. Depression is a capable, and a crippling thing. There is nothing else to Bella's life, nothing that finishes her, nothing that brings her delight and happiness, nothing that can make her life

Chapter 18 was complex on all measures and for some reason it was hard for me to deconstruct what it was they were trying to say. What I have concluded is that the once leftfield concepts of the queer lifestyle are now being embraced and used in mainstream films. I also concluded from the chapter that Hollywood is embracing this idea of escapism and fantasy by opening avenues that combat the heterosexual hegemony.

American Beauty is a 1999 film directed by Sam Mendes to portray the life of Lester Burnham, a sexually frustrated father who falls in love with his daughter’s best friend, during his mid-life crisis. American Beauty introduces many different concepts of human sexuality, such as sexual fantasy, sexual orientation, and sexual arousal. The concept of sexual fantasy appears many times throughout the movie, especially when Lester Burnham encounters Angela Hayes and fantasizes about sexual behaviors involving her. American Beauty also introduces two of the main sexual orientations, which are homosexuality and heterosexuality. Jim Olmeyer and Jim Berkley, the neighbors of Burnham family, appear in the beginning of the film as homosexual lovers and Lester and Carolyn Burnham appear as heterosexual married couple. Furthermore, Carolyn Burnham engages in an affair with Buddy Kane because she is sexually aroused by his power and reputation. Lester Burnham is also sexually aroused by the fantasies that he has with Angela Hayes. Even though there are other concepts of human sexuality in American Beauty, sexual fantasy, sexual orientation, and sexual arousal are the most relevant concepts that appears in the film.

My research will look at gender and sexual fluidity, analysing its portal in the Irish media. Due to the growing social change over the last two decades, a discourse analysis through time, looking at how sexuality is discussed through time it can be argued that people in Ireland now have the ability to talk more about sexuality and sexual identity.

A recent post on Vanity Fair with title “Suicide Squad’s Harley Quinn; the Most Divisive

In the first period, (mid 80's) the homosexual man, the "gay" was something not completely caught on. Gays were depicted as a stereotype. A qualification between a homosexual man and a transgender was not made. Anybody "not typical" was thought to be gay person. Within pages of the newspapers frequently utilized homosexuals as subjects to news of "murder, perversity and immorality." Homosexuality was demonstrated as an issue to excite the general population. This was additionally the period when AIDS got to be known as a disease of gay people. AIDS was breaking news, along with homosexuality.

Transexuality is socially and polticially constructed as a threat to both male and heterosexual privilege. In the media especially, the feminization of trans gender women is exploited through hyper sexualized and hyper feminized images, reinforcing a superficial femininity that ultimately only serves as an artificial mask. Through images of glamour the construction of the female body acts as a canvas suitable for a variety of socially impacting messages and stereotypes. By presenting transexuality through the socially acceptable depictions of “deceptive or pathetic” society consumes a type of social conformity and “enlightened sexism” manufactured by the media- positioning women as figures designed for the realm of representation, rather than knowledge.

According to a poll of 10 to 16 year olds done by the advocacy group Children Now, "77 percent say that there is too much premarital sex on T.V., while 62 percent say sex on T.V. and in movies influences kids to have sex when they are too young" (Clark, "Sex, Violence"). The influences of the media is felt everywhere and especially in terms of human sexuality. Everything from TV commercials to the newspaper has some form of sex in it, usually to keep the audience interested. In modern society, the changing times as well as media executives wanting more ratings(and therefore money) have lead to teenagers more willing to try sexual acts at a younger age and the country being more openminded about sexual issues.

Since birth human behaviour is influenced by what the individual sees and there surroundings, this influence is greatest at a young age and fades as the individual grows in age, but never completely goes away. In today’s society where sex is something that is openly broadcasted in order to promote everything from products to television shows, sex is something that the youth of today are exposed to from an early age. But what effects can this exposure at such a vulnerable stage in life cause? Early exposure to sexual content can increase the likeliness of youth participating in sexual activity by the large amount that they are exposed too, the glorification of sex, the lack of regulation of sexual content in the media by the government, and