Module 4 Reflection

In chapter 6 of Connecting Social Problems and Popular Culture, Sternheimer discusses the controversial topic of pop culture’s promiscuity and the effects it has on today’s youth. She presents the argument that although sex may be more present than ever in popular culture, young people are not nearly as sexually active as many fear. The horror stories we see in the news regarding promiscuity often support the theory that kids these days have no morals as a result of the media. However, these stories ignore the vast majority of young people who are sexually responsible or do not participate in sexual activity at all. Sternheimer believes that social structure is to blame for “sexual revolution”, not popular culture. Sex is the media has always existed and always been controversial. In the early 20th century, politicians and activists demanded censorship, leading to the Hays Code. The Hays Code restricted any media content that was not considered to be “wholesome”. This was not just sexual content, but also content that showed interracial couples and questioned corporate America. I am currently in another summer school class that focuses on how the LGBT community is represented in film. I learned from this class that the Hays Code banned the entertainment industry from having any form or suggestion of homosexuality in films. While filmmakers were forced to comply with these ridiculous rules if they wanted their films to be seen, they still found ways to incorporate homosexuality into their storylines in sneaky ways until the Hays Code lost its power within the entertainment industry in the 1960’s. Similar to homosexuality, teen sex has and always will exist. Censoring the way natural human behaviors like these are represented in the media will not change the fact that they will always be present in our society, it only creates inaccurate and harmful stereotypes and assumptions. Sternheimer explains, “just as sexuality seems like a new invention for each generation of teens, the fear of teen sexuality is renewed in each adult generation” (2013, p. 148). Even though most members of the older generations do not discuss the sex lives they had when they were younger, most became sexually active at the same time kids today do. What has changed is the expectations of who teens are. Before industrialization, teens joined the work force, got married, and had kids at a much younger age than people in today’s world. Sexual behavior still began at the same time, it was just more likely that there would be a wedding before. Today, many expect those who are sexually mature to refrain from sexual activity before “socially defined adulthood.” These are unfair and unrealistic expectations to have. Sternheimer claims that the media has reflected the shifting attitudes that society has as time goes on. Instead of it being shameful, sex today is out in the open. Much of our research on teen sex continues to obsess over popular culture, ignoring the complicated influences of politics, race, and poverty. Similar to studies on violence and video games, researchers struggle to find negative connections between sexual behavior and the media. In fact, studies have shown a decline in teen sexual activity over the past decade. I would even argue that the media has made young people more knowledgeable about sex, something that many parents feel to uncomfortable to discuss with their kids. For example, the show Teen Mom made me realize how hard it would be to have a child at such a young age and inspired me to make the effort to get contraception. Overall, sexual behavior in teens has not changed much. What has changed is the way that we talk about it.

In chapter 8 of Connecting Social Problems and Popular Culture, Sternheimer gives an opposing perspective on the idea that the media is to blame for health hazards such as obesity and eating disorders. She argues that the cause of obesity, (along with many other topics discussed in this book) is a much more complicated issue that can’t be scapegoated on popular culture. Blame is often put on the way unhealthy food product market to children and too much time spent in front of the television.  As a society, we should be looking at large scale structural patters to understand  how this epidemic has gotten so severe over the past few decades. Sternheimer beautifully explains that, “While turning off the TV seems like an easy solution, it fails to take into account the complex realities of today’s health care needs and economic realities of many families dependent on cheap, high fat food living in neighborhoods with few safe spaces for children to play” (2013, p. 303). While obsessing over TV being the source of obesity in America, we completely miss the big picture. Sternheimer also discusses how eating disorders relate to the media. Contrary to popular belief, she argues that only a very small minority of people with eating disorders develop them as a result of skinny models who appear in the media. Studies have shown that many women with eating disorders have used their disorders a coping mechanism to deal with abuse, poverty, racism, homophobia, and other stresses (Sternheimer, 2013, p. 209). Although the fashion industry and Hollywood are infamous for employing women with eating disorders, our obsession with skinny is nothing new. For hundreds of years women have been trying different things to make themselves meet the “skinny beauty standard”. It is important to question why extreme thinness became associated with beauty in the first place. Yes, we see skinny in the media all the time, but the idealization of skinny has existed for far longer than the present day media. In conclusion, Sternheimer explains that “while we are busy worrying about what’s advertised on television or how thin models and celebrities are, America’s health care system is in a state of emergency” (2013, p.211). The biggest threat to the youth of our nation is limited access to healthcare. While some still want to believe that we live in the best nation in the world, we are ranked 37th in the world for healthcare and it is only continuing to get worse. Instead of wasting time focusing on somewhat petty factors that carry little weight in the overall influence of our country’s health, we must focus on recognizing the realities so that real change can be implemented.