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Sex in the Media

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Submitted By MarniceThomas
Words 984
Pages 4
Marnice Thomas
Mass Communications 101-5XB
04-14-09

Sex in the Media and Its Effects on Teens The mainstream media portrays sex in a way that permanently scars many teens before their teen years are over. Sex can be portrayed as the way to attain status and happiness in life. Advertisements still use sex to sell products, maybe more than ever.
As a society, we are more aware than ever of the danger of sexually transmitted diseases. Yet teens are bombarded with sexually explicit images as if STDs were something that only happened to other people. It is not surprising that some young people today act out their fantasies of sexual domination and power by raping or murdering others.

Sex is a gift from God. When a man and a woman marry, they should be able to look forward to enjoying a fulfilling sexual relationship for the rest of their lives. Yet long before people marry in our society, they have been forced to view images of cosmetically perfect bodies engaged in simulations of sexual acts. The way mainstream media portrays sex leaves many teens ill prepared for a life where lasting sexual joy can only come from a relationship built on mutual love, respect, honesty, and trust.

Sex is the second strongest of the psychological appeals, right behind self-preservation. Its strength is biological and instinctive. However, its effectiveness and application are gender linked. Thus, in advertising it is easy to get a man’s attention by using women’s bodies and associate getting the woman if he buys the product. It is playing on his instinctive side rather than his intellectual view of the world. To sell to a woman, advertising relies on romance. Romance fits into the woman’s intellectual view of relationships since its

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