Sex Sells!

by Streitmatter, Rodger

• ISBN13: 9780813342481
• ISBN10: 0813342481
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-09-21
• Publisher: Basic Books

Summary

In 1953 when Lucille Ball became pregnant, the censors required the characters on "I Love Lucy" to say only that the wacky redhead was "in the family way"-they feared the word "pregnant" might conjure up, in the minds of viewers, images of a man and woman having sexual intercourse. Now, some fifty years later, from giant billboards featuring nearly nude models in Times Square to Bill Clinton's creative definition of sex to Madonna and Britney's prime-time kiss, sex pervades virtually every aspect of public life, including the films and television programs we watch, the music we listen to, and the racy ads that bombard us. What happened?Through lively prose and engaging examples,Sex Sells!illuminates this arc from repression to obsession vis-a-vis changing sexual mores during the last five decades. Not only does the author examine how a broad range of media genres have reflected this libidinous journey, but he also shows how the media have played a leading role in propelling the Sexual Revolution. Whether it was the decision byCosmoeditor Helen Gurley Brown to run a photo of a nude Burt Reynolds in 1972 or the recent success of Showtime's sexually explicit "Queer as Folk," the media have led the charge in bringing sex into the mainstream. Along the way, what the author terms "sexual literacy" has become vital, especially for young media consumers. For Rodger Streitmatter, unlike many critics, believes that much of the media's sexual content is beneficial, as it gives parents and educators a jumping-off point from which to discuss such matters as AIDS, sexual identity, and sexual mores. In this age of continuing sexual liberation, such a viewpoint seems especially important and timely.

Author Biography

Rodger Streitmatter is a professor of communication at American University.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. ix
The 1950s: No Sex, Please, We're American	p. xiii
The Pill and the Media: Spawning a Revolution	p. 1
Playboy Magazine: Taking Pornography into the Mainstream	p. 15
James Bond: Bringing Sex into the Movies	p. 29
Jim Morrison of The Doors: Pushing the Limits of Sex in Music	p. 43
All in the Family: Bringing Sex to American Television	p. 57
Cosmopolitan Magazine: Celebrating the Sexually Active Woman	p. 67
Donahue: Talking Sex on Morning TV	p. 78
Three's Company: Adding Jiggle to the Small Screen	p. 90
Movies of the 1980s: Erasing Sexual Taboos	p. 103
American Advertising: Pitching with Prurience	p. 115
Madonna: Tackling Sexual Issues Through Music	p. 126
The Gay Nineties: Adam and Eve + Adam and Steve	p. 140
The Black Nineties: Showcasing African-American Sexuality	p. 154
Semen on the Front Page: Bill Clinton's Sex Life Redefines the News	p. 168
Youth Media: Shaping Teenage Sexual Values	p. 182
Paying for Sex (on Cable): Sex and the City and Queer as Folk	p. 196
Cyberporn: Bringing Sex to the World Wide Web	p. 210
Reality Television: Crossing New Sexual Thresholds	p. 222
"Sexual Literacy": Understanding the Media's Sexual Messages	p. 234
Notes	p. 247
Index	p. 273
Illustrations
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