Sex is everywhere; it is in video games, movies, books, ads, and music. Sometimes it is only hinted at or alluded to; sometimes it is showcased without shame. It can be tastefully done, and sometimes it can be tasteless. Even the things we hold most dear to us have tinges of sexual goings-on, whether it be “The Holy Bible”, “The Kamasutra” or other religious doctrine, sexuality is heavily laced into many religions.

Recent video games have sparked intense conversation about the portrayal of sexuality and violence. In some games romance plays a key part in the game, in some it is just an optional choice in which the character can play out. There are even hundreds of games that are intended for adults in which the main object of the game is to have sex or make your virtual partner reach orgasm. Some conservative and even some of the more liberal politicians have shown their dislike of such games. The issue about sex in video games is not new by any means, upon its creation there were several “adult oriented” games, such as the infamous video game “Custer’s Revenge” which was released on October 13, 1982. The object of this game was to cross a field of flying arrows to a naked Native American woman, once there Custer would rape the naked Native American woman. This game was heavily controversial and drew much criticism. There is no doubt sexuality will remain a part of video games going into the future, hopefully though we will not have to sit through another like “Custer’s Revenge”.

Many mainstream movies have pushed the envelope over the years in regard to sexuality. Not long after its creation in the1880s, the “Moving picture”, would show nudity and sexuality for the first time in 1915 when Audrey Munson appeared nude in the 1915 film “Inspiration”. Many of the films produced in the silent films era would have nudity, mostly presented in a historical or religious context. While the times have changed, something remained the same, there is still a large amount of mainstream films being produced in which not only have nudity but strong sexual content. As our society grows to become more accepting of sexuality we may see more films with artistic nudity.

Books have always been a source of sexuality and depictions of nudity. Of course not every book has sex, sexuality, or nudity in them. From a very successful and popular book that details adolescent relationships at a magical private school, to the kind of dime store romance novels that are available. The aforementioned which tip-toes around the issue but acknowledges relationships, while the latter uses sex and sexuality as its main focus. Throughout time, since humans began to put thought on paper, sexuality has been a mainstay in literature, for example sexual cave paintings of prehistoric man and women, to the tale of Romeo and Juliet. With many genres of novels, there are a lot to choose from. Whether an author is describing the mating habits of an ancient civilization, or mesmerizing readers with a tale of sexual fantasy, sexuality and sex are prevalent in many works of literature, now and then.

Sexual ads blanket magazines of today, some are advertising cologne and perfumes, and others are cigarette ads. Sex and partial nudity is a very effective marketing tool, and it is heavily used. Companies from video game producers, to milk advocates use sex or images that entice sexuality. Many ads project a stereotype of the perfect, sometimes said to be setting an unhealthy body image.

Several popular comedic television shows often use sexual humor in their episodes. One in which a male lead has many promiscuous sexual encounters with gorgeous women, while the other male lead has very few. Classics such as “The Beverly Hillbillies” and “Gilligan’s Island” even had sexual edge, with Donna Douglas as Elly May Clampett from “The Beverly Hillbillies”, and Tina Louise as Ginger Grant and Dawn Wells as Mary Ann Summers from “Gilligan’s Island”. Donna Douglas would become a popular sex symbol, making men’s jaws drop. In “Gilligan’s Island”, Ginger and Mary Ann would use their sex appeal to attempt to get their ways. Ginger often tried to seduce Gilligan and the Skipper with her good looks, occasionally kissing and hugging them. Mary Ann was more subtle but still used her good looks to her advantages. In the 1990s “Married with Children” would use a lot of sexual humor, Peg and Al would taunt one another about each others sexual performance or lack thereof, while their daughter had many sexual encounters would constantly fight with her abstinent brother. From old reruns of “Three’s Company” to new shows like “Two and a Half Men” sexuality is common place, and is here to stay.

Many musicians often sing about sexual encounters, beautiful lovers, and wild parties. Some even describe their encounters in great detail. Many artists use sensual images in their music videos. One of my favorites, Shakira, uses exotic and the sensual dance called “Raqs Sharqi” (also known as the belly dance). With so many music genres and styles, sexuality in music and its videos are common.

In conclusion, one does not have to look far at all to find sexuality in our lives. It is everywhere, from billboards to TV commercials. It is impossible to go to the market without seeing at least one thing that is not remotely sexual or sensual in nature. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? In my opinion, it has been like this forever, however now we have expanding technology which allows for a much larger audience. I believe there is good and bad with everything, and this is no exception. Second question I have for you to ponder, does the media push an unhealthy stereotype of the perfect body? I believe that, in many cases it does, the only way to combat this is education. It is not just young females that these body image stereotypes are being forced on. There are increasing numbers of younger men now that are facing the same issues as the young women when it comes to the complex issue of body image. I feel that schools and other outlets need to start to hold educational classes or at least devote some time to the topic.