Igrew up without a television.While the disadvantages of such a lifestyle are obvious, I do have the advantage of being able to watch "The Simpsons" without experiencing it as a re-run. In any case, I was recently forced to watch the Thursday night phenomenon known as "The O.C."Interestingly, my viewing of the show was in the presence of a group of my guy friends.These guys, all heterosexual, make it a weekly event to share "The O.C." experience with each other. They all pow-wow around the glowing TV with their case of Miller High Life and the window shades down (so as to avoid the awkward confession of their "O.C." fetish).
Within minutes of watching the lavish Californian drama, saturated with racy scenes (including lesbianism and housewife adultery), I started to see what it was that made this show so enticing. Once the hour was over, however, it became apparent that the real spectacle was just about to unfold.
"The O.C." permeated the little box and made its way into the psyche of these guys. It was unbelievable what an impact this show was having on their nature, without them even realizing it. Besides the heated debate of who was the "most like Luke," it was the more subtle nuances that caught my attention.
I chuckled to myself over the next couple of days noticing each of my friends new quirks. Brian started specifying that his water come in seltzer form, Alex began strategically matching his boxers with his socks and Richie started to pursue older women ... much older women.What had this show done to my beer pong heroes?Was "The O.C." actually transforming these belching masters into metrosexuals with three neatly labeled recycling bins?
This decrease in masculinity inspired a more broad curiosity in me about the power of media. Sure, the media has a dramatic impact on people in a variety of ways, but considering the overwhelming abundance of sex in these ubiquitous images, it's impossible to think that the media would not affect a person sexually.
There was a time when the word "pregnant" was considered too scandalous for public television and married couples were shown sleeping in separate beds. Nowadays, most sexual activity on television occurs between unmarried couples. In fact, "one study found that unmarried heterosexual characters engage in sexual intercourse four to eight times as much as married characters," according to the University of California at Santa Barbara SexInfo Web site.
What is even more discerning is that the images viewed by children are constantly becoming more and more explicit. Remember that cute doll-like Disney character Snow White? Compare her to the post-MTV female icon, Jasmine, who looks like she walked right out of last month's "Playboy." Sex icons are being pressed into the minds of even the most virginal.
Even worse are video games like "Grand Theft Auto," which is equipped with outrageous features like the ability to have sex with a prostitute and beat her up afterwards. What's next? "Death Penalty," where you can date-rape your prom date?
Alright, so I may be dramatizing the situation, but the truth is that people often turn to television for guidance on relationships and intimacy. I remember back in the day sitting around with my boyfriend trying to sketch his face, when he looked at me and slowly started to get undressed. His lip curled as he said, "Kate, I want you to draw me" and then he lifted up his bling-bling and continued, "wearing this. Wearing only this," à la Kate Winslet. Oh sweet lord, the horrors that the media has done to my relationships.
I don't really think that people are going to go have sex with people they don't know just because their favorite actor did. But, I am disturbed by the reality that (as personified by my "O.C." experience) the media does influence us sexually.
Have you ever seen two steamy actors about to fornicate when suddenly ... the camera pans gracefully around the couple as he fumbles with a condom?Think about it. The media is using sex to sell (and it's brilliant) but the thing is, this is supposed to be a representation of the real world, not the other way around.
Kate Carlisle is a Health & Sexuality Columnist. She can be reached at kate@cavalierdaily.com.
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