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Miranda Lipscomb 1-April-2014 English 1102 Rand Teenage sex and Media The media is presented to us daily not only on twitter or Facebook but on television and in magazines. Teenagers are the main focus of the medias attention. Pregnancy, sex and relationships are on every station from MTV to VH1 and BRAVO. The influence of the media is at an all-time high especially when this generation is so dependent on social media for everything in their daily lives. The teenage mind is always wondering and looking for ways to be accepted by their peers and being the last in your group of friends to lose your v card is embarrassing. The need to fit in is at an all-time high due to the constant images and portrayal of the ideal person and relationships shown in the media. Sex is present everywhere from song lyrics to movies. This paper will discuss how powerful the media is in controlling the lives of teenagers especially when it comes to sexual relations. Whether good or bad. More than half of television programming has sexual content, and some have estimated that as many as 65,000 instances of sex are portrayed during the afternoon and early evening hours (Nichols,94). Many people tend to oversee the amount of power that the media has on a persons life but it is a prevalent one especially in the lives of a teenager. Even in the earlier days TV shows like Clueless initiated sexual activity alongside albums from artist like R.Kelly and Silk. This is not a new trend, but in this generation it is a more dominant one. In the earlier years teenage pregnancy and sexual relations were looked down upon but not as much because when the young girls were getting pregnant they were married. So this justified their pregnancy, but now because

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the young couple isnt married it is scowled upon. There are more TVs in a persons home than books in most cases and with this being a fact in the 21st century there is no wonder why the media has such a hold on this generation. In a 2002 survey of teens sponsored by the Kaiser Foundation 43% of teens ages 15-17 say they learned how to talk with a sexual partner about safer sex, and 60% said they learned how to say no to a sexual situation that makes them uncomfortable, from TV programs (Nichols, 94). Having sex with someone can cause you to develop strong emotions that you would not normally develop if as a couple you did not decide to take the relationship to the next level. Trojan commercials showcase how good sex is and how it makes you feel happy and exciting. Yes the commercials promote safe sex but none than less its promoting sex. The latest Trojan commercial depicts a young teenage couple kissing and when the boy pulls out the condom it falls but to his disbelief the young lady has one in her pocket so they can reusme in the relations. The company used younger actors in the commercial so that it can attract the attention of the younger generation. These commercials are really apparent in the afternoon and later hours of the day when the average highscool student is at home and watching TV. I have also noticed that these commercials appear more on MTV and VH1 because these are the main channels that teenagers watch. The Medias influence is used to good standard because understanding the amount of power that television shows have possessed are used to this advantage. The Tv series Teen Mom and 16 and pregnant are examples of the media using its power to influence and educate teenagers especially girls to have safe sex if not have any at all because the life of these teenage mothers have changed forever because of one night and it usually is the first time they have sex. Both 16 and pregnant and Teen Mom have been airing since 2009 and Teen Mom was MTVs

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most successful show in 2009. Alongside that it was one of the top three U.S. cable shows that year, attracting an average of 3.3 million viewers (Macey,209). I think that by having shows that portray the life of teenage mothers it offers the young viewers a reality check into what may happen if they do have unsafe sex. Also at the end of every episode there is a saying teenage pregnancy is 100 percent preventable. By saying this simple but truthful phrase during each episode the intended message is received by the viewers. This tv series is used to display the aftermath of what could happen after that magical first sexual experience. On another hand shows like this can also encourage young girls to get pregnant by making them think that they can be a star of a TV show. The first thing that comes out of a friends mouth when a girl gets pregnangt is wow you can be on 16b and pregnant. The sad but ugly truth is that teenage pregnancy is becoming normalized and because of this the stars of this show are becoming celebrities. MTVs teenage drama reality shows 16 and pregnant and Teen Mom are essential elements of how todays youth constructs its self-understanding and its social positioning in the United States (Macey, 206). Many people place themselves in the shoes of the characters in the show and pick out certain qualities that relate the two together. Nearly one half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended based on the report by the Surgeons Generals Office in 2001 ( Nichols,101). This means that for every pregnancy being celebrated another one is being frowned upon and not wanted. The thought of pregnancy becoming just another trend is unbearable and heart breaking. It used to be a declaration of love and the start of a new life but as this becomes more widespread its not celebrated as much. The media has a lot to do with the imaging placed upon pregnant girls.

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Surveys routinely find that teenage boys and girls cite mass media as one of the top

sources from which they learned about sexuality. This is not surprising because this generation follows whatever trends are popular right now on TV and in the magazines. If all of the headlines, reality shows, and movies are stories about sex, love, pregnancy and relationships then that is what teenagers are going to replicate in their daily lives. The expectations are based upon the lives of the reality stars and celebrities that are presented to them daily. In a study there is a noticeable relationship between a teenagers sexual conduct and the amount of media that they consume which possess sexual content. The more media they are exposed to the more likely and earlier the sexual relationships will start. White teens who were exposed to magazines, TV shows, albums and movies were more likely to have sex by the age of 14-16. Compared to black teens who arent that easily influenced because the individuals who partake in the sexual activity dont look like them (Carpenter, 808). We often seem to follow or at least pay closer attention to those that resemble us, so maybe this is the cause for the lack of influence in the urban community. Radio stations play more songs with sexual lyrics in the late night hours than at any other time during the day. This is mainly because they know teenagers stay up later and have nooption other than to either watch TV or listen to music on their phone or radio. The artists who make the songs know what kind of lyrics to use in order to sell more copies. They are writing songs about their teenage years or either living them now and just expressing their feelings throughout songs. Having these sexual songs edited for the radio plus the fact that their parents dont let them listen to it makes it only more appealing to teenagers. Virginity loss is depicted in a lot of movies like Love and Basketball, and Twilight. It is seen as a move into adulthood by teenagers and the media use this to an advantage.

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In twilight Bella loses her virginity once she is married ,but she is a still a teenager none than less. The emphasis of having your first time be magical is seen all over. People tend to imitate the scenes that mean the most to them and by looking at love scenes in every movie and Tv show the more likely you will put yourself in their shoes and mock what is being depicted. Awkward is another MTV show whose plot is based on teenage sexual lives. The main character Jenna loss her virginity to a popular student in the school whereas she is seen as a nerd so they cant be seen communicating. Throughout the whole series she goes back and forth between two best friends and cant decide if she is really in love with the person or in love with the sex. Media is very influential in todays modern life. Whether it is good or bad we will hear about it from the medias standpoint. Sexual relations are a very controversial topic in itself and adding media to the picture makes it more debatable. With the help of parents the amount of social media can be limited throughout the day with sexual content. Also by having a more open discussion with teachers about sexual lives there would be no reason to learn about it through other sources. Its going to be hard to completely ignore and stay away from social media as a whole because its everywhere but it can be restricted.

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Citation Carpenter, Laura M. "Virginity Loss in Reel/real Life: Using Popular Movies to Navigate Sexual Initiation." Sociological Forum. 24.4 (2009): 804-827. Print JONES, MEREDITH C, and WYNDOL FURMAN. "Representations of Romantic Relationships, Romantic Experience, and Sexual Behavior in Adolescence." Personal Relationships. 18.1 (2011): 144-164. Print. Nichols, Sharon L, and Thomas L. Good. America's Teenagers-Myths and Realities: Media Images, Schooling, and the Social Costs of Careless Indifference. Mahwah, N.J: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004. Print.

Reflection The most interesting thing I learned in this inquiry process is how apparent sexual relations and topics in the media. It never occurred to me that we imitate what we see on television shows and hear in song lyrics but we all do. The teenage mind is very vulnerable and in this process I have found this to be very true. Especially with all the data about how many people live their life through television shows and movies. I struggled with finding resources for this topic because it is very broad and without really focusing on a specific type of media that influenced teens it was a hard process. Also I felt as though I was talking in circles about this inquiry topic because either the influence on the teens is bad or good and after discussing those two possible reactions to the media I was left stuck and at a need for words to complete the 6 page requirement. I overcame these obstacles by narrowing down my keyword search in the library database. I used words like virginity loss and the media to come up with more books and articles related to my topic. I watched teen mom and 16 and pregnant to see if there were any more possible ways that the media could influence us and I found out that by watching the show I was able to analyze the shows deeper and relate them to my topic. I also thought about other

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media sources such as albums and videogames and how they introduce sexual relations to teenagers. My inquiry question did change over time because at first it was about how the media influenced teenage pregnancy and after reading the feedback I received from you on my annotated bibliography I decided to develop a less complicated topic. Focusing on how the media influences sexual relations made it easier to find articles and put my own opinion into the paper because I am a teenager so I have more to contribute to this topic. I think its important to look at the historical view of my topic because it allows me to compare and actually see how much the media has really influenced sexual relations in the teenage population. I do feel as though my research skills have changed due to this project because I usually just click on the first articles or sources that pop up after I search the key words and I found that this is not an effective way to do research. I needed to learn how to not rush and take my time when doing research because good research does take patience, it is hard to come by. I am most proud of my ability to actually read the sources that I chose and not just skim through to get out the information that I need. I am also proud that I stuck to this topic because it is a touchy subject to talk about and even harder to find research on but I didnt give up like I normally would when things dont come to me easy. It was a challenge and I faced it head on. I would like to know more about how the TV show producers and song writers feel about teenage sexual relations.