Introduction to Sex, Gender, and Sexuality in the Media

Sex sells. It is ubiquitous in advertising. From the use of supermodels to innuendo, sexual and sensual images are a staple of commercials and print advertising. Sex also sells movies and television programs. Racy titles and plotlines capture both summer blockbuster crowds and television ratings. The pervasiveness of sex in popular media is subject of ongoing debate. Some argue that pop culture only reflects what most of society is willing to accept, others assert that the prevalence of sex and sexual themes in media deserves increased scrutiny, regulation, and perhaps even censorship. The article in this chapter on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) imposing fines for the infamous Superbowl "wardrobe malfunction" illustrates these tensions.

In the last 50 years, the depiction of women in the media has changed dramatically. Once featured almost exclusively in the home setting, women are now prominently featured in a variety of roles and settings. Popular culture follows reality: the modern media age and the Feminist movement coincide. Like their reallife counterparts, female characters are doctors, housewives, lawyers, domestic workers, and writers. They are single, married, partnered, lesbian or heterosexual. For example, the 1990s television comedy Murphy Brown's title character, a news anchor, chose to be a single mother. Increasingly, lead female characters are ethnically and racially diverse. Yet many critics are quick to point out that women (and to some extent men) in media are overwhelmingly stylized and idealized depictions of their real-life counterparts. Movies and television shows with female-targeted themes—derided as "chick flicks"—are increasingly popular, but may also play to stereotypes of gender roles and preconceived notions of women's desires.

This chapter also highlights two news stories that made headlines largely because the subjects were female: a woman sentenced to death and a female suicide bomber. Each article discusses the impact of the subject's gender on their plight and the media interest in their story.

Finally, gay characters are not new to cinema or television. In movies, gay characters were often depicted as effete "dandies." They were minor characters meant to draw laughs or act as bumbling foil. By 2005, cinema had embraced more realistic and nuanced depictions of gay individuals. Movies such as Philadelphia, Boys Don't Cry, and Brokeback Mountain received critical and popular acclaim for sensitive portrayals of gay characters and issues. Cable and some network shows featuring openly gay and lesbian lead characters thrived in Britain, the United States, and Canada in the 1990s. U.S. network television aired the first gay male kiss in primetime in 2000. By 2006, openly gay characters were prominently featured on television in Europe and America. Despite the seeming embrace of gay and lesbian lead characters, substantial criticism of the portrayal of gay characters remained. Will and Grace and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy were television successes in the United States, but some critics noted that the show leaned too heavily on often-negative stereotypes of gay males.