KEY QUOTE: “Sexual content in mass media has been around as long as mass media itself,’’ Arizona State professor Mary-Lou Galician, a researcher, author and media literacy advocate says. “The difference is the proliferation of it. We live in a 24/7 media world now. Take, as an example, the exploitation of Britney Spears, who is literally pulling off her clothes during her performances. Her real talent lies in being an objectified image. And it is an image, by extension, of our country around the world.’’
Source: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=51589
INTRODUCTION
Now here is a topic that many educators may not feel comfortable addressing in the classroom. But the expression “sex sells,” is certainly one that many advertisers believe in. Many state’s critical thinking questions before proceeding.
 Downloadable news stories and other resources |
Research Articles |
Study Confirms Movies with Sex Scenes Influence Teen Behavior
Sexual Content Proliferates
Teens learning about sex through magazines, not parents: study
Why Sex Sells
Study: Sexualized portrayals of females are norm in pop culture
What Media Teaches Kids About Sexual Health(May 2011)
PTC criticizes heavy sexual content on TV
Media: one of the leading sex educators in the U.S.
TV Shows Spur Earlier Sex For Kids
Lolita at 5
Too Sexy, Too Soon (Family Circle)
Editorial: Sex, sex and more sex. Got your attention?
PTC bashes TV’s use of sex (Aug 2008)
What’s Missing About Teen Pregnancy in TV, Films? (Newsweek)
Little Girls Gone Wild -Marketing to little kids (Salon)
Patron Slapped by Industry Group for Sexy Ad Imagery
Sex Doesn’t Always Sell
Goodbye to Girlhood (Wash Post series)
Sexy media images linked to problems in girls
Girls gone wild: what are celebs teaching kids?
Tuned in
Sexy, sassy, still in primary school
When ads say bad things to little girls
Listen: Jean Kilbourne how Big Media sexualizes children
So Sexy So Soon
Listen: NPR : Media, Sex and Talking to Tweens
Call to ban jeans ads (Australia)
Celebrities make pregnancy glamorous
Article/study The Media Sex Relationship
Are teens overexposed?
PR/study:
Article/study: Overexposed: Environmentalists sexy ad outrages women In Mexico
Selling Sex to Kids
Is childhood becoming oversexed?
Just the Facts of Life: porn in the digital age
Lesson plan: Social Influences (grade 7)
Lesson plan: Sex in Advertising (grade 11-12)
Magazines Upping The Cleavage Quotient To Boost Sales
The disappearing tween years
Sex In Advertising
Sex in Advertising (A History)
Website essays: Take if off: Sex in Advertising |
Young people not greatly affected by sexually explicit media: study
Sex in movies pushes kids to have sex earlier
Magazine trends study finds increase in advertisements using sex
Sexy songs have detrimental effect on kids
UB study finds media sexualization of women outranks men
Hollywood over-sexualizing teen girls: report
Influence of New Media on Adolescent Sexual Health: Evidence and Opportunities
Study Reveals New Data on Screen Sexiness (April 2011)
(PTC Study, Dec. 2010)
Study: exposure to sexual content not to blame for teen sex rates
Study shows sex sells, sometimes
New Research Shows Sex in Movies Doesn’t Lead to Box-Office Success
Children Who View Adult-targeted TV May Become Sexually Active …
TV, Low Self-Esteem, and Family Problems Lead to Early “Sexual Debut”/ study abstract
Sex on TV Increases Teen Pregnancy, Says Report/Study links teen pregnancy to sexy TV shows /
TV habits, risk of pregnancy linked
and Media Portrayals of Sex
Study: Profit Motive Behind Sexualization of Tween Girls
Sexualization of Girls Is Linked to Common Mental Health Problems in Girls and Women-Eating Disorders
Sex in ads (apparently) doesn’t sell (to women)
“Sexy Media Matter: Exposure to Sexual Content in Music, Movies, Television, Movies ‘condoning sex and drugs’
Violence and Sex in Television Programs Do Not Sell Products in Advertisements
Impact of the media on adolescent sexual attitudes and behaviors
Explicit media can lead to permissive attitudes about sex (study)
Verbal sexual content on TV more powerful than visual images (study)
Teens overexposed to media sex
Teenagers and the Media: A Media Analysis of Sexual Content on Television
Professor studies sexuality and social messages
Can the mass media be healthy sex educators?
Kaiser Research:
Sex on TV 2 (2001) News Graphic
Research (Mediascope)
Calvin Klein ads (warning: some may find material here objectionable)
YSL ad and website
Sexism and sexuality in advertising |
Curriculum: Teacher Guide
Downloadable book with activities/resources: Media, Sex and Health: A Community Guide for Professionals and Parents
Lesson Plan: Reality? TV: What is the media using sex to sell you?
Website/resource: SexInAdvertising.com
Website/resource: /MediaRelate: teaching resources
Website/resource: Sex, Violence and Advertising
Sexualized Images in Advertising
There can be no denying that “sex sells.” This article explores how advertisements in mainstream magazines have increasingly
relied on the explicit sexualization of both men and women to sell products.
Recommended texts/videos:
