I had no idea what to expect when I first clicked on the link to watch Eminem and Rihanna’s music video for their latest hit, “Love the Way You Lie.” All I knew was that the lyrics were catchy and Megan Fox was in it. My friends had mentioned being startled by the video, but I had automatically assumed that it just showed more racy sexual content than usual. I mean…we are talking about Megan Fox.
As I watched the video, I had no idea what was going on. Why are they arguing? Whose number is on his hand? Why is she hitting him? Why did he just throw her against the wall? Wait…they’re making out? This was clearly an abusive relationship.
I was caught off guard by the raw, yet oddly provocative footage. To me, it seemed like the video was almost glorifying the gritty violence and volatile nature of abusive relationships. One second the couple is wrestling on the ground, viciously clawing at each others’ necks, and the next, they’re ferociously making out on the sofa, locked in a passionate embrace.
While this abusive relationship is frightening, all the violence and fear are quickly overshadowed by the sexually charged storyline, which includes some stealing and plenty of drinking. The video doesn’t condemn dating violence. Ironically, it just shows Rihanna-who we remember was abused by her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown-singing, “Because I like the way it hurts.”
Do we really need to have anyone singing about “liking” abuse? And why do abusive relationships have to be portrayed as sexy and provocative? A video that features a healthy relationship where there is open communication, love and mutual respect would be so much sexier.
Can you imagine modeling your life after Seventeen magazine? That’s exactly what 18-year-old Jamie Keiles has decided to do. Over the course of the summer, Jamie has patterned her life on the advice of Seventeen, imitating their style tips and recommendations. Jamie’s blog, The Seventeen Magazine Project, offers a witty analysis of the magazine.
Her posts have analyzed the racial breakdown of models who appear in Seventeen (which surprisingly wasn’t that different from the racial breakdown of the country) as well as the content of the ads in the June/July issue (which were, not so surprisingly, 56 percent beauty ads).
Now, magazines like Seventeen are all well and good in their place—something light, fun and easy to read. But I think (even more so after reading Jamie’s blog!) that Seventeen speaks to girls as if we’re only interested in beauty and buying more stuff, but that isn’t what most girls want.
Jamie Keiles is proving that teenage girls are interested in more than just makeup and products. We’re invested in ideas and the world around us, as well. Maybe Seventeen will take a look at Jamie’s blog and expand their ideas about what girls want.
Sex sells. We see it everywhere, from billboards marketing the hottest brand-name jeans to commercials endorsing the latest electronics. But what about ads promoting anti-smoking messages?
Health officials in Southern Nevada are using sexually suggestive ads to encourage teens and young adults to adopt smoke-free lifestyles, according to a recent article from the Las Vegas Sun. One popular image shows four women dressed in bras and panties, playfully throwing cushions in a pillow fight, while another shows a couple locked in a sensuous embrace, lips brushing against each other. The pictures are accompanied by tag lines, like “Delicious Kisses,” “Plays Hard” and “Intoxicating Scent,” along with the message, “What’s your smoke-free instinct?”
This is all part of a new “counter-advertising” campaign to combat the marketing strategies used by top tobacco companies to promote smoking. Unlike most government-funded health programs, which tend to preach to teens about the evils of smoking, this one uses provocative images to show young adults that it’s cool—sexy even—not to smoke.
While this campaign has received millions of dollars in funding and support, it has also sparked controversy among parents, who fear that the sexual ads are sending the wrong message to teens. In a Las Vegas Sun online poll of 309 people, 71 percent believed that “any effort to fight smoking is a good thing,” while 29 percent believed that “using sex and drinking to fight smoking is wrong.” What do you think? Is using sex to sell anti-smoking messages the right way to promote healthy living?
You’ve seen writing on a bathroom wall that says things, like “Jenny and Jesse together forever.” But how often do you see writing that gets you thinking about something serious, like a sexually transmitted disease (STD)?
Well, a few weeks ago, I went to a concert at PNC Bank Arts Center only to find that the girls’ bathroom had posters on the stalls with facts about human papillomavirus (HPV). Some strains of HPV can cause genital warts and others are linked to an increased risk of cervical cancer. It was really great to see information about HPV. I read some of the HPV facts and then chose my bathroom stall. On the inside of the stall, there was another, smaller poster with a tip about HPV that read, “Condoms may not fully protect against HPV.” After seeing that, I then noticed the little conversation going on about the poster. Someone had written, “Suck d**k!! It’s safer!!” and then another person wrote “Not really—what about HIV?”
The conversation on the bathroom wall got me thinking, so when I got home I did some research about HPV and condoms. I found out that viruses, such as HPV or herpes, can be spread through skin-to-skin contact. That means that areas that aren’t covered by a condom during sex can leave you at risk. Also, when a condom is used correctly, it can protect you from getting HIV, which is not spread from skin-to-skin contact. In essence, using a condom does reduce your chances of getting infections, so you should always be safe and use one.
So, the next time you are thinking about writing something on a bathroom wall, make sure you know what you’re talking about, especially when it comes to important topics like STDs.
You’ve got to hand it to the British TV show, The Sex Education Show, and its companion Web site Sexperience; they know how to create a stir. You’ve probably never seen anything quite as frank as the Sexperience Web site’s featured videos of people answering questions, like “How did you know you were ready to lose your virginity?” or “When did you come out?” And the TV show uses videos of live nude models or pictures to address questions about penis size and what happens to your body when you’re pregnant or when you age. The Sex Education Show travels around with host Anna Richardson, speaking to audiences of teens in the U.K. and sometimes consulting with health professionals. For example, in one episode, Anna Richardson spoke with a clinical psychologist about the benefits if having “lots of good sex.” I don’t know about you, but this is definitely different than my high school sex ed.
If nothing else, The Sex Education Show and Sexperience Web site are blunt, in all the best ways: they aren’t dancing around issues and nobody is skirting the truth. In fact, to answer the question “Are my breasts normal?” the show features a gallery of photographs of breasts, so we get to see what normal really looks like in all of its various shapes and sizes. If only something this gritty and true could make its way into American sexual health, we might all understand the facts a lot better
(5 votes, average: 4.2 out of 5)
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You’ve seen writing on a bathroom wall that says things, like “Jenny and Jesse together forever.” But how often do you see writing that gets you thinking about something serious, like a sexually transmitted disease (
