Sexual and violent images in the media: Can we get away with more or are we asking for more?
Virtually every media platform has seen an increase in the amount and the severity of sexual and violent content. Perhaps the most obvious, and accessible to young people, being the music industry. Over the last few years, with the rise of artists such as Rihanna and Lady Gaga, both music videos and the songs themselves have become more and more risqué. Rihanna has launched herself into the headlines with “S&M” “Man Down” and her recent video for “We Found Love”. The 23 year-old singer had brought us videos depicting her shooting a man after he raped her, shoplifting, drugs, alcohol, explicit sex scenes and the classic line “sticks and stones may brake my bones but chains and whips excite me”. All of this has caused uproar in the media into the sexualisation of children, the regulations allowing these videos to air and has even landed Rihanna with a law case and some of her videos being banned in several countries.
But it’s not only the music industry that’s all of a sudden “growing up”. Sexual and violent influences can be seen in practically every media platform available. Film censorship is degrading, T.V. shows, especially soaps, are delivering more “self-destructive” plot lines, fashion has seen a boom in clothing aimed at sexualising the female form and even advertising and retail now contain more graphic items, padded bras for young girls for example.
It is obvious that this is becoming a serious problem with the most common complaint, and quite rightly, being that these images are sexualising young children. Being so readily accessible and incredibly influential it’s becoming too difficult for parents to protect their children’s eyes and ears to all this explicit content we have in the media.
But the question is; why is this happening? Is it because we can get away with more nowadays? The position of women in society is shifting. Rihanna is simply expressing her sexuality and her power as a young woman. Or is it because the public are actually asking for more, and the music, TV, film and fashion industry are simply responding to their consumers needs?
We as a society have advanced a long way since the constricting stereotypes and expressionless world we’ve left behind. We want excitement, sexuality, confidence and power. We want the harsh realities of life to be examined by our favourite soap characters to make us feel better. We’ve moved on from the boring, normal, safe media we once had. But it’s always been there in art and literature. One of my favourite books, a collection of short stories by Angela Carter, contains direct references to necrophilia, paedophilia, bestiality, violence and incest all delivered with the crudest of language. Artists are constantly pushing the boundaries of self-expression. Art and literature allows the more sensitive topics to be examined causing shock and making statements.
Are these industries just catching on to what we really want? Or are they taking it too far and not considering the implications these more accessible platforms are having on children?
