“It’s not that they can’t have sex, they choose not to..”
Chris Weitz – Director of New Moon

We’re at a unique time in history when it comes to sex…

Funny, we’ve recently been talking about Beyonce’s latest video pushing her sexy persona to new and (in our view) slightly unnatural heights (see here).

 

We also discussed how sex, sexuality and sex tapes are the mainstream norms now (here) and (here).

Yet it’s funny, when Adam Lambert (American Idol alum) kisses his male bandmate, simulates sex acts and takes the stage with his own personal S&M slave – America is in uproar!!

So what’s going on?

Are we stuck between two worlds where the conventional way to shock and market yourself has always been to be as sexual as possible…(wardrobe malfunctions, pseudo lesbian make out sessions etc etc)..

..but then we’ve seen it so much that it stops being sexy (and that’s what Robert Pattinson and the repressed crew are meant to represent)?

“With teens, we actually found that they appreciated the messages of abstinence,” said Melissa Click, an assistant professor of communication who surveyed 4,000 Twilight fans, aged 11 to 70.

The Twilight films series has given a high profile boost to the ‘abstinence before marriage’ movement.

From the Jonas Brothers to Selena Gomez (my Disney conspiracy is another story), Promise rings, marriage, no sex before marriage, and God has now become an almost fashionable statement amongst young audiences – especially young women.

Twilight is just the latest version of Jane Austen/Emily Bronte style storytelling;

If the majority of the images/advertising/stories/music videos are male dominated (created, written, produced, directed, distributed, broadcast by men in charge) – then it’s no wonder that the young female demographic votes overwhelming with their dollars/euros to make a film like ‘New Moon’ such a opening weekend success (the 3rd biggest opening in film history).

But even then..traditional media still takes its potshots;

The books (and cleverly adapted  film) speaks directly to an audience who often tell us they are very misunderstood.

The films represent a form of reality (the right romantic/sexual experience is tough to come by) mixed with high levels of romanticism and a good old fashioned posterboy (yup Robert Pattinson – that’s you) worship that parents find acceptable.

It’s just interesting that the world is a mix of Adam Lambert’s performance and New Moon’s storyline – overtly sexual and repressed conservatism.

If that is the case…. because try this on for size!

What if it’s true that the almost pornographic sexuality is too much for some kids, that wouldn’t be weird seeing that many are struggling to find their own place in the mess. So they see this new surge of no sex before marriage as a way to put the drama on hold, an escape.

But you could argue that it’s an escape equally dramatic as the other end of the spectrum. So what would the middle ground be?

It’s obvious isn’t it, or is the word just sooo taboo that you’ve forgotten it?

Romance!

Just think about it for a second.

In a mainstream context, movies with the label “romantic comedy” most often circle around?
Sex.

In some cases with lots of the “wrong guy” before the main character sees that her best friend, co-worker, mailman, sisters husband was the right guy all along. It’s all silly plots, combined with cheap laughs.

Now just start calling me old all you want, but what ever happened to this??

Yes granted, even 60′s and 70′s romance movies had sex (or at least hints of it) in them, but the focus lay elsewhere. It was about two people, and that is something that has never changed… in the real world at least!

No wonder the teenagers can’t see romance as a viable option anymore. They have no idea what it is. The Twilight movies try to portray something else that raw sexual emotion, and kudos for that.
But is abstinence the right message??

 

BANDIT