Martinez 1

David Martinez
English 114B
Professor John Kubler
5 May 2015
Ever-Growing Display of Sexuality
My generation has become synonymous with being sexually free, similar to the
original Sexual Revolution of the 60s. The only notable difference being the exponentially larger
number of media outlets. There was no Internet or Instagram in the 60s, so while the revolution
was receiving news coverage, our generation is under much more scrutiny considering the
incredible amount of public domains to expose somebody. Many celebrities, including Kim
Kardashian, or Amber Rose have utilized these certain means by posting rather vulgar or
revealing material to the public, and they truly believe they are causing a movement by raising
self-confidence. In fact I grasp a much different lesson from their empowering pictures or
videos. America has no issue discussing or taking advantage of their freedom of sexuality,
however, countries such as Iran or any other oppressed nation located in the Middle-East region
allows absolutely no freedom of any rights for women, which is absolutely not a suitable
environment. A novel that perfectly chronicles the life of a confused child being raised during the
regime is Persepolis, and it covers a wide range of topics from the mistreatment of women in
Iran, to the struggles of a teenage Iranian woman spending her teenage years in Europe where
sexuality is out in the open. In the United States, we are raised in a sexually open environment,
and I believe it has its benefits, but I do believe displaying sexuality does have its boundaries.
In the film, Crazy, Stupid, Love, Jacob epitomizes the perception many nations have
towards the United States surrounding sexuality. For half of the movie, Jacobs main motive is to

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go scout a certain bar, and bring home an attractive woman with the intention of having sex with
her. He fancies himself a ladies man or pickup artist, and Cal, his friend, decides to learn
from Jacob. This displays how this certain lifestyle can be a bit contagious, although Hal soon
realized this was not the life he wished to live considering just how much he misses his wife.
This film ties in with another article we discussed in class explaining the hook up culture, the
cultural norm in which it is socially accepted to have multiple sex partners with no following
relationship. The attention demanding article titled The Decline of the Date and the Rise of the
Hook Up written by accomplished authors Paula England and Reuben Thomas debates whether
or not the traditional date is still a normal activity within the young adult demographic. In
relation to Jacob, this was true because he had no interest in being romantically involved with
another female. Jacob is harmed by his thought process simply because he lives alone by choice,
making his motive of bringing home girls easier. Cal constantly expresses his disapproval of
Jacobss lifestyle by stating You cant do this forever but every comment is met with his choice
to not listen. For example, the authors wrote A national study of adults a decade ago found that
most of the correspondents of both sexes think sex should be limited to relationships, but more
men than women thought casual sex is okay. Jacob falls within the demographic of whether or
not non-relationship sex is perfectly fine.
My stance on this subject is mixed. I still believe the hooking up trend shines a negative
light upon our culture, but I dont believe sex should be strictly for couples. I know Im
contradicting myself in that past statement, but I fall perfectly in that category of men being
surveyed. I still look down upon it, but if one certain person wishes to proceed in engaging in
sexual intercourse with a stranger, then it is their right and decision to do so. Where I disagree
100% is the empowerment argument. Sleeping with a random man does not mean a woman is

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empowering her self-esteem; in fact, she is doing the exact opposite. A real empowered woman
does not need some random anybody to please her, because she only wishes to satisfy herself.
Hooking is one aspect of our society that shows the negative side to sexual freedom.
Another example of America displaying its sexual freedom of its sexual freedom is the
incredible amount of contrasts between the societal sexual freedom within the novel
Persepolis, and western culture. Marji, the protagonist of the novel, experiences the impact of
the new regime in the prime of her childhood, and it impacts many of her ideological stances.
For example, women are afforded a disturbingly low amount of freedom and rights in Iran, and
Marji was raised around men who would refer to women as whores if they wore their veil the
wrong way or dressed in any attire remotely considered tight by western standards. During the
storyline, Marji is sent to Europe to pursue a proper education, and escape the chaos occurring in
her war torn native country. One of the many adjustments she must accustom herself with is her
newly bestowed sexual freedom; however, it is a frightening and drastic accommodation. One
example where her old lifestyle was displayed was the instance in which Marjis roommate is in
her respective bedroom having sex, but Marji is horrified when she discovers this, and she is as
nervous as can be. Her level of discomfort can be noticed when the man with whom Marjis
roommate had sex with suddenly sits next to Marji on her couch. This is perhaps the first
occasion in which a man is walking half-naked in her presence. Another example of Marjis
native countrys disdain for public displays of sexuality is shown when Marji returns home and
she begins discussing her adventures in Europe with her friends. Marji is under the assumption
that her friends dont quite follow the rules of the regime, also they are sexually active. They ask
her whether or not she has had sex, however, Marji replies saying she has had sex multiple times,
consequently she is bombarded with insults from her friends calling her a slut or whore.

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Marji was living in a western culture for a majority of her teenage years, and she was allowed to
do whatever she pleased, opposite to her native country, were they are forbidden from
performing any activities considered sexual. The impact of a hyper-sexualized society was huge
on Marji, because she moved from and oppressive country, to a more liberal country, only to
move back to the oppressive country. Iran was oppressive is some areas, but it entirely lacked a
sex culture. Marji spent her early years never discussing a sexual topic because not many people
knew much about sexuality.
Both the documentary Sext up kids and the article Pop Culture Hyper Sexed Images
coincide with each other. For example, both discuss how the media is persuading more people to
become more sexually focused. Sext up Kids more specifically discussed the sexual nature of
many kids toys or activities of the modern day. This documentary resonated with me because of
how disturbing it may be. For example, the narrator discusses the deeper meaning behind a
Barbie doll, or a music video and it is a bit chilling considering how true the thoughts were. The
dolls and television shows are persuading our youth to look and act a certain way, or theyre out
of the norm. Peer pressure kicks in here because no child wishes to be alone in anything they
participate in, so they change themselves to feel accepted by their peers. There is no reason to be
teaching kids about sexuality, they will learn plenty of it as they grow in their teenage years.
Sexuality is a free topic in some areas, but an incredibly controversial one in others. From
oppressed nations not allowing any sexual activity outside of marriage, to little kids looking at a
Barbie doll and wishing to achieve a similar look, little hints of sexuality are placed in anything
imaginable. It hinders the real issues taking place in the world, such as gender inequality. Gender
categorization is another topic we discussed in class. The concept of a woman observing a
billboard and saying I want to look like her, perfectly exemplifies the idea of sexuality.

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Somebody should only want to resemble themselves, and nobody else. Ive known many people
who developed a different personality when reinventing themselves, consequently losing many
friends in the process. The idea of wanting to resemble or act as another person besides your
parents is dumbfounding to me. As a citizen of the United States, we are free to display or
express my sexual desire however I wish, as long as it is appropriate. Appropriate meaning a
woman does not walk around town naked or behaving raunchy and inappropriate meaning
having public sex or lewd behavior. I believe the only solution to Hyper-Sexuality is to embrace
it, only if it is in good taste. I dont have the ability to shift a generations thought process, but I
sure can criticize it. Empowerment is a beautiful concept, when done with the right tools. Im not
an advocate of women walking around naked as empowerment, but show men exactly the reason
why you are their equal. Reflecting on a topic such as Hyper-Sexuality may be difficult because
we live in a society in which we become numb to it. While a heightened sense of sexuality may
be for the better, I prefer it remain private.

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Works Cited
Crazy, Stupid, Love. Dir. Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. Perf. Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling,
Julianne Moore and Emma Stone. Warner Bros. 2011. Film
England, Paula and Reuben J. Thomas. The Decline of the Date and the Rise of the College
Hook Up. 2012. PDF File.
Gill, Roseland. Beyond the Sexualization of Culture Thesis: An Intersectional Analysis of
Sixpacks,Midriffs and Hot Lesbians in Advertising. 2009. PDF File.
Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis: the Story of a Childhood. New York: Random House, 2003. Print.
Sext Up Kids. Dir. Maureen Palmer. Perf. 2012. Film.