Women, Sex, and the Media
By: Alison Russell

From movies to music to magazines, sex sells. Everyone knows that, but doesn’t it seem that it is getting worse in what is being shown and said? Through the “sexy” image that many Hollywood Stars are expressing, sex is being seen more than ever before. In movies there are even more reveling scenes allowed at lower ratings than in years past. Hollywood has a set idea of what is beautiful and has no problem bombarding it to the public. Women are becoming more and more obsessed with their appearance and are willing to go to extremes to become what they are being told is beautiful and sexy. There are hundreds of diets, thousands of diet pills, and millions of lose weight in ten minute work-out plans, all to attain the image of sexiness that is seen all around us through the media. Hollywood has no problem portraying sex as an ultimate pleasure, and being sexy as a goal.

Even music is jumping aboard this fast moving trend and is becoming more and more explicit in the words it uses. There are Brittany Spears, the Pussy Cat Dolls, Fergie, and countless others, male and female, all as huge sex symbols and constantly selling the public not only a look at their “hot” exposed bodies, but also entertainment dripping with sexual content, and we buy it, love it, dance and sing along to it. Think about the "hit" songs, "Shake Your Money Maker", "Bringing Sexy Back", "London Bridge" "Loosen Up My Buttons", etc. these songs are all filled with sexual content and we do not  even care.

So what is the big deal about movies, music, and the media in general, becoming more sexually based in promotion and product? Well, not only does sex have emotional and physical aspects, but the idea that to be beautiful a girl must show a lot of skin, wear a tone of makeup, and weigh a certain small amount, is driving people into devastating destinations. It is now normal to hear about problems that the Hollywood Stars are going through, problems such as eating disorders, and substance abuse because they want to fit the sexy looking role that is placed upon them. Hollywood stars are expected to be really skinny, and very attractive, and they are criticized if they gain (much needed) weight. So many women have eating disorders because they want to look like the movie and singing stars; they want to look like the idols that we make out of the actors and singers.

Truly it is as though girls are becoming nothing more the sex objects. It is bad enough that many men think about sex all the time (almost) but now we have become women that are begging to be sex tools, and actually think it is great if they are considered sexy.

Women, when did we lose or purity? Our mystery? Our ability to keep a man interested by our personality and heart? And men, when did you lose your ability to be gentlemen? To want us for yourselves and not to parade us around like a show of meat?

It seems that we have traded the true value of sex, womanhood/manhood, for the pleasure of the eye and the amusement of the night. And when did it become "cool" to be a striper or porn star? So cool in fact that someone such as Pairs Hilton is looked up to by our 12 and 13 year old girls. Brittany and Christina were bad enough when I was young, but really it is getting much worse. Sex and sexual things are everywhere! Sex is in our top music, favorite TV shows, best selling movies, hit kids toys, the internet, and advertisements--everywhere. No wonder that this nation is seeing record highs of 12-15 year olds getting pregnant. Just think back and remember what you were like during those years, think you could have handled being pregnant? Kids want to be like adults so of course they are interested in what they see the "adults" doing.  I don't know anyone that is a virgin anymore, and that is very scary.

Well sex sells that's what they say, but I say why should we let it? Let us hold on to some values, value ourselves and others for more than just the way we all look. I refuse to let myself be just a sex object so let us not give in to what society is showing us how to be:  sluts and whores.

[Editors Note: I like this article because it is hits us with full force.  Unfortunately, many often girls in Hollywood who sell sex, do so because their higher authorities (Modern American Aristocrats) make them do so.  Brittany Spears appears to be trying to change that image now, and I am proud of her for it.  Let us all remember to take time to pray for the people we are quick to judge,  They are all just as valuable as the rest of us, they are simply miss-guided.  Their sense of beauty is distorted because they do not know who they are in Jesus Christ.  Let us show them the light without just showing them to the door.]