Sexism In Pop Culture

The birds do it, the bees do it, and so have we since before time even existed. But how much has the act of sex really changed through time and even in the past decades? Do we express it more? Do we express it less? And who are we expressing it with? As we begin to progress as a society in todays day in age, sex is becoming more a part of our culture and a part of our daily choices. The act of sex is becoming more open to talk about and more open to act upon no matter how you identify yourself and who you associate yourself with. Even still today though, typical expectations are that the terms “sex” and “gender” reflect each other. Males are expected to be masculine and females are expected to be feminine, regardless of how the terms are defined …show more content…
And when that lens is showing young men and women that it’s okay to form interpretations of women as sexual objects or that sports are strictly molded around the interests of men, you’re more than likely to have a biased and sexist upbringings as a young adult. This not only affects your view and outlook on sexuality but has a very large influence on the impacts of sexism. Take in account “Sexism” by Marilyn Frye, she argues that the whole system of gender is really one of power. She implies that masculinity is about dominance and that femininity is about subservient. She notes that we go to a great deal of trouble to keep sexes distinct; even products that have no essential difference—like shampoos, deodorants, and razor blades—are packaged differently for men than they are for women. Men and women talk, move, and sit differently from each other. This whole process contributes to the dominance/subordination dynamic, Frye …show more content…
Foucault asserts his hostility to what he calls the “Repression Hypothesis,” which refers to the idea that discourse and popular discussion of sex and sexuality has been repressed for the past 300 years. This hypothesis on repression states that during this time period “experts” at the time began to look closely at sexuality. Foucault recognizes the repressive hypothesis itself as a form of discourse. We have developed a way of talking about how we are prevented from talking about sex. We have come to talk about our need to break free from this repression, to talk freely about sex and to enjoy sex, as a part of a larger political rebellion against society. Foucault also argues that this is when people’s sexualities began to be a part of their identities. Different types of sexuality were being classified and people were being encouraged to speak out about their sexuality. The fundamental act itself has not changed significantly over time; it is our openness about sex that has transformed the most. Now with programs such as Sex in the City and magazines such as Cosmopolitan, people do not have to battle with conflict in the bedroom (or when discussing the bedroom). Sex is now, quite rightly, considered a normal part of