Sex No Longer Sells In Hollywood
If you’ve spent much time on social media, you may have noticed the fascinating phenomenon that young people are less and less interested in cinematic sex. But the loudest voices thrive on social media, making it hard to tell whether this was a genuine phenomenon or just a few bored “puriteens” having a laugh. Now, though, real data suggests that sex no longer sells in Hollywood, at least with young people: a recent University of California study “found that 63.5 percent of adolescents said they preferred that big and small screen stories focus on friendships, while 62.4 percent said sexual content isn’t needed as a plot device.”
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Those statistics would be eyebrow-raising in and of themselves, but they are especially surprising when compared to other recent data. Last year, “51.5 percent of those surveyed said they wanted more content about people in platonic relationships, and 47.5 percent said that they didn’t seek out shows or movies where sex was a major plot point.”
In other words, last year’s data already pointed to sex in Hollywood films not being a big draw for younger audiences, and this lack of interest has grown dramatically.
As always, there are multiple conclusions that can be reached based on this data. For example, many on social media have pointed out that today’s young people have access to uncensored, hardcore pornography for free at the touch of a button. Because of that, the prospect of seeing nudity or softcore sex in a major Hollywood motion picture just isn’t as titillating as it was to those who grew up in earlier generations.
Sex Equals Bad Writing?
Others, though, believe the data suggests something different: namely, that younger audiences aren’t so much sick of nudity and sex as they are sick of lazy storytelling. The director of the UC’s Center for Scholars & Storytellers, Alisha J. Hines, thinks that this data proves “young people are tired of seeing the same dated and unrelatable romantic tropes on screen.” Instead, she believes that “teens and young adults want to see stories that more authentically reflect a full spectrum of nuanced relationships.”
Certainly, some filmmakers may be guilty of using sex as a kind of Hollywood shorthand…something to throw on screen for a quick scene in lieu of spending time developing the relationships between these characters. Once upon a time, a steamy scene between two hot characters was enough to cement that they were in love. But that doesn’t reflect the actual lives and relationships of young audiences, most of whom now seem turned off by seeing onscreen sex rather than turned on.
According to research from the Centers for Disease Control, the percentage of high schoolers who never had sex jumped from 45.9 percent in 1991 to 70 percent in 2021. There are some upsides to this, for example, including a steep decline in teen pregnancy rates and fewer young people getting STDs. However, a likely side effect is that the lack of sex has influenced preferences for Hollywood movies, as characters getting busy onscreen doesn’t really match the lived experience of the vast majority of young people.
Sex Still Sells
Interestingly enough, more sex-filled movies are on the Hollywood horizon despite the demonstrable fact that young people aren’t as excited by onscreen erotica as they once were. Recently, Miller’s Girl had an infamous sex scene with Jenna Ortega (usually a reliable draw for younger audiences) whose explicit nature turned many teens away.
If movie studios are going to continue producing such explicit content, they may simply be aiming for older audiences…a wise move considering that more teens would officially rather play video games than tune into a movie or TV show.
As for us, we’ll be happy if our favorite hot celebs continue finding a Player 2 for their onscreen shenanigans. And if one partner wants to input the full-on Konami code on the other, we’re completely here for it.
Source: Variety
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