The “Ugly Truth” is that sex is “Superbad” at this age. It often results in getting “Knocked Up”, and due to the movies and music teens are available to and are targeted at, it is passed off as magical and awesome. These ideas of sex and romance are unrealistic and potentially harmful.
Teens are exposed to distorted and skewed examples of behavior from a young age.
“I think teens, especially the younger ones, when they watch all of these inappropriate movies get the mindset that it is okay to do those things,” senior Rebekah Dalton said.
It seems nearly impossible to escape it. The only way to dodge the innuendo and advertising is to stay home with all sources of media turned off, but such an idea is frightening for teens of this day and age.
“There’s so much inappropriate stuff everywhere you go. It’s at Walmart, on billboards. The desensitizing happens at a really young age. My youngest brothers are clamoring over the next GTA [Grand Theft Auto] game. And on the topic of sex, it’s everywhere. No matter where you are, what music you listen too, movies, it’s there,” junior Sam Leach said.
Popular music is allied with derogatory lyrics, offensive language, and refers to love as being only physical, unless it’s by a Disney star. It creates an image of life that’s far from real.
“If you listen to the actual lyrics, lots of today’s music is about getting trashed, doing drugs, and everything illegal. Even country is dirty.” Leach said.
Genres like rap seem to constantly put down people, races or genders. Women or “shorties” are made to wear skimpy shorts and dance around in the music videos.
“I think that it’s sexist, and it’s keeping society from advancing to the thought that woman can be as strong as a man and not just a sex icon,” Dalton said.
What is called “romance” in high school is exponentially influenced by movies and music.
“It ties up together with the fact teens are way looser about sexuality. Media and society say it’s okay to go party have sex or whatever else,” Leach said.
To ask teens to stop watching and listening to things that are inappropriate would be ridiculous; they won’t. However, what would be great is to try not to let what’s always out there everyday define the lives of teens.
