A generation can be defined as the entire body of individuals living at about the same time (generation 2017). Roughly 30 years is accepted as the average period between the birth of parents and the birth of their children-creating a generation. A generation consists of individuals, most of whom who are the same age, have the same values, interests, attitudes, and similar memory of historical events. Everyone is a part of a generation. The generation that we are a part of can often shape our identity. Generations of families are around at the same time. Grandparents show their grandchildren the past, and grandchildren show older generations the possibilities of the future. With multiple generations being around each other at the same time, the values, opinions, and the culture of a community evolves over time. This research paper will bring three generations into focus: the Baby Boom generation, Generation X, and the Millennial generation. Through interviews, articles, newspapers, and journals, this research paper will be investigating the research question, “have Millennials been more sexualized by media than past generations?”.
Generations are often broken up into cohorts. A cohort is defined by demographers as a group of people, born over a short and contiguous time, that is deeply influenced by the event of their formative years (Paulos 1999). The Baby Boom generation is made up of individuals born between 1946 and 1964. Baby Boomers are broken up into two specific cohorts. The first half of the generation was born between 1946 and 1955, and the second half was born between 1956 and 1964. In 2016, all Baby Boomers will be over age 50. Known for their high birth rates the Baby Boom generation is unique. Recently, the Millennial generation surpassed the birth rate percentage by two million births. Contrary to earlier generations, Baby Boomers have lower marriage and birth rates, yet are considered the most educated generation in history. The Baby Boom generation can be described as the “limit pushing” generation. The Baby Boomers pushed social norms. They are remembered for their sexy icons and political figures that still have an impact today on later generations such as: John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Marilyn Monroe. (Paulos 1999)
Marilyn Monroe is one of most notable icons of the Baby Boom generation. She was a famous movie star and model. Famous for her iconic “sexy, dumb blonde roles”, becoming one of the most popular sex symbols of her time. Monroe impacted her generation by making things more socially acceptable, which was heavily publicized by the media. Marilyn Monroe once said, “It’s better for the whole world to know you, even as a sex star, than to never be known at all” (Spoto 2001). She was very involved in her own image and how she wanted to portray herself, even if it was as a sex symbol. From calendar shoots to magazine covers, Monroe intensified the sex culture for Baby Boomers. People would hang on to every word she said, every move she made, and buy every magazine she was featured in. She would give paparazzi a run for their money, posing erotically for the camera. At one time, Monroe was just as important as the President of the United States. Lisa Cohen’s, “The Horizontal Walk: Marilyn Monroe, Cinemascope, and Sexuality”, describes how Monroe’s openness with her body, sexuality, and her affair with President John F. Kennedy made her an immortal, scandalous being in a sense (Cohen 2017). Lisa discusses how her cover of Playboy Magazine started a sexual revolution, and the media captured every moment. The journal also emphasizes how Marilyn Monroe was not the “ideal sexy” of her time, as she was not a size zero. Her curves and voluptuous body type defined her as a desirable woman. Marilyn created this norm and made it sexy to pose nude on the cover of magazines. Magazines and editorials illustrated Monroe as the sexiest woman in the world. Monroe appealed to almost all audiences, which is why she sold so many copies of her magazines.
The role that media played in the Baby Boom generation is a prominent one. Different mediums within media such as: magazines, paparazzi, newspapers, often discussed Monroe’s sexual expenditures. Monroe sparked a rise in the sex-magazine industry. From the Playboy Mansion girls to the introduction of Marilyn’s lingerie line in the newspapers. Below is a photograph of Marilyn Monroe (Sex Sells 1953) (Refer to Figure 1). Cultural specificity is present in this ad because this is where its American beauty standards for women began to change. For example: sexy red lipstick, showing cleavage, and provocative poses aided the process of selling magazines.
Many magazines such as Vanity Fair have showed they are heavily influenced by Monroe’s sexuality. Below is an advertisement from Vanity Fair with striking similarities to Monroe’s picture (I Can’t Change My Bra Size 2013) (Refer to Figure 2). Similarities of these pictures include low cleavage, blond hair models, use of intense color scheme, positioning of the body, and a strong resemblance between the outfits and body types. Both Marilyn Monroe and Kate Upton illustrate the vulnerability of her body, by the positioning of herself. Historically, Monroe is revered as a classic and timeless beauty, transcending into generations following.
Media would continue to strongly influence Generation X even after the Baby Boom generation. Generation X is the demographic cohort that comes after the Baby Boom generation. Demographers usually cite this generation from birth years late 1960’s to 1980’s (Bromwich 2017). The term Generation X became popular after author Douglas Coupland published his novel, “Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture”; which describes the lifestyles of young adults during the late 1980’s and their developing culture (Bromwich 2017). Helping to shape the identity of Generation X. Coupland’s ideas were often associated with the “Free Love” movement. The “Free Love” movement was a social liberal movement that promoted the acceptance of all forms of love from the late 1960’s to the early 1970’s (Selvin 1994). “Free Love” is often associated with promiscuity and openness with sexuality. Media portrayed the activist of the “Free Love” movement as having multiple sex partners, and the term “sex radical” was coined (Selvin 1994). The “Free Love” Movement was just the tip of the iceberg for Generation X’s sexual revolution. A turning point for Generation X’s sexual outbreak was the premiere of Deep Throat.
Deep Throat is a 1972 pornographic that premiered at the beginning of the 1970’s “Golden Age of Porn” (Randall 1976). This movie launched the “porno chic” trend, making pornographic films popular in theatres. As one of the only films to be given an “X” rating, Deep Throat challenged the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA, the rating system at the time). The “X” came from the x in “Generation X”, which meant “unknown”. Formerly known as the MPAA, the Classification and Rating Administration (CARA) issues ratings for motion pictures exhibited and distributed commercially to the public in the United States; with the intent to provide parents information concerning the content of those motion pictures, to aid them in determining the suitability of individual motion pictures for viewing by their children (Roth 200). CARA will rate any motion picture at any time before or after it is exhibited or distributed in the United States. This was important going forward after the release of Deep Throat because there was cause for worry, exposing children to intense sexual scenes and pornographic images. Newspaper articles in the 1970’s described Deep Throat as provocative, yet the court systems charged the directors for showing obscene material (Randall 1976).
Generation X at this point was heavily sexualized by the media and the film industry. Directors and producers were breaking boundaries after Deep Throat. In simpler terms, Hollywood loved the direction the pornographic industry was taking, because box offices were selling out. Deep Throat’s release helped multiple industries: clothing, magazines, pleasure toys, and even helped the introduction of sex tapes as well. With the sex industry growing in the 1970’s, censorship laws began to expand. Generation X had an explosion of pornographic mediums. At this time, censorship laws in the context of media referred to the pre-examination of films, television shows, news reports, and magazines. The problem during the late 1970’s with censorship laws was it was believed to violate the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which grants freedom of speech. Censorship laws were put into place because the media was beginning to cross limits with the release of pornographic images, especially ones that had the ability to be exposed to children (Roth 2000). In an interview conducted with Generation X member, Diane King Shivers, discusses how the porn industry impacted her view on sex. She describes,
The pornos released were too much. I was the youngest in my family, so I learned about sex last. When they released porn on the TV and in the movies, before the movies were rated, anybody could watch them. Being part of Generation X, seeing sex everywhere was normal, which is why I probably started doing it early. With the movies and magazines released, curiosity got me pregnant. I was exposed by the media at a young age. I knew about sex by age 6. My innocence was gone by 13. (Interview Shivers)
Diane Shivers further described the impact the porn industry left on her kids, who were born in the latter end of the Generation X era. After researching, it became clear that Generation X had kids at an earlier age compared to the Baby Boomers. Based on this interview, other generations can see a different perspective on how pornographic images impacted their lives. Precedents set by Generation Xer’s has altered how Millennials perceive sexualization in media.
Educators and journalists might disagree with the argument that the Baby Boomers and Generation X were more sexualized by the media than Millennials, because Millennials have more access to social media avenues at a younger age. An argument could be made that because Millennials have more access to computers, cell phones, and tablets they are more likely to create false ages, identities (“catfishing”), and even names. Even though censorship laws have been put in place to prohibit the sexualization of this group of individuals, they often find ways around it. Millennials are better with technology. They have been exposed to different social topics and are more tech savvy. Through applications such as Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, Tinder, and Snapchat, young adults have been able break away from the social protections placed on them.
“Millennials aspire to marry the blue skies thinking of the Boomers with the Grassroots mindset of Generation X” (Ng 2010). The Millennial generation are a group of individuals that range from those who are now reaching young adulthood, to children born in the mid 2000’s (Ng 2010). Being a part of this generation, it was not always easy to beat the stereotypes. Millennials have gained a bad reputation, and are often labeled as lazy, entitled, easily sidetracked by technology, addicted to social media, narcissistic, naive, and closed minded. These misconceptions about this generation have created the general opinion that they are more sexualized by the media because they use technology more. Contrary to belief, Millennials are less sexualized than both Generation X, and the Baby Boomers. In a New York Times article by general assignment reporter Jonah Bromwich, statistics and forecasts prove that members of the Generation X era are more addicted to social media than Millennials (Bromwich 2017). A greater number of members of the older generations spend more hours on social media sites. Older generations have been more sexualized by the media through the porn industry, film industry, newspapers, and magazines. With Millennials, there are more laws in place such as: the prohibition of pornographic images being sent to minors, child-lock options on technology, and different media outlets being heavily regulated in fear of exposing children to obscene scenery. There is little exposure of Millennials in the media. For example, if a minor commits a heinous crime, their name cannot be posted in the news, nor can their trial be made public in some states. Distribution of pornographic images of children are prohibited in the United States; some child pageants have been cancelled from airing on television in fear of being too obscene. With these laws in place, there is little room for this group of young adults to be sexualized by the media.
Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials all learn from each other to benefit the future. Based on the research, Generation X can be said to be the most sexualized generation by the media so far. Generation X was heavily impacted both socially and economically with the introduction of the pornography industry in combination with the film industry. The media plays a huge part in our lives and can sometimes affect how we make our decisions. With each generation comes a new set of laws, ideals, concepts, and stereotypes. Every generation has its niche and leaves its impact on the world. It is important to keep an open mind and learn how certain aspects of our lives affect us and future generation.
Works Cited
Bromwich, Jonah Engel. “Generation X More Addicted to Social Media Than Millennials, Report Finds.” The New York Times, Per. 28 Jan. 2017, p. NA. Web. 12 Apr. 2017.
Cohen, Lisa. “The Horizontal Walk: Marilyn Monroe, CinemaScope, and Sexuality.” The Yale Journal of Criticism 11.1 (1998): 259-88. Web. 12 Apr. 2017.
“Generation”. The American Heritage® Science Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin Company. 19 Apr. Web. 12 Apr. 2017.
“I Can’t Change My Bra Size”: Kate Upton. 2013. Vanity Fair, New York City. Web. 12 Apr. 2017.
Ng, Eddy SW, Linda Schweitzer, and Sean T. Lyons. “New generation, great expectations: A field study of the millennial generation.” Journal of Business and Psychology 25.2 (2010): 281-292. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.
Paulos, Stacy. “The Aging Baby Boom: Implications for Employment and Training Programs.” Urban Institute. 1999. Web. 12 Apr. 2017.
Randall, Richard S. “Censorship: From The Miracle to Deep Throat.” The American Film Industry (1976): 432-457. Web. 10 Apr. 2017
Roth, Chris. “Three Decades of Film Censorship… right before your eyes.” The Humanist 60.1 (2000): 9. Web. 12 Apr. 2017
Selvin, Joel. Summer of love: the inside story of LSD, rock & roll, free love, and high times in the wild West. EP Dutton, 1994. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.
Sex Sells. 1953. Vogue Magazine, New York City. Web. 12 Apr. 2017.
Shivers, Diane K. Personal Interview. 9 Apr. 2017.
Spoto, Donald. Marilyn Monroe: The Biography. New York: Cooper Square Press; [Lanham, MD]: Distributed by National Book Network, 2001., 2001.Web. 12 Apr. 2017.
Images
Figure 1: “Sex Sells”, Marilyn Monroe, 1953
Figure 2: “I Can’t Change My Bra Size”. Kate Upton, 2013
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