I went rock climbing today, and am now sore.
Lately it seems like I've been surrounded by sex. My friends keep talking about it, the soap operas my mom watches use it as a major plot point, and there's usually something sexual in the movies. It's natural to be curious about it, because thinking about it in its most base sense may seem a bit odd. Honestly, it's sticking something repeatedly in and out for an indeterminable amount of time until exhausted.
There has been an increasing number of teens who have sex at a younger age, and many believe that abstinence-only sexual education will bring the number down. Here's my two cents: I was just a teen. Telling me not to do something makes me want to do it even more. And teaching me that I shouldn't have sex because it's bad or will lead to pregnancy and/or STD's may deter some, but on the off chance that I did give in, I'd like to be informed. Obviously there have been people who have had sex and haven't gotten any of these, so teaching about condoms at the very least seems like a good idea.
When I was in middle school, I wasn't thinking about sex. I was thinking about hanging out with my friends, reading, and writing. I can't imagine thinking about sex at that young of an age, but there are teens that are. It's an odd thought for me, to think that they want to lose their virginity at such a young age. So then I got to thinking about why it could be.
As I said before, there's some type of sexual situation in everyday programming. It seems like with more advances in technology we care less about what goes on the screen. Just looking at a PG-13 rated movie from a few years ago compared to today will give you a good idea of that. People have embraced that old advertising adage: Sex sells.
And it truly does. Not only on TV, but in our music. There are songs about wanting to have sex with "every girl in the world," about how boys like to "ride" someone, and about how someone may be crazy, but since she's good at sex the guy is glad to stick around. These songs are "Every Girl" by Young Money, "Ride" by Ciara, and "Crazy B*tch" by Buckcherry, if you were wondering. They're all about sex. There's no hidden meaning behind the words. They want to have good sex, and some just want women to have sex with.
These are chart-topping hits, and they are accompanied by music videos. The dancing in them is highly sexual and suggestive, with scantily-clad women in "Every Girl," a lot of booty shaking in "Ride," and strippers in "Crazy B*tch."I won't deny that I don't own each of these songs, but then again I'm 21. I won't say that they should be pulled from the radio, because I enjoy them. Granted, I enjoy "Every Girl" because I find the lyrics amusing.
But I think that since younger girls are emulating the women they see in these music videos that something needs to change. At age 14 I don't think you're ready for sex, personally. I don't know what needs to change exactly, except maybe better parenting. At the age of 14 you can't have a job, so these girls are (presumably) getting their clothes from their parents. At the very least, the parents are allowing them to walk around like that.
Personally, I wouldn't let my 14 year old daughter walk out of the house in a skirt where the pockets stick out on the bottom. Maybe I'm just a bit old-fashioned, but I know she wouldn't be emotionally ready for sex, and there are people out there who could take advantage of her naivety to try to persuade her into doing something she didn't want to.
I don't know exactly what, but I think that something needs to change.
No comments:
Post a Comment