Controversial Social Problems
1. According to Sternheimer, in what ways has sex been a controversial issue in American popular culture for nearly 100 years? When did politicians first begin calling for government censorship of Hollywood, and for what reasons, including those having nothing to do with sex? Do you believe that Hollywood films still represent sexuality in distorted ways, especially when compared to films from other countries? How so?
2. Discuss the recent controversy over teen “sexting.” What are some of the key underlying fears, and what actual evidence supports or undermines these concerns? How does present teen sexual activity compare to decades past, and what demographic patterns seem to exist?
3. What arguments are presented linking popular culture to obesity, particularly advertising and television, and why does Sternheimer find this connections more complicated than they appear? What other socioeconomic factors may play a greater role?
4. What are some of the possible links between the fashion industry and eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia? What other factors does the author propose as greater indicators in girls’ lives? In your own experience, to what degree do you believe media and popular culture influence our perceptions of our bodies and beauty as a whole? Do you think that advertisers and the fashion industry bear a responsibility to promote a greater diversity of each?
Book. Sternheimer, Karen (2013). Connecting Social Problems and Popular Culture: Why Media is Not the Answer, Second Edition. Westview Press. ISBN 081334723
Answer preview
The controversy on teen sexting has arisen because of the fear that teens are nowadays exposed to sexual content early in life. Televisions and movies are some of the media that are blamed for the sexual content that is responsible for the perceived increase in sexual activities among teenagers. Adults nowadays believe that teens are maturing faster, unlike in the past, and they are becoming sexually active before joining high school. According to Sternheimer (2013), while adults perceive teenagers are sexually maturing faster, teenagers involved in sexual activities has been decreasing over the past decades. Presently, popular culture has made sex a fashionable thing, and it is being blamed for early sexual maturity. Television programs are also accused of fueling early sexual maturity among teenagers because the shows have sexual content. However, the majority of these concerns by adults are unfounded, as many studies reject the assumptions made on the factors that catalyze early sexual maturity. In one survey that targeted teens
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Controversial Social Problems
