We live in a time when talk about sex education is more in-vogue than getting educated, because doing so means talking in detail about what it means to be sexually active.
Sex education is a topic that is debated among many demographics, and we have all received — in one manner or another — the “wrap it up” talk. But as it comes time to apply this knowledge as sex becomes part of our lives, we are left to figure out the details on our own.
An enormous deterrent in effectively educating about sex is the gender double standard regarding the social acceptability of being openly sexual. The most striking example of this double standard is in commercials that we so easily dismiss.
An oral contraceptive commercial for Yaz stars three beautiful women at a cocktail party name-dropping chemical compounds, one of whom was able to attend because of the effects of Yaz.
They are relieved that Yaz can control menstruation and reduce the effects of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (“a mood disorder related to the menstrual cycle”).
Many women take the pill for these reasons, but contraception is still a touchy subject in the realm of commercial advertisement.
As a result, many men and women are missing the point of birth control and are only receiving a portion of the bigger picture.
Men and women need to be honest and learned about the purpose of birth control, because the drug that so many women take for various reasons is about something bigger than our own bodies.
Birth control was first approved for use in 1960 for the purpose of contraception.
The number one purpose of the drug is in the name, and by ignoring its intended purpose, we are ignoring the fact that, although many women take birth control for health issues such as acne, muscle cramps and heavy cycles, birth control was created to allow for sexual freedom.
The Yaz commercial brought this idea to the front of my mind, so I went to Viagra’s Web site to hunt down a commercial relating to men’s sexual activity.
A video of a group of men who seem to have set up a secret jam session in a decrepit barn start to play music as the site appears.
They grin and croon a bluesy country ditty about being crazy for their women, and the commercial ends with the chorus; “Viva Viagra.”
The point of this commercial is sex, blatantly. It’s simple and honest from the old acoustic guitars they play to the grins on their faces as they shake hands before going home to the fiery women they sing about.
The idea that men can be openly sexual while women are still talking about their means of sexual freedom (birth control) in terms of their periods is shocking.
Although birth control is a totally legitimate and widely used drug amongst women who want to be more in control of their menstrual cycle and its other effects, these reasons are simply afflictions alleviated by the side-effects of a drug intended to prevent pregnancy.
If we want to educate our generation and those after us about being sexually active, it must be without this double standard.
This means being ingenuous about you and me being sexual creatures, even if you are not currently sexually active.
Tradition holds strong in the media and general public that women cannot be open about sex. We must address this double standard critically to realize the effects it could produce for our bodies and in our lives.
No progress will be made as long as women are advertised as “virginal,” and not given the opportunity to express their own sexuality. Protect yourself, respect yourself, have fun and talk about it.
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