Sex And Intimacy On Television example essay topic

Sex and intimacy on television has long been a fought over topic in our society. For years, the FCC and the MPAA have censored any content they deem sexually or verbally explicit from our viewing, and as we know television is one of the largest influences on our culture ever artificially created. Still though, sex and intimacy seep through the cracks of the system and into aspects of our lives. During the early days of television, sexual situations were rare and intimate moments were few and far between. On "I Love Lucy", the Ricardo's were no exception. Lucy and Ricky rarely touched each other for any reason other than a quick embrace or in a friendly manner.

Their contact was nothing like the way we now expect a husband and wife to interact. And as you may know, they slept in separate beds, which has also been a topic of great discussion. While, of course, married couples at the time, almost without exception, shared the same bed, television producers thought displaying this implied sexual contact, which was of course a big no-no in the mid-fifties. The Brady's were slightly more liberal about intimacy. This is most likely attributed to the fact that the show ran from 1969 to 1974 during which our society was still going through an enormous shift in its value system.

Contrary to rumors, Mike and Carol Brady were not the first married couple on television to share a bed; the Munsters had done that already. There were also segments during some episodes which showed Carol and Mike in bed together discussing the days events and usually they would conclude by kissing each other good night and going to sleep. Kissing between them was also not that big of an issue; they did it frequently and without hesitation as a sign they loved each other, as most couples on television before were unable to express physically. Again, this type of activity contained sexual innuendos but, as I said, our culture was already fairly comfortable with this. And besides, the fact that they had six children between them clearly implied some kind of intimacy for both parents. Greg, Peter, Bobby, Marcia, Jan, and Cindy did not just fall from the sky.

Roseanne again displayed a radical shift in the development of sex on television. Dan and Roseanne Connor, were completely open, not just about their own sex lives, but about everything else they dealt with. Excluding the witty retorts and frequent fat jokes, the show itself couldn't have been more accurate if they'd put a camera in almost any blue-collar household. The two of them were constantly intimate and, as a fairly new concept to television, so were the kids. Becky had a boyfriend whom she made clear she was having sex with, especially since she married him. Darlene, the younger daughter, also had a boyfriend it was mentioned she'd had sex with.

They were also intimate with their boyfriends openly on camera, which really made no difference to the parents. Dan and Roseanne had the children when they were young and understood what it was like. Not many television shows before this one could claim to be as honest. The Simpsons, the last family we watched on television, are also completely open about their relationship. For example, I can recall a particular episode where Marge and Homer found they got excited by having sex in public places and were eventually caught naked in the middle of a football field, and this is just one small example from a show that's been running for well over ten years. Although animated, the Simpsons still display intimacy and sexual situations with humor, showing us that our society should be able to laugh at our own little ridiculous shortcomings.

Homer and Marge are quite often seen in the same bed cuddling without any hesitation. This show in particular, has shaped the thought patterns of our generation in regards to how a married couple should conduct themselves, without all the minor pratfalls. Marge and Homer genuinely love each other and they make that abundantly clear in every episode, whether they express it physically or through their relationship with the children.