[Etownian.com]- Let’s talk about sex. It’s one of those central pillars all life seems to revolve around. Sure, it’s a dirty act only done out of sight in dark rooms, but more and more these days it seems to be permeating our culture. Since the sexual revolution of the 1920s people have become increasingly comfortable with sexual abandon, to the point where our modern world is practically dripping with musk.
Carmine Sarracino, an English professor here on campus brings this idea to light in his recently published book “The Porning of America: The Rise of Porn Culture, What it Means, and Where We Go From Here.”
The book discusses how the porn industry went from a backroom series of sleazy corporations to a multi-billion dollar industry in the latter half of the last century, and how in modern times that lead the way to sex becoming one of the main tenents of American life.
The inspiration for the book came from a class that Sarracino teaches here on campus, “Growing up In America”. The class deals with American literature specifically dealing with childhood and coming-of-age topics. Over the past decade, Sarracino couldn’t help but notice that one could not discuss American culture without talking about porn and the sex that seemed to be everywhere in American life. From Bratz™ dolls that look like prostitutes, to more and more highly sexualized and suggestive cartoons and thongs for preteen girls, sex appeared to be everywhere.
Sarracino and his co-author, Elizabethtown’s English education director Kevin M. Scott, use this inspiration to discuss how much porn has seeped into American life.
It shows how advertising and popular media have such a strong pull on today’s society that the images they sell soon become what everyone is seeking — in this case — sex. Shows like “Sex and the City” make casual sex a literal term—just a casual interaction between two strangers. Someone your meet in the elevator this afternoon could be in your bed by tonight and out of your life forever by tomorrow.
Shows and advertisements make a new person in your bed night after night a normal and almost expected thing. Even the music industry is cashing in on the sex culture, from artists like Madonna to Britany Spears, skimpy clothing and suggestive lyrics are expected of performers.
On the advertising front, the term “sex sells” couldn’t be closer to reality. Sarracino and Scott use several ads to show this point. One ad from Clinique shows a makeup product splattered across a woman’s face, bearing a striking resemblance to a climactic sexual act. An add from Old Spice features a picture of a woman sensually eating an ice cream cone and advising men to “Keep it clean,” insinuating that men should always keep their important body parts clean, since they never know when a sexual opportunity will present itself.
The book also discusses the idea of sexualization—which is the process by which people only become known for sex. Normal people have a lot of strengths, but some unfortunate people—like Britany Spears and Pamela Anderson – get boiled down to just their sexual desirability. Once they age and become sexually unattractive, they become nothing in the eyes of the public and are ridiculed. It’s some very scary stuff.
In all, “The Porning of America” is a very deep book and is very well worth reading. It explores how America’s hard-won sexual freedom can be both liberating and damaging to our culture.