Douglas continues to take us through the evolution of women as they are portrayed in the media. This time, she focuses on the extreme sexualization of adolescent males and females and the media messages influencing their views of the female body and proper female treatment from a very young ago. The creation of the "sexpert," a young women desiring sexual freedom and equality, eager to enjoy sex to the same degree as men without societal disapproval. Total sexual equality was far from being achieved, but media outlets realized the popularity of this idea, and set out to pretend it existed. The message that "it is through sex and sexual display that women really have the power to get what they want" (Douglas, p. 156). By encouraging women to actively pursue the sex object role, they became convinced that they could satisfy men's desires and still have power over their own choices. At the same time, teen models in Calvin Klein adds and thongs in kid sizes surrounded children in a constant aura of sex. Shows like Toddlers and Tiarias continue to portray very young girls in provocative outfits, showing off their bodies, lengthening their eyelashes, bleaching their teeth, displaying the inappropriate subjugation of them to beauty measures that should not take place until college. Douglas claims that this "pornification" of women's and girls' bodies is a serious setback to the equality goals had by most feminists, often times seen as sex-haters when denouncing the media trends. The sexpert must be wildly physically appealing and sexually skilled but never threaten the power and prominence of a man. The highly sexualized portrayal of women in Maxim need not be taken seriously, because obviously men don't think of women as purely sexual objects anymore; women have succeeded in gaining equality and therefore no longer have to worry about being seen as inferior. This view was and is so common and allows the objectification of women in media outlets to continue without question. Television programs have evolved to include more raunchy behavior and random sex, with actual sexual content of shows has increased from 43% to 75% between 1976 and 1995; this type of content has been proven to encourage gender stereotypes, dictate perceptions of at what age to engage in sexual activities, and influence boys' view of girls/women as not much more than sexual partners. Clinton's sex scandal brought oral sex to the forefront of media coverage, continuing the barrage of sexual imagery and innuendo into family life. Sex and the City provided a refreshingly new take on women, as the four stars related to men in a very detached, simple, pleasure-driven type of way, without desperation. Even forward-thinking shows like this, however, have to appeal to a mass audience and must avoid topic such as politics, books, families, current events, etc. Douglas also brings up the concept of reclaiming words, as female rappers attempted to reclaim the word "bitch" with little success. These rappers also embraced violence, anger, rivalry, etc., encouraging delinquent behavior in young African American women. There is no opportunity to succeed for this women, who are treated as inferior if they stand idly by and are seen as dangerous criminals if they try to enhance their efficacy. Corresponding with this increase in sex in the media is a decrease in sexual education and an increase in abstinence-only education. Teens are having sex at a younger age, and aren't using contraception; girls are taught to believe their value is in their sexual charms, which is causing depression and anxiety issues.
Rebecca Walker's Lusting for Freedom takes her through her experiences with sex, starting from her first sexual encounter through her exploration of sex, dating multiple men, assuming multiple roles to please her male suitors. She had a range of experiences but was able to explore intimacy, power, freedom and pleasure together. She claims that without the allowance of exploration, we become disconnected from instinct and unhappy living under the rules of another. Because of general societal denial and avoidance of female sexual pleasure, women must resort to getting their information through media outlets, which debase women and their sexual pursuits. Walker claims that young women must have safe spaces to explore their bodies and sexuality, and claim them as their birthrights. Men and women must communicate, experiment, and encourage healing and sensuality.
Collins explains that through the invention of CDs and music videos, all of which can be rented, purchased, or downloaded, African American and Latino musicians can now enter racially segregated homes without notice. While racial stereotypes or primitive, wild black sexuality are so persistent and pervasive in everyday life, almost to the point of being unnoticeable, Destiny's Child changes the traditional view by preaching ideas of owning one's body, embracing it. Historically, black women and men have been hypersexualized. In order for civilized nation states to maintain a meaningful national identity, they needed an uncivilized group, and African Americans were chosen for this role. Women's sexuality was promoted to a much higher degree, however, as men's sexuality was seen as needing to be controlled. New forms of global distribution of wealth and poverty, with few agents controlling the global economy, has created an additional way to segregate groups based on socio-economic or racial status, compounding on the historical patterns of racism already in place originating with the slave trade. While these new forms of racism rely on the media portraying African Americans as sexual deviants, the African American community has remained quiet on this topic.
The American representation of sexuality is also highly contradictory; in many venues it is closely censored and spoken of in a highly conservative way but at the same time hypersexualization is portrayed everywhere. Alternative sexual practices are seldom discussed or researched, since heterosexuality and sexuality are used as synonyms. "The goal is to neither stimulate debate nor educate, but to sell products" (Collins p. 41). The African American population is further marginalized as society has often associated the biology of being black with the state of poverty and lower-class. However, more accurately, being described as culturally and socially black, as some white americans may be, can be used to describe the descent to a poor state.
Society continues to be fascinated with black sexuality and gender roles in private, but it is highly taboo to discuss these roles in the public sphere. They are seen as both bad-influences and as freed individuals who have escaped the sexually repressive culture.
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