Why Casual Sex Is More Accepted Than Ever In The Media
There was once a time when women could show no skin. They wore floor length dresses, gloves and hats. Any woman who spoke openly about sex was shunned by her entire community. As years progressed so did the way people thought and spoke. It still took centuries for people to begin to see women as something other than sex objects and more as human-beings. The women’s suffrage movement was the first big change that made women more equal to men. The world began to pen up for women and they became more than wives and moms. They began to bloom and live lives of their own.
Another huge step was when the relationship and dating rituals began to morph. In the early 1920’s ‘flappers” were young girls that shunned societal rules and did their own thing. They wore short skirts and cut their hair short. The used a lot of makeup, drank a lot and weren’t afraid to talk about sex. They drove cars and smoked cigarettes and were bold, brash women. It was these flappers who began to pave the way for more open ideals on casual sex and one night stands.
Casual Sex By Decade
Once the 1960’s rolled around and the sexual revolution started, it set the world on its ear, including the media. The streets of Haight and Ashbury in San Francisco became a gathering place for people who wanted to live another way than the rest of society which included the way they dealt with sex. People in that scene believed in “free love” and open relationships. Sex was just something to do. In their eyes, there was no reason for it to be only in a relationship. This sexual revolution was so fascinating and revolting to the American public it was reported on all over the country.
As the 1970’s and 80’s approached casual sex was still as prevalent but not as taboo. It wasn’t talked about as openly but, like the elephant in the room, everyone knew it was happening. It was all the rage in the 70’s to throw a party with several couples and have them all put their car keys in a bowl. When the time was right a woman would take turns blindly pulling out a set of keys. The owner of the keys and the woman who picked them would have sex. Wife swapping was a thing in many groups of friends. Couples would go to one another’s homes and sleep with each other’s spouses. Sex clubs, also called swinger’s clubs became popular. Couples and singles alike could go to one of these clubs and find a one-night stand or casual sex partner.
The new millennium brought the Internet and a hookup culture throughout the country. Biologist Justin Garcia has termed it a cultural revolution with its origins in the 1920’s flapper era. A hookup is just casual sex. The culture encourages and accepts hooking up or having random sex. It’s a very broad term. Some people use casual sex as a way to find a fuck buddy or a one-night stand. Others use it as a way to a long term relationship.
The Internet Has Really Shaped Out View Of Casual Sex
The Internet has had a huge hand in making casual sex so popular in the media. Late night television began to show commercials for phone sex lines and chat lines where people can find hookups. As soon as the World Wide Web was a public entity, websites for sex and hookups sprang up everywhere. They are available in every niche and fetish. People are interested in all types of sex and you can find everything imaginable online.
Once casual sex became readily available to anyone anywhere online, and by using apps and social media, the world took notice. Sex became more of a mainstream leisure activity, mainly by college age people, but those of all ages as well. The casual sex apps made it even more of a media sensation. They can be as easy as swiping right on the photo of a hot girl to get laid. Today’s media has taken what used to be taboo and illicit and turned it into a media sensation. Stories abound daily about which celebrity was seen with who and whole television shows are dedicated to sex and its many nuances. Entire channels are dedicated to nothing but XXX porn. There are sex ads in the back of almost every popular magazine and newspaper ad section.
With all this casual sexual activity exposed to society as a whole it’s hard to not be aware of it. AS time has progressed, so have people and their attitudes toward sex. There are still people who believe and practice traditional values. While the media will continue to sensationalize every aspect of sex, there will always be those who won’t follow that path.