Most Controversial Magazine Covers in History - Essay Example

?Sex, Love, and Romance in Pop Culture Sources Introduction Mass media never fails to portray something about love, sex, and/or romance. In fact, most if not all kinds of literature focus on topics related to relationships such as dating, g-spots, romance, gender, and the like. These topics never fail to touch the interest of people from different walks of life. For instance, one of the many pop culture web articles entitled, 15 of the Most Controversial Magazine Covers in History showed Demi Moore’s naked pregnant body in Vanity Fair, John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s intimate pose in Rolling Stone, the first African-American Woman in Playboy, and Ellen DeGeneres’ “coming out”. The images in the covers quite imply sexual messages, peculiar relationships, and gender. The following analyses look into how popular culture sources such as magazines represent issues on relationships. These sources feature salient commonalities. The substantial connection signal the inclination of the present times. In particular, literature such as Glamour, Hilary, and Cosmopolitan magazines focus on practicability, assertiveness, and open-mindedness as foundations of ideal intimacies. Therefore, a good number of popular culture sources embody sex, love, and romance through open, brazen, and mature characterizations that are likewise observed in other features of civilization. Discussion Glamour. One of the famous publications widely read by women is Glamour magazine. In fact, it has editions in other parts of the world such as Mexico, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Its issue regarding “Sex and Love” gives various tips on what men think, dating, relationships, sex, and breakups. Issues target the needs and interests connected to improving affections such as how to please men more. This entails being more active in exploring delicate body parts. For example, one article suggests that men like to be touched in certain sensitive areas such as the butt, neck, ear, feet, and nape (Gold, “10 Places to Try Touching Him Right Now”). The directness of the subject reflects the empowerment of women when it comes to how they can be the source of pleasure in an intimate relationship. Seemingly, they are given authority and perhaps even the responsibility to adduce gratification in men. This kind of theme may affect readers to be more experimental, bold, and sensitive on how they touch their partners. Furthermore, another article recommends some standards when dating older men. Several of the “dos” are: to be mature, be oneself, and realize the fact that guys look better with age (Melms, “The Dos and Don’ts of Dating an Older Man). The advices indicate the vulnerability of older men’s egos in a relationship. Hence, it encourages the public to view older partners in a more realistic and mature light. It does not always impose that if the partner is older, he is higher in stature relationship-wise. In a loving relationship, both should have a more or less fair ranking on how they treat each other. Another very thought-provoking classic is on the 7 things that a girl must feel comfortable doing when she is really in love with a guy. These are being able to show one’s anger toward him, letting him know how upset one is because of others, being able to lose control and cry, showing certain insecurities, looking scruffy, getting ill, and being affectionate to other people (Melms, “Listen Up: It’s Not True Love Unless You’re Doing These 7 Things”). Basically, the sign of true love is knowing and feeling that one can be accepted despite one’s weaknesses. It also implies that relationships should be a home of acceptance, warmth, and confidence. Hilary. Another periodical which proclaims itself to be “North America’s first and most popular online women’s magazine” is Hilary. Certainly, the publication uses amatory visual cues to evoke sex and romance. The topic is emphasized by the background picture which features a young woman in a suggestive pose. Wearing a revealing black top with matching black lingerie and pants, the model is arched backwards on a rock. Erotically stimulating pictures are already pretty common in magazine and newsstands, online sites, and other media. It is one of the loud declarations that the current generation refutes customary standards on modesty. Alongside this mind set is the lessening of time investment in the preliminaries of dating. For example, an article talked about both sides of a coin regarding speed dating. Some of the pros are: time saving, straight-forward conversations, and more reliable than online dating. On the other hand, some of the cons are: superficial dating and unreliable first impressions (Rowland, “Speed Dating: Pros and Cons”). Rowland writes about speed dating as a viable option especially for those who do not have much opportunities to date as well as for those who are assertive and want to pretty much cut to the chase. This topic somehow opens the readers’ minds to a modernized way of initiating relationships. It is an approach that makes the traditional courtship enormously time-consuming and impractical. It is an exemplification of other publications’ content that likewise transmit ideas on express routines not only at work but also in achieving interpersonal bonds. Cosmopolitan. Another well-renowned international magazine is Cosmopolitan. The Cosmo definitely dictates as well as agrees with vogues. One of its invigorating segments is “Love/Sex” where topics on sex positions, love and relationships, sex and dating videos, body language, and the like abound. For instance, specified tips on how women can achieve more physical pleasure were underscored (Triffin, “Breast Sex: Because Your Girls Have Needs, Too”). The guidelines pointed toward carnal satisfaction in a sense that women need to be delighted and preferred. Moreover, the step by step instructions were spiced up by beguiling steamy terminologies. They are indeed stimulatingly presented in such a way that readers will immediately grasp the descriptions. As for love, a piece on the capsule-stories of genuine individuals who have decided to tie the knot in a not so expensive ceremony was featured (Surnow, “Love Actually: Meet 8 Real Couples Getting Married at City Hall”). The unions include inter-racial, same-sex, and inter-class marriages. Though it was not directly written, the article conveys certain debatable human rights issues on gay marriage, discrimination, and tolerance. These matters have been given a lot of attention in global development movements. Indeed, love should not be dictated by precise colors, measurements, history, race, nor gender. In addition, many of the interviewees commented that they believed they were destined for each other and that they feel ultimately happy about their respective relationships. This hints that the importance of wedding ceremonies should be the genuineness of the love between the couple and not the guests, food, or decorations. Without doubt, any reader will think of the truthfulness of his or her present relationship with this article. Conclusion Apparently, the majority of the distinct messages represented in the magazines were very much linked to sex. A number of the pictures and other visuals were sexually indicative. For example, the topics on “breast sex” and “places where to touch men” are quite avid in their depictions. It just shows that the current century has become worldlier in its expression and understanding of a once-taboo theme. For example, a mother named Rose “sat her son down to talk about sex” (Elliot 1). Years ago, it was incredibly unthinkable to talk about sex in the household. However, the contemporary direction of mass media has affected every family to look at the issue in a more aggressive way. The increasingly seductive contents pose anxieties from parents and other concerned adults. “Popular teen movies and TV shows contribute to this attitude” (Elliot 2). Since adolescents spend a great deal of time reading materials with sexual content, they may have higher inclinations regarding initiating sexual intercourse and promiscuous behavior. In fact, a research indicated that most adolescents regard mass media (including magazines) to be one of the most popular sources of sex information (Peterson, and Bush). While teenagers view themselves as inept in sensual topics, they turn to magazines for help. Noticeably, this kind of coping is unhealthy as well as hazardous. Ostensibly, this is rather comparable to industrial expansions that produce corruptive side effects. Thus, the progress in mature content in magazines reflect the 21st century’s social advancement. Pop culture sources also correspond to the existing generation’s fast-paced life style. For instance, the topic on “speed dating” values the maximization of every second. In the current way of living, time is never enough. People are always rushing and asking for more hours, days, and years. Various time management and multi-tasking techniques have been touted by experts. Hundreds of products have been designed to prolong durability, intensity, and longevity. In a lot of business institutes, every second equates to a certain price. This attitude has already permeated aspects that were usually devoted much time such as dating and romance. For sure, mass media echoes the hectic timetable of the world today. Additionally, the ideals presented in the magazines may lead to unrealistic expectations of the masses. For instance, the articles on “dating old men”, “signs of love” and “couples getting married” constitute guidelines that do not always guarantee results. Similarly, the pictures that portray sculpted bodies set beauty standards that are typically unreachable by many. With the goal of being “attractive or good enough”, magazine patrons may become slaves to the publications’ models. “This desire puts pressure on individuals to attempt to approximate cultural ideals of beauty, thereby drawing them into patriarchal imperatives that guide aesthetic values and frame the direction of content of the erotic gaze” (Kulick 233). As a result, pressure may be much felt by individuals to become “beautiful” to be accepted. In relationships, partners may be compelled to be “suitable” to be considered “in-love couples”. This gap replicates the disparity between reality and maneuvered public perception present in several aspects of the society such as politics, economy, and education. For example, there have been already a number of occasions when people were told of a noble feat and yet they have been experiencing the exact opposite of the matter. Therefore, the cognitive dissonance being experienced by magazine readers is likewise undergone by humanity due to the perpetually influential controls of the current governments. All in all, the abovementioned magazines have portrayed parallel contents. Sex has been depicted in bold, graphic, and quite alluring styles. Women were also portrayed to have the ability to be forward and capable in prompting physical pleasure. Comparably, the notions on love and romance exhibit reasonableness and convenience. Moreover, what people usually read, see, hear, and feel replicate the disposition of the society. The communal alacrity gives rise to pulsating hues and variant effervescent depictions of sensuality. The haste of pecuniary growth reaches out to abstract human connections. The cultural evolution permeates publications to reflect the sensibility in romance. Ergo, pop culture sex and romance information emulate the liberty, momentum, ideologies and possibly even some hitches of industrialization and globalization. Works Cited Cosmopolitan. Love/Sex. Hearst Communications, Inc., 19 May 2013. Web. 19 May 2013. Elliot, Sinikka. Not My Kid: What Parents Believe about the Sex Lives of Their Teen agers. New York: New York University Press, 2012. Print. “15 of the Most Controversial Magazine Covers in History.” Twistedsifter.com. Word Press, 28 Aug. 2012. Web. 18 May 2013. Glamour. Sex and Love. Conde Nast, 19 May 2013. Web. 19 May 2013. Hilary. Dating and Sex. Hilary Magazine, 18 May 2013. Web. 18 May 2013. Kulick, Don. Travesti: Sex, Gender, and Culture among Brazilian Transgendered Prostitutes. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998. Print. Peterson, Gary, and Bush, Kevin. Handbook of the Marriage and Family. New York: Springer Press, 2013. Print. Read More