Sex On Television Essay, Research Paper
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 Ricardos 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 Bradys 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.