The mass censorship of media makes no sense.
Something is going on, and we need to talk about it right now before we let censors go so far that art and storytelling are ruined. No, I'm not overreacting. I'm just responding to one of the weirdest trending topics recently: people demanding the removal of sex and nudity from film and TV.
I came across this trending thread and thought it was a joke. In the comments, there are even people who want to take kissing out of film and TV.
Unpopular opinion:
I hate nudity in TV shows.
Nothing more awkward than feeling like you walked into a room of people having sex. It never propels the story forward and it’s uncomfortable whether you’re with your parents, boyfriend, or friends.
After wasting a lot of time wading through this controversy, I tracked everything back to a show on Netflix called You. For those of you who have never seen the show, it's an erotic thriller about obsession, lust, and sex.
As you can imagine, there's a fair amount of the stuff people want to ban in it.
An actor in the show, Penn Badgley, recently said he wanted to stop doing sex scenes.
“Fidelity in every relationship, and especially my marriage, is important to me," Badgley said. "And, yeah, it just got to a point where I didn’t wanna do that.”
Badgley was married in 2017 and while he didn't say any of these scenes put a strain on his marriage, he did say they might negatively impact his career. The actor expanded on this idea, saying, “I mean, you know, think about every male lead you’ve loved. Are they kissing someone? Are they doing a lot more than that? It’s not my desire to."
Now, look, no one has to do these scenes. I think it's got to be tough to be on a very popular TV show where they may be expected, and he will have to work with the showrunners to figure out how his character can move forward without these things.
But this stance launched the internet into madness.
I actually saw people advocating to return to the Hays Code, which existed during the Golden Age of Hollywood but was absolutely repressive, racist, and puritanical.
Where are the sex scenes in modern movies? To answer this and find the origin of the neo-prudes, I researched this piece on the Hays Code and its creator AKA the warden of horny jail: https://t.co/DaADz0poT7 pic.twitter.com/luD1rENR6d
Now, I'm not suggesting every movie needs sex and nudity. I am a fan of lots of Bollywood titles where you don't even really see kissing. But the idea that every movie should eliminate this stuff is absolutely wild.
The main argument I've seen is that sex "doesn't move the plot forward." Not only is that just wrong, but it feels reflexive for someone who doesn't watch a lot of movies or TV shows. Think about the sex in Breaking Bad, which shows how Walter White feels empowered once he starts selling drugs. Or the sex in Mad Men, which can be dress-rippingly hot or Jaguar dealership devastating.
Sex can tell the story of a couple in Game of Thrones that's meant to be together.
And guess what? Sometimes it doesn't have to do anything but make you hot under the collar. Same with nudity. Sometimes it's just there for vibes.
Get over it.
If talent doesn't want to do it, fine. Some people will do it, and some audiences love to see it. Sex made You a hit just like it did with 50 Shades of Grey, Magic Mike, and Bridgerton.
Hollywood has always been the junction between art and commerce. And when you start making rules that overreach what people can and cannot do or conflating sex and nudity with quality or even the current state of anything is misinformed and boring.
Every time this stuff trends, I'm going to bring it up, because I think the absolute worst thing that can happen is that these people gain any ground or control inside the industry.
Let people make art and get out of the way.
Your Comment
11 Comments
This argument is very badly supported. The author claims to have seen people advocating a return to Hays, but doesn't actually reference any of these sightings for some reason. He warns us not to let 'these people' gain ground but only gives us a vague sketch of who they might actually be.
The two objectors actually quoted are -
a) a woman who personally finds depicted nudity uncomfortable (fair enough)
b) an actor who, for personal reasons, no longer wishes to participate in them (also fair enough)
I happen to love the intertwining of drama and eroticism; find many sex scenes enchanting, exciting and relevant. I totally agree that they can forward plot and character development. But hearing people express the opposite opinion does not herald an imminent return to the (disgusting) Hays Code or equivalent.
If you are going to call 'censorship!', you have to have much better supporting evidence in my opinion.
February 14, 2023 at 6:22AM, Edited February 14, 6:25AM
I don't know, maybe watch something else you feel more comfortable with? Sex is a part of life and shouldn't be out of bounds for storytellers. Movies are an escape. If the sexualization of a character is gratuitous, so is violence. Why are they ok with that? My suggestion: Fast-forward past the sex scenes so you can watch those same two characters murder people. It's all pretend, people!
February 14, 2023 at 11:27AM
I grow tired of people who have some kind of issue with "something" and feel the need to advocate for its removal from all of our lives. Nobody is making you watch these films ..just move on, get some (more) therapy if you need .... and don't even get me started that the human form (nudity) is somehow horrible when we constantly blow people up and splatter them all over the wall in 4k ... and that's perfectly acceptable.
February 14, 2023 at 12:28PM
Sex in a scene can absolutely be a part of the storytelling, which is why I would never say never on that front. However, there are a LOT of sex scenes that do nothing for the story. They purely exist to provide some steaminess for people who don't want to watch actual porn.
It's not something I'd enjoy shooting, or dealing with on set. I feel like there are plenty of ways to get the point across without a steamy scene ("Contact" nailed that. My 10 yr old worked out that they'd slept together and there was nothing really there.) It's not for me as a filmmaker and I personally don't care for it in films and TV unless it has a purpose to the story.
That said, I'd never say no one should ever have a pointless sex scene in a movie. That's just silly.
February 14, 2023 at 6:20PM
People are just getting tired of seeing it. I mean, like damn...how much is enough at this point? It's almost in everything, in every form, almost all the time and sometimes centered only on that... If there were more options I am sure there wouldn't be this huge uproar in toning it down or removing it to 'some' degree. At the same time if people want more of it give them more. Just mix it up a bit. There was a time when the bigger the audience watching a network the better...not so much anymore.
February 15, 2023 at 5:02PM, Edited February 15, 5:07PM
America has always had a problem with sex and nudity, Europe has always been more reserved towards violence. If we combine this we can make movie magic.
There is a lot of gratuitous nudity (and violence) going around, but when done right it can be absolutely amazing. Cronenberg could teach a masterclass of sex and nudity. Crash anyone?
February 18, 2023 at 4:16PM
Only in America: The country that invented the internet and proceeded to fill it with porn yet is the same country that's still as uptight about sex as the Puritans that landed on Plymouth rock were. Yet, everyone is OK that "You" features a sociopathic stalker who leaves a trail of bodies, often just people that simply "annoy" him as the women he obsessively follows.
And BTW: If you're uncomfortable watching sex scenes in the presence of your romantic partner? You have some things to "work out" and they aren't everyone else's problem.
February 20, 2023 at 9:02PM
I love kissing, but I don't want to watch people doing it. And I certainly don't want – during a typical movie or TV show – to watch people having sex. I don't mind the inference. I just don't need to see the act. Y'know? And I am a guy who has no issues with having sex in good contexts.
Want actual sex in a movie? Then make sure it has that NC-17 rating.
Want a sexy, sexual scene, then – with the current rating system – either pick that or do R with a lot of forewarning, because many of us don't want or need to see sex on the screen; and we don't want to be blindsided. Maybe we need a new rating to be added, if that can be figured out.
February 23, 2023 at 3:59AM
50 Shades wasn't likely on regular TV....
February 23, 2023 at 4:00AM
It makes no sense, sure sex can be uncomfortable to watch, but those same people aren't advocating for banning gun fights, or robbery, or murder, or car crashes, or hostage situations, or bullying, or racism, or death in general, or global destruction or accidents/injuries or animal cruelty or violence in general or anything like this.... but sex, yep sex is uncomfortable. Absolute weirdos.
February 23, 2023 at 5:19PM
WHAT??!? and stop my voyeuristic peeping tom look at quasi-porn that does nothing to advance the story (there are ways to really advance the story without a couple having fun) but can inspire some level of ticket sales. And to those stalwarts above...yes, it's more than overdone to the point of being boring, yes I will skip the film unless there is some compelling story reason not to, no, I don't need help censoring myself.
February 25, 2023 at 3:23PM