Rated "U" for Unnecessary

We’ve all been there. You’re about 15 years old sitting around the television watching a good movie with your parents. Then all of a sudden there are half nude people on your screen doing stuff that would make even the crudest of people blush. Now, be honest, you know what they’re doing, you know your parents know what they’re doing, but you don’t want your parents to know you know what they are doing. What if I told you that scenario does not have to happen. What I am saying is sex in film media is completely unnecessary. For one, it does not move the story along. A piece of dialogue that explains that two people “hooked up” could easily get the point across. Second, while it looks like the two, or more, actors are having fun, it is actually quite the opposite. They are partially exposing themselves to all the people in the room. The director, the cameraperson, and even other actors who are just waiting for their scene to begin are all watching. Many studios even hire intimacy coordinators just so sex scenes are done appropriately. Lastly, there are many occasions where the actors are both in solid relationships with a significant other. Somewhere in their brains it has to feel like cheating. So why then are these “hot” moments a part of the movies and television we watch every day? Why must we be subjected to that inevitable scene where the guy rolls off of the top of the girl, sweaty and panting, and they both say how good it was? The main reason is the old adage of “sex sells.” Because for as many people who just want to watch a good movie, there are twice as many people who like to think that they may get to see one character or another without their pants on. Sadly, Hollywood leaned into this in the late 60s and early 70s and the only direction to go when you are already touching bottoms is up. So, the scenes became more and more intense, which only added to that populous of people who wanted to see them. Now I am not saying that characters should never be intimate. Certainly, going back to the days of spouses sleeping in separate beds is beyond us and, honestly, it is kind of wholesome when, at the end of an episode of shenanigans, two people can still climb into bed together and sleep snuggly. Maybe with enough protest from the awkward teens covering their eyes around their parents we can get to a middle-ground between the covers moving like a wild animal is trapped in them and the couple’s cold nights spent in their own beds. My preference is a good foot rub and some slight snogging. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.