The appetite for erotica has become more apparent in popular media within the last few years. While it may be misleading to say that the demand for sexual media content has grown, it is quite obvious that mainstream media has become more comfortable with the demand for it and as a result we have had an influx of media, particularly onscreen, that may be described by some as ‘raunchy’.
While sexually explicit scenes have gradually become normalised practice in mainstream media over generations, it is interesting to observe the increased use of it in marketing and press for popular movies and television series. Some of the most notable examples of this in contemporary media are; Bridgerton, Heated Rivalry, Rivals, Saltburn, Wuthering Heights (2026) and Wicker. There has been a notable shift towards the production of sexual tension in the advertising of the romance genre on our screens as audiences are piqued by the implication of passionate sex scenes.
Bridgerton has been popular since its onscreen debut. A year of pandemic lockdowns proving to be the perfect time to grace an increasingly bored audience with the tensions of an enemies to lovers regency adaptation. Despite raving reviews, season one ends with an unfortunate dismissal of consent. In an intimate scene with both protagonists, Daphne played by Phoebe Dynevor rapes her husband played by Regé-Jean Page. There is no way to look at it in which it is not rape and yet fans of the show seemed to just breeze past the event as if it did not happen. Is this a double standard or is this simply society’s attitude towards consent?
While subsequent seasons do not demonstrate society’s dismissal of consent, especially sexual, they do continue to illustrate that sex draws audiences. I do acknowledge that not all viewers may have been watching for the sexual nature of some of the scenes but the series’ promise of sexual tension and drama was used throughout its advertising as clips and teasers hinted at the sexual encounters to come.
Another enemies to lovers romance that has taken the media by a storm is Heated Rivalry. Descriptions and teasers of the explicit scenes of this series flooded social media, however the positive of this example is the normalisation of homosexual sex and relationships in overwhelmingly heterosexual media. While similar in its use of sexual content as advertising material, the sexual nature of Heated Rivalry aids its conversation about homophobia and hypermasculine expectations.
Other genres are employing sex as a way to entice and grip audiences too, particularly drama. Drama thrives of tension, and sexual tension is a popular selling point. Sex is complicated and unapologetically about power and control, Rivals demonstrates this masterfully. The combination of sex with society’s elite shows viewers just how complicated and messy sex really can be. Without shying away from infidelity, polyamory, and much more, Rivals gives its audience laughs, tears and shock while reminding us that sex is in fact a part of everyday life.
The intertwining of several plots provides a range of differing identities and their relationships with sex. Rivals successfully destigmatises sex without trivialising the complications that come with it. While Rivals warns of the consequences of overindulgence, particularly that of a sexual nature, it also capitalises of a stylised depiction of what sex can look like. To appeal to audiences that are searching to be entertained by the drama and humour of the narrative, the sex is titillating and steamy. Rivals does not deal is subtleties. Explicitness piques the interest of so many viewers, even if it is consumed as a guilty pleasure. Sex and money are presented as the pinnacle of power, demonstrating the danger of both as people get hurt and, careers and lives are ruined. While upper class society may be difficult for the average viewer to identify with, the complexity of human relationships is universal.
Emerald Fennel brought a more disturbing example of sex among the elite to our screens through her film Saltburn. While not bringing sex to our screens in the same light as the earlier examples, Saltburn seems so appeal to a morbid curiosity. The twists and turns are not for the faint of hearted and the vulgar explicitness of the sexual acts are not aiming for normalisation or relatability. Saltburn is aiming to disturb and shock. This is a totally different approach to sex than the common approaches that the media has grown accustomed to.
As a psychological thriller, Saltburn employs sex as a mode of body horror, the perversion of the acts portray the moral degradation of the characters. Sex and mental instability are paralleled, illustrating the depravity that accompanies greed and overindulgence. The risqué nature of Saltburn gained Emerald Fennel the reputation of being a director that will produce raunchy, sexually explicit content. The advertising of her Wuthering Heights took advantage of Fennel’s reputation to build anticipation for a sexually charged and heavily explicit adaptation of Emily Brontë’s gothic novel. While the screen adaptation had aspects of this expected sexual nature, some viewers were left underwhelmed given the expectations that advertising and a previous viewing of Saltburn had created.
Most recently, Wicker has graced cinema screens across the UK. With teasers and trailers circulating widely across social media a humorous take on female sexual pleasure has been drawing the eyes of a wide variety of viewers. Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson have brought a heavily sexually charged film with a star-studded cast to the big screen. The humour of the sexual situations in Wicker seem to be the factor that is drawing the most interest. Absurdity and comedy lightening themes of loneliness, sexual frustration and marriage.
All of the shows and films discussed are rated age 15. While responsible sexual education is important for developing teenagers, wariness should be exercised when considering prospective audiences. Suitable education about intercourse, consent and sexuality is important but overexposure must also be considered. It must be especially considered as streaming platforms make this content even more readily available, and age restrictions are not difficult to overcome.
Is this level of exposure sensible for a 15 year old? Does it depend on the individual? Or does it not really matter at all? I cannot answer these questions but I do implore the reader to consider them. It is also important to encourage the understanding that onscreen sex is often an unrealistic representation and the idealised version that cinema sells to us is misleading to a viewer that has little or no experience of the matter. While the increase of sex in media is positive as a means of destigmatising conversations about sex, it is also important that we as a society do not let idealised representations become the primary form of sex education for developing teens.
Despite the social commentaries of these narratives, sex seems to be one of the primary draws for audiences. It is clear to conclude that popular media has become more comfortable with and interested in sex and its implications, particularly on screen. While there are both positives and negatives to the increase of sex on our screens, it is important that the presentation of it is dealt with carefully and with possible implications in mind. However, we as viewers must remember that media shows us the pleasant far more than the unpleasant in regards to sex, and it is important to understand the reality and complexity of sex as well as the romanticised version that is often presented on screen.
