Page 123 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

CHAPTER 5

culture places on a particular issue. Cultural preoccupations may occupy
various degrees of prominence in different genres. Examples of U.S.
cultural preoccupations found in genres include the following.

Sex

Sex is pervasive throughout all genres. However, how certain genres treat this
subject furnishes perspective into the targeted audience’s attitudes toward
sex. Discussing sex in teenage dramas, Alessandra Stanley explains:

Love is all-consuming, but sex is no longer much of a teenage trauma
on the most successful shows. On “The O.C.,” of course, all the kids are
sexually active and confident. Marissa’s hunky ex-boyfriend, Luke, has
an affair with Marissa’s mother, and even Seth, the nerd with the high
I.Q. and nervous speech patterns, has a sexy girlfriend, Summer, and no
inhibitions.
On other shows, teenage sexuality is fodder for dramatic tension. On
“Gilmore Girls” on WB, the teenage heroine keeps her virginity in high
school; on “Everwood,” the teenage hero has a hard time losing it. But
mostly teenage sex is very adult, only better. 6

Appearance

In American culture, appearance is everything. Indeed, studies show
that beautiful people are listened to more attentively than others, are
promoted more swiftly, and find beautiful mates. Rosalyn Weinman, an
NBC executive who holds a doctorate in sociology, says, “All the stuff
our parents told us didn’t come true. No one cares if you’re good. People
only care if you’re good-looking and rich.” 7
This preoccupation with appearance affects the attitudes and behaviors
of teenagers. To illustrate:

• Among twelve- to seventeen-year-old boys, use of steroids and
similar drugs jumped 25 percent between 1999 and 2000, with 20
percent saying they use them for looks rather than sports.
• Concern about weight and the drive to be thin increase the risk that
a girl will become a daily smoker by the time she is eighteen or
nineteen.
• More than one in four teenage girls has symptoms of eating disorders
such as bingeing and purging.

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