Evolving definitions of sex and sexual intercourse practices

...difficult, if not impossible, to clearly define "sex" because of the diversity of human sexual experiences. For some, sex is vaginal intercourse only. For others, sex includes everything from masturbation to oral sex to nude role-playing games. Because people tend to have multiple sex partners in their lifetime, sex may also mean different things to the very same person.

With regards to oral sex, attitudes have changed tremendously over the years and vary throughout cultures. Saletan points out that historically, oral sex has been perceived of as "not only more intimate than intercourse but also reserved for those who were married," even though now, oral sex is commonplace among people who have casual sex (1). There are not necessarily specific sectors of the population that have strong opinions about oral sex, except that in some societies sex is viewed as only something done to procreate. In those cultures, oral sex and homosexuality would be viewed as "wrong" or "immoral."

2. The cost of rape on the individual and also on society is tremendous. The financial costs of rape are actually quantifiable, with some estimates at $450 billion per year including medical costs, loss of earnings, and reduced quality of life ("Economic Costs of Sexual Assault," n.d.). In addition to the measurable costs, rape also creates mistrust and fear in communities. Women who have been raped may be afraid to meet new people or cannot have intimate relationships after being assaulted. In some cultures, rape is something women are taught to be ashamed of, reflecting sexist attitudes. For this reason, sexism itself needs to be addressed so that women can be unafraid to report sexual assaults. Costs to the individual who was rape also include years of post-traumatic stress, fear of intimacy, inability to enjoy sex, and if the person were to get pregnant, having to make the difficult decision of whether or not to abort the child.

3. The series of films Kill Bill by Tarantino are about a woman who is self-empowered and who is not afraid to express her sexuality, and use her power over men. In fact, the films are based on her desire for revenge on Bill, her former lover. Sexual intercourse is not shown in these films, but sex, power, and aggression are all entwined in the Kill Bill movies. The costumes the women wear are revealing and sexy, because they know how to use their sexuality to have power over men and not allow men to have power over them. Although no one would call the Kill Bill movies specifically about sex, sex plays a major role as the lead character seeks revenge on her former lover. What makes these films interesting is the way women are just as aggressive, if not more so, than men. Similarly, few films have shown women who are in control of their sexuality and do not behave in certain ways just to please the men in their lives.

4. The film It's Complicated is about men and women in middle age, who engage in affairs that are similar to those that they would have had when younger. What is unique about this film is that the emotional and sexual issues are not actually much different for the adults than they would be for younger people. Only teenagers might be portrayed differently, because adults are experienced and not awkward like adolescents when they are having sex. Interestingly, the characters in this film like Jane sometimes do things that are stereotypes of teenagers, like smoking pot. The title of the film, It's Complicated, is a common phrase referring to relationships that are not easy to define. "Complicated" relationships are ones where the people might be seeing other people, as which happens in this film, or when the couple might be on and off, like Jake and Jane. This film shows that people's need for sex does not necessarily diminish with age, and that all people still have a desire to be attractive to others. However, the needs of people might be different as adults also have a strong need for their independence and career goals that might be even more important than their relationships.

Works Cited

"Economic Costs of Sexual Assault," (n.d.). Retrieved online: http://www.ucasa.org/cost-of-rape.pdf

Saletan, William. "Open-Mouthed Wonder." Slate. 30 May, 2008. Retrieved online: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/human_nature/2008/05/openmouthed_wonder.html