Sunday, May 6, 2012



This is a video clip from the movie John Tucker Must Die, a popular movie about a group of high school girls attempting to embarrass a male classmate in front of the entire school.  The clip depicts a girl, Brittany Snow, who, with the help of her friends, tries to tempt John Tucker to climb across several balconies to her room.  In the clip she puts a lot of effort into portraying herself as “sexy,” sporting lingerie and subtly hinting that they won’t just be hanging out if he comes to her room.  However, when he finally climbs through the door to a dark room it turns out the room is not Brittany’s but instead a parental figure who proceeds to drag him down the hallway to the coach’s room.  After an embarrassing encounter with the majority of his classmates in the hallway, Brittany tells him she must have counted wrong and gives a dainty “sorry” in return for the mistake. 

Do you think that sex draws people to do outrageous things like climb across several balconies to be rewarded with sex?  Do you think that guys are more likely to react to sex appeal than women because of the extremes taken by John Tucker in the movie?  The music playing in the background claims “I want you so hard, I want you so good,” so would it be fair to say that even though John gets caught, that some actions are worth taken if the reward is great enough?  Do you think producers use sex to sell movies?

Jim's Dad in American Pie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlSuj6YIG94

This is a video clip from the movie American Pie, a well known movie that depicts a lot of teenagers partying and having sex. It is of the character Jim returning home. As he walks into his room he sees a picture of a girl that he once liked, and then his father walks into the room and refers to her as "the one that got away". Then he goes in to talk to Jim about how he knew about his unpleasant incident involving her on the Internet. His dad then basically gives him a pep talk about sex and encourages him not to give up on it.

Does it seem odd that a fatherly figure in a movie would encourage sex? Would this seem to be and accurate portrayal of the relationship between a father and a son? And do you think that a teenager watching this clip would believe that it is okay for them to have sex just because this Jim's father encourages it?

The Secret Life of the American Teenager

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrLTOPPcYq0

The Secret Life of the American Teenager is one of the most popular teen shows.  The above link is to a clip from season 2 of the show.  In the clip, Adrienne and Grace, two high school students, talk about the sex they've had with their significant others.  While they are talking some of the other students begin listening in.  This clip is just one example of sex shown in this popular teen show.  The entire show is based around high school teens having sex, teen pregnancies, and teen marriage.  While the teens in the show do face many obstacles, they all are doing well in school and most are still on track for graduation.   

Do you think the students listening in were fascinated or disgusted by the conversation? Do you feel that secret life encourages teen sex or has the opposite effect?   Do you feel that teens who watch the show are more or less likely to have sex, end up pregnant, and get married in high school? Were the students at your high school similar to the students on this show?  Do you think this show gives a good portrayal of how teenage life really is?