A key part of healthy sexual development is becoming comfortable with our own bodies and making peace with the fact that we’re sexual beings. For each of us this happens in a cultural context where we are told by a variety of voices what we should look like in order to be considered sexy. Women in particular are surrounded by messages telling them how to dress, cut their hair, do their makeup – even how to move … These messages come from television, adverts, schools, parents – and churches, of course, who are some of the worst offenders. Did you know that in the Pentecostal Church to which Australia’s Prime Minister belongs, women are not allowed to wear trousers “because they immodestly reveal the feminine contours of upper leg, thigh, and hip” – ? Seriously, what kind of message does that send young women about their bodies?
As we learn how to make sense of our sexual selves in the context of our cultures, we can find some help from vulgar American comedian Amy Schumer. In this video Amy looks at the messages women get from films and television about how old you can be and still be considered sexy: or, in Amy’s inspired language, “fuckable”.
Watch this clip, and then use the Study Guide talk about it passionately with people who need to learn more about how their sex lives might change as they get older.
Warning: this video includes extensive use of the word “fuck”.
Study Guide: as you watch this video, consider the following questions:
- Is it a good thing to be fuckable?
- Are you fuckable?
- Do you think the people the media thinks are fuckable are fuckable?
Entertainment Sex-Ed 