Monday, May 3, 2010

Is The Media Selling Sex to Young Adults?

By Anais Morales, SBI Health Education Intern

Of course it is! The mass media greatly revolves around our society. Billboards, magazines, music videos and even commercials are selling sex to everyone, regardless of who it is. I would describe the media as an open market full of scammers. The media does not care who is watching or reading these ads, as long as the message or product is delivered to the general public. They are willing to brain wash consumers into their form of thinking in order to sell. Young adults tend to be easily intrigued and convinced by others. For this reason, the media target teens and young adults as their main consumers.

How can the media be so influential to young adults? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (2001), “by the time adolescents graduate from high school, they will have spent 15,000 hours watching television, compared with 12, 000 hours spent in the classroom”. These findings indicate that teens are spending more time watching television than in school, which can be problematic. Too much television can greatly influence the lives of young adults. “Nearly 50% of adolescents report getting information about birth control from the mass media. Four out of ten teens (40%) report that they have gained ideas for how to talk to a boyfriend or girlfriend about sex directly from media portrayals” (www.soc.ucsb.edu). Teens and young adults are utilizing information learned from the media to make decisions about their sexual behavior.

In my opinion, the media should not be the main resource for information that young adults seek for answers. Young adults are unaware of the messages that are presented to them. The media gives negative messages to young adults. For instance, while engaging in sexual activity, precautious acts are not portrayed before sexual intimacy. Why do you think that is?

The media is not educating the public on proper sexual behaviors, instead they are just selling sex because sex sells. And they take advantage of that. For this reason, the media controls the minds of vulnerable young adults to sell sex. We, as a society, should encourage community organizations, such as Planned Parenthood, and AIDS Community Services of Western NY, on educating teens and young adults on safe sex. Overall, the media should not be the main source of information that teens use; instead they should seek for professionally trained individuals in the community who will provide valid and knowledgeable information to make a “smart” decision.

Resources:
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;107/1/191
http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/sexinfo/article/sexuality-in-the-mass-media

Summertime! When the living's easy!

By Rachel Pazda, Volunteer

Summer is just around the corner and we will all be going our way for a few months. Some of us have been accepted to that summer internship, some will be working to save some cash, while still others are just trying to make it through finals and will decide what to do with the summer months later. Whatever is in your day planner, don’t forget the most important thing this summer…. Personal protection!

Throughout the school year SBI Health Education offers sexual health education, counseling for women’s health and birth control, free condoms and STI/HIV counseling for all students at UB. These services are also offered during the summer time Monday through Thursday from 9am to 4pm. However, as most of us will be leaving for the summer, the office won’t be its usual bus ride away. So what options are available for the summer for safety and testing?

Most states have Planned Parenthood offices, Health and Disease Control Centers, HIV Prevention organizations, and of course, local hospitals. Your family doctor is also a valuable resource for you to use if you have any concerns for your health during the summer. Local drugstores have condoms and emergency contraceptives for sale, so take advantage of the opportunity to guard yourself against STI’s and unwanted pregnancy! In the case of domestic violence or assault, Crisis Centers around the nation are always on call to help you and give you any support you need, free of any charge.

Any question that you might have about anything, SBI Health Education is a great place to pick up some info before everyone heads their separate ways! Have fun and enjoy your summer break this year!

Infidelity on Campus

By Stephanie Osei-Bonsu, Intern

Infidelity… a lot of things come to mind when we hear this term. Simply put, infidelity is cheating. However, in order for the act to be considered cheating there must be a mutual agreement of commitment. Often times its hard to prove this small fact because relationships are so complicated and how one person feels about commitment may be completely different from another persons view point.

As we all know college can be and is a life altering situation. For many of us that travel from different states or parts of the state, it can be our first time away from home and our “Parental Units.” For some people, this is an opportunity to step out of what they may consider to be a “sheltered” life and experience the many diverse cultures represented on campus. But amongst all the culture, diversity, and lifestyles, there is one thing that remains and probably will always stay consistent; SEX IS A BIG PART OF LIFE. The college mindset tends to be very freeing and very selfish; people look at relationships in an expendable manner and often treat new experiences like the army, “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL”. So although commitment may be present, it isn’t always communicated to new people who may become future dating prospects.

Add this already confusing equation to the college atmosphere and you have a possibility for dire results. As we all know, SEX CAN BE A GOOD THING, if not for anything, it’s how we all came to be. But it seems like for the college demographic, we have become so “SEXIFIED” that for some people, sex is as equally as important as eating. Because THE NEED FOR SEX IS SO IMPORTANT, as a generation, we have come up with labels for ourselves as a means to alleviate the stress and necessity of being in a monogamous relationship. Some of these terms are: boo, boothang, booty, booty call, friends, friends with benefits, and sex buddy.

When I decided to explore this topic for my blog, I automatically thought of the New Boyz song “You Ain’t Gon’ Tie Me Down”, TLC’s “Creep” and a bunch of other songs. The way I see it, if commitment is not your thing, then why bother having any form of relationships to begin with? Because no matter how much we may all want to deny it, developing some sort of feelings is inevitable. Why waste time hurting others and potentially even yourself? Communication, I have learned and am still learning, is the key to success in life. If we took the time to verbalize how we felt to one another, especially to those we are intimate with, I personally think CHEATING in relationships as well as marriages would decrease, which would most likely cause a domino effect and decrease the incidence as well as precedence of STI’s in our communities.

I remember speaking to a friend about a sexual encounter she was going to engage in. She and her prospective partner had never talked about relationships or their past or present, so she decided to bring it up. Come to find out that he had a girlfriend back home!! The guy was shocked that she had actually asked, he confessed to her that it was never his intention to even tell her of his girlfriend and that he was truly surprised that she asked him.

Whether or not you’re engaging in LATE NIGHT CREEPING SESSION, a word of advice, “BE WISE AND CONDOMIZE.” You never know what additional luggage your buddy may be carrying that they don’t even know about. THE MOST COMMON SYMPTOM OF ANY STI IS NO SYMPTOM!! CONDOMS ARE FREE ON CAMPUS AT THE SBI TICKET OFFICE OR SBI HEALTH EDUCATION.