Is media getting more conservative?

[aliengirl]

Well pertaining to how sex is portrayed.

I watched The L Word, not the new censored version that’s on all the streaming platforms. But the one where they have their mammaries out. I was honestly shocked to see something like that on TV, especially given the date of when this was released.

I don’t actively watch adult series but I swear I have never seen anything like that?? Like bare boobies on TV????? The sex scenes on TV now don’t have boobies (well except man boobies I guess but I don’t care for those.)

I think it might just be a trend with shows released by Showtime… Well assuming the L Word was on cable television, did it have bare boobies like the CD version?? I think I might’ve just realized that they have certain on-air standards. Is that why?

But I know for a fact that they had cable porn so… I don’t know anymore. Also I wouldn’t want my boobies on TV so is that maybe why we don’t have boobies on TV now??

I just said a lot of ridiculous stuff sorry to anyone who reads this

[mikky]

Hey aliengirl,
Super interesting question! Media is a topic I love to think about, and while I don't have an answer, I have some thoughts to share. First, a lot of shows meant for adult audiences do have quite a bit of nudity/portrayals of sex. I wouldn't say The L Word is an anomaly for its nudity, but rather for how it focused on the lives of lesbians.

From the 1930s to the late 60s, there was a set of "morality" based industry guidelines in American media commonly called the Hays code. The three main guidelines were:
“No picture shall be produced which will lower the moral standards of those who see it. Hence the sympathy of the audience shall never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil, or sin.”
“Correct standards of life, subject only to the requirements of drama and entertainment, shall be presented.”
“Law, natural or human, shall not be ridiculed, nor shall sympathy be created for its violation.”

To badly explain, this meant that films made by major film companies should not include profanity, interracial relationships, or "sexual perversion" (homosexuality), and that films also needed to clearly show morality by punishing "bad" behaviors through plot. Criminals should not be heroes. "Evil" needed to never be confused for "good." There's so much more to the history of queer media associated with the Hays code. But, to skip ahead, it was replaced by the Classification and Ratings Administration, which is the board which decides what content is G, PG, PG-13, R.... You can check out the "Nudity" classifications here, where they break down what types of nudity get which ratings: https://www.filmratings.com/ratings-guide/. TV is a little different- episodes get rated individually, rather than a show as a whole, and versions can be different between different platforms.

Additionally, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) also has very strict guidelines around nudity (I think it can only be shown if blurred or artistic). The FCC manages what is shown on broadcast TV, but not cable, satellite, or streaming. That's why HBO and Showtime tend to have more nudity-- they are cable, not broadcast!

The point is, when regulations shift, and the way media is distributed shift, we also see some changes in how we see nudity on screen. We also see different types of stories being told. Media is affected by culture, culture is shaped by media, the two are constantly intertwined.

Something you might find interesting is this 2025 UCLA report called Teens and Screens: https://www.scholarsandstorytellers.com ... screens-25. It looks like teens are saying they want TV shows and movies to focus less on romantic and sexual relationships, and almost half of the folks surveyed felt there is too much sex/sexual content in TV and movies. Maybe TV shows that are meant for a teenage audience are getting more conservative around nudity based on audience preferences?

There certainly is plenty of nudity on TV that is being made now, including breasts. You might not be seeking out those types of shows. There are also some very interesting conversations around how films and TV shows are made in ways respectful of the actors in them. Have you heard of the role of an intimacy coordinator? It is a job on a film set that is kind of like a choreographer for sex scenes, but they also work to make sure actors are comfortable, consenting, and help them establish what levels of nudity they are comfortable with (if that is part of the show). Its pretty cool, but has come out of a long and nasty history of abuses on film sets.

[aliengirl]

Hiya!!!

Thank you for answering my question in an in-depth way, I really appreciate it. I just realized that my question was pretty biased because well… I haven’t watched every show in the world haha. I do think it’s pretty on point for teenagers to want to see more friendship instead of romance or sexual relationships. Personally for me, it would be incredibly hard to watch in front of my parents and kind of cringe (no I did not watch The L Word in front of my parents I would probably evaporate).

Also with how frequent sex is in some tv shows/movies, it just is unnecessary?? Like I understand sex in The L Word because it’s about a sexual identity (they kind of have too much sex i’m not gonna lie). But some sex scenes serve absolutely no purpose to furthering the plot or anything like that!!

In hindsight this was probably a bad question to ask because I barely watch any shows but there’s no harm in asking a question. And I will not be seeking out boobie shows purposefully (this MIGHT be an original sentence).

And I do think I have seen some clips of intimacy coordinators directing sex scenes. Kind of funny. But also necessary.

But all in all, thank you for thoughtfully answering my question, I learned a lot. I really like the L word because it’s like being a lesbian is “normal”—I know this sounds iffy but I think you might be able to understand. But they also are kind of crazily promiscuous which scares me for my future.

[Heather]

Hey again, aliengirl. I'm popping in here as both Scarleteen's resident old and Scarleteen's resident slut.

You know, I remember when this came out. For sure, it was a lot more glossy and dramatic than most of our lives, queer women and nonbinary people (though big talks always need be had about how poorly this show treated it's lone nonbinary character and the wonderful person who played them) in our 20s and 30s. At the same time, it was also one of the first mainstream portrayals of queer people that didn't only accept us when we didn't have a sexuality: up until then, not only were few queer people in mainstream media period, when we were, we had to be basically asexual, unlike how straight people were presented in media. It also was meant, in part, to be smut for queer women, something that was still hard to come by them even outside the mainstream. Again, in the world at large, queer people then -- and I'd argue still often now -- were pretty much not allowed to be sexual AND be accepted outside queer culture, and I'd argue that a lot of the sex in the show existed to help challenge that barrier.

At the time, it was somewhat uncommon for breasts to be on television, but this was cable, which wasn't accessible as widely as once-cable-networks are now.

I always push back when people talk about promiscuity. For one, promiscuous, as a word, means a person isn't selective, but most people use it to just mean "more partners than I personally am comfortable with someone else having." Not only is it never sound to assume someone with more partners than you, or anyone, finds acceptable isn't also selective (again, as a lifelong rep for Team Slut, I can share with you that most of us still pick who we're with with thought and care), it's also a judgement on your part to say that someone is "crazily promiscuous." It suggests it's only sane to have...well, however many partners it is that you, yourself, think is acceptable. It's probably obvious when you stop and think about that that the only person who should decide what is or isn't too many partners for them is the person having those partners: we can't ever say what's right for someone else based on what we personally are or are not comfortable with, you know? And who cares how many partners someone else has, anyway? Personally, as someone with a sexual history that includes many partners, having only a few 100% would not have been right for me at all. OTOH, there are lots of people for whom that's just perfect. We're all different in this way.

It probably is also worth mentioning that people in their 20s and 30s tend to have more partners than teens, and that some things have changed since the early 2000s: for instance, teens and people in their 20s have tended to start having sexual partners later than people did in the 2000s, 1990s, 1980s, and even the 1970s. Young people now also do tend to have fewer partners IRL than many of us did at the same age who are older. Seeing more queer sex on screen has also become more normalized, so it might be harder to see through today's lens how important it could be for something like this to be out there as it was. Just giving you some things to think about! <3

[aliengirl]

I can’t believe that I cried typing out my response and it bailed on me the second I hit submit :/

I’ll try to retype but it won’t be as emotionally compelling or complex or beautiful (rip my paragraphs).

Hiya,

Thank you for telling me about a perspective that I was curious about. I am appreciative of living in a more accepting society. (Something alive sentient lesbian haha I was a zygote joke).

Very good point about promiscuity being subjective. Some people would think that I’m a slut too (silly face idk how to put it in but pretend it is here). By promiscuity I was more so referring to cheating. I wouldn’t want that to occur in my future relationships (wow shocker I have no clue what I was thinking writing this actually I think my frontal lobe is shrinking.)

Uhhh I think I went to say that I was more so irritated by the miscommunications happening in the relationships too. And then I reassured the public that I believe one can have various HEALTHY sexual and romantic relationships.

But then I switched it up and was like, “Erm actually I think that The L Word is better than most contemporary meet-cute wlw shows/media because it is somewhat realistic about uhmmm like decisions and cheating and stuff but I said it more beautifully.” Oh also it makes it entertaining yes…

Something about it making sense that Bette cheated on Tina because Bette didn’t feel like her needs were being met (not justifyingnit i swear im not evillll).

Something about me wanting my wife to not cheat on me unless I am acting a fool.

This is probably really insensitive I’m really sorry I swear I wrote this in a more appropriate manner previously.

[Latha]

Hello Aliengirl! I'm sorry your response got erased--it really sucks when you've worked on good writing only to have it disappear.

I hope it is alright to respond even though I'm not familiar with the show you are discussing

By promiscuity I was more so referring to cheating. I wouldn’t want that to occur in my future relationships (wow shocker I have no clue what I was thinking writing this actually I think my frontal lobe is shrinking.)

Your frontal lobe is fine and it is okay to state the truth plainly--no one wants to be cheated on. It is scary to think about a relationship you care about falling apart because your partner disregarded their commitments to you. And then, there is the idea that it could be your fault that they are dissatisfied enough to cheat. Isn't that terrible?

I think you have all the keys to reconciling the difference between the relationships you want to have yourself and the relationships you've seen on tv:

• The drama of cheating in relationships can be entertaining, and the people who made this show are trying to entertain.

• The relationships in these shows feature a lot of miscommunication

Relationships that are fun to watch are not necessarily fun to be in. It is true that people do cheat in real life. However, if you don't want to cheat or be cheated on, I assure you that other people feel the same, and would handle to sorts of conflicts you are seeing in this show more maturely. When you feel dissatisfied with a partner, the solution is to communicate with them about your needs, and break up if your needs cannot be met. There are a lot of people who know that dissatisfaction (or your partner acting like a fool) are not acceptable reasons to cheat.

Does this help you feel better about the relationships you might have in the future?

[Heather]

No need to tone police yourself here or feel bad about asking earnest questions and expressing earnest feelings, aliengirl!