Culture news Fewer sex scenes and nudity in cinema, films are changing and the numbers prove it
Published on 05/06/2024 at 5:30 p.m.
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Despite the rise of streaming allowing more content distributors to be more permissive than ever, a new study finds that the use of sex in films has declined significantly since the 2000s. Maybe you had already noticed it, but the figures prove this colossal drop.
What is sex in this study?
This is not a figment of your imagination: the number of sex scenes in films has declined sharply over the course of the 21st century. It is a study carried out by the Englishman Stephen Follows which demonstrates this. The man is a film producer and cinema data analyst known for his analyzes of society through the numbers. The research we are going to talk about was actually cited by The Economist, an American reference magazine. The research documented sex and nudity scenes in major action and blockbuster films around the world (each instance ranked on a scale from “none” to “severe”). It is noted that the level of sexual content in cinema has fallen by almost 40%. The number of films without any sexual content has increased from 20% per year to around 50%
However, the study also highlights that sex scenes considered “serious” are much more serious and explicit than they were in the previous century. With films like Saltburn or Fair Playif sex is less and less present in general, it is nonetheless very (very) hot when it is on screen.
The world changes
In case you’re wondering, the study also looked at the amount of drugs, violence and profanity in the films. Profanity and illicit substances have declined a bit since around 2014, but remain near their highest levels. Physical violence saw a slight decline around the same time, but in recent years it has become as commonplace as before.
Generation Z wants to see fewer sexual scenes. Research even shows that these people want to see more platonic and friendly relationships. Indeed, 47.5% of those questioned by the study agree: showing two characters getting carried away by carnal pleasures is not necessary! Still in what participants think, 44% say that romance is used too much in action films. According to experts, all this comes from social networks, pornographic content online, covid-19 but also from the fact that these days, young people are making love less and less in real life.
