As spring break inches closer to us many students are already mentally gone as they think about their upcoming vacations. Many students will be heading to sunny destinations such as Florida or California to escape the fluctuating weather of Illinois. Many of them will be partying their faces off. I can understand why we have to let go of the stress we have been experiencing for the last three months.
I recently just viewed the documentary on Netflix titled "Liberated: The New Sexual Revolution" (trailer for the film is here) in which filmmaker Benjamin Nolot looks at the trends of sexuality, gender, and relationships at the annual spring break bash in Florida. This documentary widens the view of today’s hookup cultural norms by taking a look at the role of pop culture that shapes these conceptions of sexuality and gender that we have today.
Benjamin Nolot dives right into the celebration and interviews many college age students about their views on relationships. Many of the people he interviews there say they do not believe in love and it is easier in this day and age “to have a f*ck buddy rather than have a boyfriend.” In addition, a woman interviewed said she was talking to her friends about how nice it was that a boy texted her after the next morning to say he had a nice time with her. She reflected on that experience now as saying, “that is what we consider to be the norm for relationships in our generation now.” I believe many people in our generation have taken an instant gratification approach when it comes to relationships.
To further elaborate, people have casual sex and then they may never see that person ever again. In no way am I condemning people who chose to have these types of relationships, as long as you are protecting yourself using safe sex practices and both partners consent, by all means, get your groove on. But what I am trying to get at is that this is SO DIFFERENT than the generations before us. Before us, the norm was that people dated for a significant amount of time, there was love, and there was a human connection. I do not believe this sexual revolution has any room for love or human connection in it, so are we really sexual liberated or imprisoned by these norms? That is the real question.
Also, Nolot examines male and female sexuality at the bash. Many of the men interviewed on the beach said they are here to basically get very f*cked up and bang as many women as possible. Pop culture, media, and our society have taught the majority of men in order to be seen as a man you must be strong, sexually aggressive and emotionally detached. On the other hand, women are seen to be sexual objects for men to look at.
This point can be illustrated why women throughout the documentary, when up on the stage at spring break, say they feel "empowered" when they are up there. Why? Because they are receiving attention from men. Society has trained us to believe this is the norm. But it does not have to be. When we look at people for what they SHOULD be and not who they are, we are not respecting them as human beings. Although Nolot wants his audience to make their own conclusions this is mine, I believe we should look past these norms to respect each other as human beings.
All in all, I think this documentary gives really interesting insight into the way many people in our generation views social interactions. It is a very intriguing look at male and female sexuality, our generations view on relationships and how pop culture has shaped our views! If you haven’t checked out this documentary on Netflix go ahead and do so!
