Sex Scene: Media and the Sexual Revolution

Sex Scene: Media and the Sexual Revolution investigates how different forms of media shaped and reflected changing sexual attitudes in America from the 1950s through the 1970s. The book comprises essays from multiple scholars examining the intersection of sexuality, culture, and various media formats including magazines, films, television, and music. The collection analyzes specific media artifacts and trends, from sex education materials to men's magazines to underground films. Contributors explore how media both responded to and helped drive sexual liberation movements, changing obscenity laws, and evolving gender roles during this transformative period. Each chapter focuses on a distinct aspect of media's role in sexual culture, examining primary sources and historical contexts. The research draws from archives, periodicals, film collections, and other documentary evidence to reconstruct how sexual content entered mainstream discourse. The book demonstrates media's power as both a mirror and catalyst for fundamental social change, particularly in matters of sexuality and cultural values. Its examination of this pivotal era provides insights into how media continues to shape sexual attitudes and norms in contemporary society.

Readers appreciate the book's academic analysis of how media both shaped and reflected changing sexual attitudes in the 1960s-70s. Multiple reviews note the strong research and archival work evident in the essays. Readers highlighted specific chapters on sex education films, gay media representation, and underground newspapers. One reviewer on Goodreads called the detailed examination of sex-themed exploitation films "particularly enlightening." Main critiques focus on the dense academic writing style and heavy use of theory. Some readers found certain chapters too narrowly focused or repetitive. A reviewer on Amazon noted it "reads more like a textbook than accessible cultural history." Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (11 ratings) Amazon: 4/5 (3 ratings) Google Books: No ratings The limited number of public reviews suggests this book reaches a primarily academic audience interested in media studies and sexual politics rather than general readers.

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When Sex Changed: Birth Control Politics and Literature between the World Wars by Layne Parish Craig The text explores how literature and media shaped public discourse about sexuality and reproduction in the interwar period.

Playboy and the Making of the Good Life in Modern America by Elizabeth Fraterrigo This study reveals how Playboy magazine influenced American sexual culture and consumer society during the postwar era.

🎬 The book examines how various media forms - from mainstream movies to underground publications - both reflected and shaped America's sexual revolution during the 1960s and 1970s. 📚 Editor Eric Schaefer is a professor at Emerson College known for his extensive research on exploitation films and their cultural impact, particularly his award-winning book "Bold! Daring! Shocking! True!: A History of Exploitation Films." 🎯 The collection includes essays analyzing how specific media innovations, like the introduction of the Polaroid camera, allowed people to explore sexuality in new, private ways. 📺 One chapter explores how television soap operas began incorporating more sexual content in the 1970s, challenging traditional broadcasting standards while maintaining mainstream appeal. 🗞️ The book reveals how even conservative media outlets inadvertently contributed to the sexual revolution by publishing exposés and warning stories that actually spread information about new sexual practices and lifestyles.