Everything is Sexual, Nothing is Sexy
"They just don't make movies like this anymore."
This is one of the most common phrases I find written under social media posts about famous sensual films and books of the past, and they aren't wrong to ask this.
What has happened to movies like these? It's not as if our society has gotten prudish. With movies such as 50 Shades of Grey or Babygirl being shown in mainstream theaters, it seems odd to think that our society would be left yearning for a fulfilling display of sexuality. After all, sex is everywhere.
Maybe that's the problem.
These days, particularly online, the topic of sex seems to find you whether you like it or not. We live in an age where pornography is only one search away, and whether you partake in viewing it or not, its cultural effects are being heavily diffused into our media. Even by opening Instagram reels innocently, it isn't unlikely that you would find yourself confronted with an OnlyFans promotion or an ad for an erotic novel with a grotesque summary. Clothing is sold with the promise of making your figure sexier; new songs are released with the hopes of being turned into an audio snippet for a thirst trap on TikTok. With every new risque snippet that drops, it seems that the media as a collective is stumbling over itself to create something more adventurous and sexual than ever before.
However, while these individuals are setting out with the intention of upping their sex appeal, it seems that the oversaturation of this topic is causing the pendulum to swing in the exact opposite way. After all, nothing seems sexy anymore!
No one is excited over these brashly scandalous stories or posts. They've all been seen before. When we have everything revealed to us with no anticipation of what's to come, the thrill there once was is now gone. In other words, things have become so staunchly dirty that they are practically sterile.
So what was different then? Well, it can be very simply put. In these older films, we are presented with a long period of build-up. We are introduced to the characters' various peculiarities. We perceive their emotions, their actions, what draws them to each other, and what pushes them apart. By gaining all this context, sensuality and tension have time to be fostered in a meaningful way. We are holding our breath along with them. It isn't so much the physical action that makes it so titillating, but the complexity of watching the personalities and inner worlds interact and react to one another in an unpredictable fashion.
We see this done successfully in some modern-day media forms, however, with a primary example being Challengers. While this movie doesn't feature anything more than heated kissing, it was largely praised by audiences for being one of the sexiest movies of the year. Why?
It gave us what we have been craving in such an overtly sexual society—the subtlety of tension. Throughout the movie, we see the ambitions, desires, and feelings of our three main characters ebb and flow into one another, creating a collective competitive yet alluring air that audiences want to watch. They want to watch it unravel.
Overt provocation isn't equivalent to sexy. There doesn't always need to be a wild graphic or an over-the-top description. Sometimes, all it takes is tension.
Strike Out,
Alara Ataman
Boca Raton
Alara Ataman is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine. An avid fan of fashion, this Pisces can be found scrolling through Depop or elbows deep in a thrift store looking for the perfect piece. If you can’t find her doing this, you may find her browsing numerous cafes in her endless quest for the perfect iced coffee. You can reach her at @leopard_fawn on most social media platforms.
