The other night, I was scrolling through my Netflix account when I came across the documentary, “Liberated: A New Sexual Revolution,” with the description, “Filmmakers explore how pop culture shapes a new generation’s beliefs about gender, sexuality, and violence on display among students on spring break.”
It seemed interesting at first, and as I continued watching the hour-and-a-half-long documentary, I was repulsed and shocked by what I was hearing from my generation’s mouths.
Casual statements about the objectification of women and phrases expressing men’s entitlement to women’s bodies. By the end of this documentary, I felt sick to my stomach. The film spoke the truth: “We do live in a Kim Kardashian sex tape world.”
Every day, women struggle to fight for their rights, which are given by birth, but taken away by social constructs. I watched in horror as I saw people pulling bikini bottoms and tops off of girls as if it is okay to be violated in such a way. It’s depressing and shameful that this is how our generation lives. We are last humans to walk this Earth, but I’ve lost faith in humanity.
We live in a world today where to be accepted and liked, we need to cross a line, and that line is nudity. Because in today’s society, it is sex that sells. And sex is at the heart of our culture. Despite this film being focused on spring break, when these views of nudity and sex are made very obvious, these same ideals very much exist in the minds of this generation everywhere, in every day of their lives.
Virginity is seen as the ultimate challenge and sex is viewed as just number, a commodity, really. It’s all about seeing who has the biggest “number” because nothing really matters since love doesn’t exist. My question is, when did we become so cynical when it came to love and relationships? And, despite how disappointed I felt while watching this documentary, there is some truth to its message. It is easier to find a f*** buddy than a boyfriend, and that is just the sad fate of this generation. It is easy to “shag” and “bang” because that is how simple sex has become.
What I found most upsetting, despite the truth value that this film had, was the language men used to talk to the females. Phrases like, “I want some culture,” or “Show us your tits!” This language leaves an impression that such attitudes are driven by men, which traditionally is valid, as they are able to “score” without any complications. But, according to many psychologists, the difference now is that it’s no longer about men being promiscuous but about women who are actively choosing to participate in.
Ambivalence towards sex is seen as the best attitude, and that is quite disheartening. Why do we work so hard not to care? What is wrong with us? And when did it become a trend to shut off the very thing that makes us human?
There are many tragedies that have taken place in the last few years, and each one has chipped away at the hope and faith I have in this world. But after sitting through this, I found myself thinking that these people are the future leaders of the world. And I cannot possibly count on the future leaders of the world who live a life philosophy of “shagging,” “liking,” and binge-drinking. This is a documentary that is worth watching, but it requires some deep processing afterwards because, for most people who are fighting against the societal norms that exist around us, it is a reminder of how much more we have to do to educate others about how damaging these norms are, especially at the hands of the privileged.
Featured Photo via Netflix
