Intimacy on TV vs. Real Life

In a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Ellen Gamerman discusses the increasingly frequent use of frontal nudity in movies and shows. We are invited to view this as newsworthy because the actors she refers to are male.

One of the reasons suggested for this trend is to address gender parity. According to Juliet Williams, a professor of gender studies at the University of California, L.A., ”Everybody is sexually objectified and that weirdly registers as equality today.” In fact, there is a cottage industry to serve and support this trend, which includes private parts prosthetic makers as well as “intimacy coordinators.”

At Maze Women’s Health, we see many women and couples for intimacy issues. An intimacy coordinator might be indicated in a movie, but in real life, actual intimacy needs to be nurtured and developed as opposed to produced and directed. Often working to develop sincere intimacy involves negotiation, not staging with ones’ partner. It takes time, sensitivity, the ability to listen to and understand your partner’s feelings, as well as the need to set realistic expectations.

Ultimately, we must ask ourselves how much reality do we want in our fantasy life and how much fantasy do we want in our real lives?

So, go ahead and enjoy as you and your partner set out to be the stars of the movie of your own lives!
For more information on your Sexual Health, contact us for a free phone consult!