subscribe: Posts | Comments

Sexy Baby: new documentary shows impact of digital age on sex

1 comment

Julie Tomlin
WVoN co-editor

Witnessing the rather pedestrian attempts of young women at a nightclub to attract boys’ attention with pole dancing prompted photographer Ronna Gradus to begin a three and half year exploration of sexuality in a digital age.

Working with journalist Jill Bauer she went on to explore views on sex and sexiness in the United States and how the availability of pornography is shaping their perspectives.

Recently premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, Sexy Baby: a Documentary About Sexiness and the Cyber Age follows Nichole, a former porn star; Laura, a 22-year-old who feels pressured by remarks from her porn-loving boyfriend to spend thousands on surgery on a “designer vagina”; and Winifred, a 12-year-old from Manhatten who is exploring what sexy means in the age of Lady Gaga and Facebook.

Asked what she had learnt about how people define sexiness and attraction, Bauer answered:

“It’s more computer-focused, Facebook-focused. Like, Like, Like – 20 Likes, 30 Likes, 40 Likes, wow, I’m a superstar – versus I’m just going to pass you a note in class and admire you.

“Instead of “I’m going to hit you on the playground because I’m telling you in my way that I like you,” it’s “Let me slap you silly because I saw it in porn.”

Gradus said: “Watching Winifred put up her pictures on Facebook, I just kept thinking to myself, thank God this was not around when I was coming of age.”

  1. vicki wharton says:

    What I get really tired of hearing is adults saying “Thank God this wasn’t around when I was young …” We live in an age where adult men’s freedoms to swear around children, to push their porn onto children through Facebook, YouTube, to push their violence and aggression onto children via hitting and swearing at their mother’s is taken as sacrosanct – whereas children’s freedom to live in a society where porn, sexist and male aggression is kept in check. This ‘if you don’t like what I do, fuck off out of my way’ attitude is anti social and anti society. As adults it is our responsibility to shape the society we live in and stand up for good social behaviour which means doing our best to make sure our behaviour doesn’t upset anyone else if we can avoid it. Or am I being wildly old school here?!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *