Quote: the media does very often portray love scenes that are full of heat & passion....you rarely ever see a lackluster love scene now do you?
I think it has a big impact on our expectations. And in such subtle ways that we may not be aware that we've superimposed some director's/writer's ideal over our own. This may be even more true for the inexperienced or naive.
I know without a shadow of doubt that my self-image has been impacted by the media. And I *know* better than to give creedance to that sort of thing, but it's there in the background rearing it's standard whenever possible. I've been curvy ever since puberty hit. I remember when my body type went out of fashion on the heels of Twiggy's shot to stardom in the late 60s/early 70s. Suddenly, boobs and hips were things to be minimized and if possible, eliminated. Now big boobs are in, but hips are out.
If we've done that with body image, how can we not have been impacted by the portrayal of sex, love-making and relationships that we see in the media?
