Hollywood seems to delight in depicting women as sex-starved creatures in its movies - and another new movie reflects that trend. Meanwhile, one young starlet is embracing the raunch off-screen.
Actress and singer Miley Cyrus, who famously played the wholesome Hannah Montana [1], has become the epitome of the anti-role model for young girls. As reported by TMZ [2], Miley Cyrus gave her boyfriend a penis-shaped cake for his birthday, then posed for beyond-suggestive pictures with it.
As CMI has previously detailed [3], crude behavior is routine for young teen stars such as Lindsey Lohan and others, Cyrus herself has alluded to smoking marijuana [4] and being a "stoner."
But, given the sleaze of so much of what Hollywood produces, such behavior is unsurprising.
"Bachelorette" is the latest movie to push the envelope in sexual themes. The Huffington Post [5] reported that the comedy, which stars Kirsten Dunst, Lizzy Caplan, and Ilsa Fisher, is "an unapologetic look at look at a sex-filled pre-wedding weekend." The same article also declared of the film: "It's also one of a number of new films in a growing wave of flicks that feature women catching up to men in the raunch and realism departments."
The piece also quoted actress Lizzy Caplan actually celebrating this trend: "People are just waking up to stuff that I think we knew all along, so thank god for that," Caplan [6] said, referring to the ability to produce - and market - quality female comedies that feature more debauchery than romance."
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Caplan continued to gush about her raunch-filled role: "I was so pleased to read a script with multiple parts that I would want to play, as opposed to a script that almost goes as far as this one does. You just don't ever read stuff like this for girls, it's always boys that get to be these characters.
Why actresses such as Caplan would want to take on roles making women look like bimbos is a mystery. But rampant sexual behavior in Hollywood films is increasing. The Culture and Media Institute has documented how Hollywood films [7] such as "No Strings Attached" and "Hall Pass" have dialed up the sex factor in recent years.
But the consequences of the carefree attitude displayed by Hollywood concerning sex can be seen within their own ranks. Divorce and remarriage are rampant within Hollywood. Actor Corey Feldman alleged [8] that he was sexually abused as a child actor, and that sexual abuse of minors is common in Hollywood. And prominent actresses like Megan Fox have warned [9] that "casting couch" behavior - trading sex for the opportunity to take on acting gigs - is a common occurrence in Hollywood.
Movies like "Bachelorette" and disgusting behavior like Cyrus' may be part of the "real world" of Hollywood, where casual sex is celebrated and frequent divorce is almost a rite of passage. But it is not the real world, because in the real world, sleazy behavior has consequences.