By Michelle Hines, University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted 11-15-06
UNCG counselor education students have created a new website to counter confusing media messages about sex.
GREENSBORO, NC – Is the key to sexual fulfillment purely physical? Fourteen student researchers at UNCG just say no.
The students, enrolled in a graduate-level couple and family counseling course on sexuality, wanted to find a way to bridge the gap between the narrow view of sexuality often seen in today’s culture and a broader perspective of sexual potential. So the students in Dr. Christine Murray’s course in the Department of Counseling and Educational Development have developed a public awareness campaign called “Birds, Bees, and Beyond.”
The primary vehicle for their effort is a new website, www.uncg.edu/ced/bbandb, which provides information on sex and sexuality. The site includes advice on communication within relationships, resources for further exploration and articles discussing a number of significant topics – such as relationship myths and the intersections of religion, culture and the media as they relate to sexuality. The site will remain live indefinitely, Murray said.
“This is a student-led service-learning initiative to educate the public about important aspects of human sexual relationships that are often overlooked,” she said of the campaign.
Jennie Gouker, a student working on the campaign, said modern culture bombards society with messages about sex, not all of them completely factual or healthy. “All outlets of the media – radio, magazines, television, and the Internet – are threaded with subtle and not-so-subtle messages about sexuality. Common media messages about sexuality communicate that true sexual satisfaction is a result of peak biological and physical performance.”
As an example, Gouker points to a recent issue article in “Jane” magazine with the headline “Stop Faking it and Get Some Uh-Huh for Yourself!” The article indicates that sexual satisfaction for women is found primarily through having an orgasm, again emphasizing the physiological aspects of sexuality.”
The student researchers also point to television broadcasts saturated with advertisements for various Erectile Dysfunction (E.D.) medications. These advertisements tout the importance of sexual performance in men of all ages. Although physiological performance is an important aspect of human sexuality, the students are concerned that the media often addresses only one facet – physiology – of the complex and multi-faceted issue of human sexuality. According to the National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation, in the year 2000 $89.5 million were spent in advertising for Viagra, one of the most common prescription medications for E.D.
“The E.D. ads send the message to males that their physiological sexual performance is the key to their sexual satisfaction,” student Mario Sacasa said. “These ads imply that once the E.D. is resolved, the couple’s sex life will once again be mutually blissful.” The students working on the “Birds, Bees, and Beyond” campaign believe this is part of the story but not the whole picture.
“True sexual satisfaction and intimacy come about through an interweaving dialogue between the body, the heart, the mind, and the spirit of each partner – as well as the connection between the partners,” said student Sarah Moxley. “So, it isn’t just biological and physical factors that produce great sex and intimacy, but also emotional, relationship, cognitive and spiritual factors. To put it simply, there is more to great sex than good technique and peak performance.”
