The Felid Temptress

Cardi B’s contribution to 2020 was certainly its unofficial anthem WAP or Wet Ass Pussy. Ben Shapiro was compelled to ask his medically trained wife’s advice on the matter - who concluded that having a WAP was a medical malady. The song represents the depths to which our entertainment industry has sank. Unlike the often-subtle innuendo found in the work of ACDC or The Doors, Cardi B’s song is very upfront, as well as the music video. If you are still wondering, she not singing about her feline friend. Nor is her friend Nicki Minaj referencing her pet snake in the song Anaconda. I do not listen to the ‘Top 40’ or the radio beyond, on occasion, Planet Rock, so I am left wondering how this song was ever played without 80% of it being censored. The real issue is that consumed media like WAP by the popular singer Cardi B creates dangerous role models for young people and the next generations. It fuels a sex obsessed society where romance and love are extinguished in pursuit of short-term sexual pleasure.

Nevertheless, not all sexualised media can be perceived as negative. As shocked as I am at the success of the song WAP, I am not in any way outraged at bond girls or models being used in the fashion industry. Some may call this hypocrisy, while I call it a matter of taste. Despite the fact that Cardi B’s wet cat may be vomit inducing for some, Catwoman -Batman’s jewel thief nemesis- can certainly not be considered that way. Even if, here as well, certain depictions are more tasteful than others since comics and videogames marketed to teenage boys often take great artistic liberty when it comes to the proportions of Catwoman or other female protagonists. While Anne Hathaway’s depiction of Catwoman in Christopher Nolan’s adaptation was much more tasteful and focused far less on the characters looks but rather her abilities.

The main problem with sexualised media is not that it exists, since it always has been that way no matter the evolution that society undertakes, but instead that the explicit nature of content has been ramped up and so too has the availability and intensity of such images. This is where negative effects lie and will be seen in modern day society.

Roger Scruton in his 1986 philosophical investigation Sexual Desire notes the importance of delayed sexual gratification in developing connections, love and romance. His argument against promiscuity as devaluing relationships between human beings is certainly relevant to the issue of the omnipresence and omnipotence of sexualised images in every form of media. The ever-present nature of sexualised media has turned the sexual plain into a buffet rather than the sophisticated restaurant it once was. People are now constantly presented with sexual images, whether it be in movies, advertising, pornography or a music video, at every moment.

‘‘From women's eyes this doctrine i derive; they sparkle still the right promethean fire; they are the books, the arts, the academes, that show, contain and nourish all the world.’’, William Shakespeare.

Furthermore, dating apps intensify this assault by granting people the power to artificially be presented with potential mates like a medieval king. The internet allows instant access to sexualised media around the clock. There is little escape and few want their freedom anyway. They are unaware that the overloading of such images is contorting our perspectives and poisoning our entire approach to relationships romance and sex.

Likewise, a sex obsessed society will inevitably see such obsessions reflected in its values. Shows like Love Island are an obvious example of naked attraction, where people select a date based on looks and lack of clothing. It praises the lack of dignity and the virtues of extreme sexual openness and gratuitousness. It is no wonder some young women are seeing OnlyFans (a subscription service for nudes) as a viable career path and that relationships have become ‘uncool’ amongst the younger generations. This year Love Island has been cancelled because of the pandemic and the COVID-19 virus. I guess every cloud has a silver lining… Nevertheless, I am still left asking why people can justify watching profoundly boring people talk about themselves and engage in awkward, flirty conversations for several hours each week? I once watched an episode, in the pub of all places! Pubs should refrain from using their television for anything other than sports. However, Love Island was on and I was determined to give it a chance.

There was no substance whatsoever in this program. It was dull, if anything, but there was no shortage of sexualised content. The problem with this reality show is that unlike series like Games of Thrones, which also includes sexual scenes and themes, there was absolutely nothing else there except cringe inducing flirting. Even other reality TV shows such as Lizard Lick Towing, a series about a redneck repo company, attempts to depict a family business and has moments of humour and extreme entertainment -usually when the owner of the repossessed car decides to exercise their Second Amendment rights. It is a show about hard working Americans whereas Love Island is a show about Instagram influencers with good hair.

Attitudes have shifted as the show became more popular. Many are now looking up to these people as role models and are entranced by a show solely interested in appearance and ultimately sex. What beyond walking around in a bikini and failing to know where Spain is, have these people done? Why have they become the role models of young women everywhere? I say young women because men seldom watch this show and certainly refrain from respecting any of the men who if not on Love Island would be in a nightclub on ketamine or an STD clinic.

‘‘To be a woman, you must first learn how to establish yourself as a person. The way to do this is simply by working hard to establish one's purity and chastity. By purity, one keeps one's self undefiled; by chastity, one preserves one's honour.’’, Confucius.

This type of television program encourages superficial lifestyles along with superficial relationships. Much like WAP by Cardi B, the show is a celebration of base attraction and exhibits deliberately provocative sexual displays on national television, some contestants even consummating their television relationships on camera. It undermines the values of dignity and self-respect when people willing to do such things become role models and join the ranks of the many celebrities who have made careers on the backs of self-promoted sextapes. Nowadays, we see those who make sexual spectacles of themselves idolised by the media. As this happens people will emulate such behaviour whether consciously or not.

Moreover, the Feminist movement has seen a marked shift in rhetoric, as a vocal wing of the movement now proudly supports prostitution and sex work. They disagree with their more traditional colleagues when they assert that this is demeaning and incredibly dangerous. Furthermore, the emergence of ‘slut walks’ in which women proudly wear the badge of ‘slut’ are strange one. While this is in many ways a tactical reclamation of the word by feminists to counteract ‘slut-shaming’, it has also gone hand in hand with a concerted effort to promote casual sex as something to be celebrated rather than wholly avoided or at least done without fanfare.

Our sexualised world must have something to do with this drastic change in perspectives and the role models it often creates are a notable symptom of the problem. This is not to lump models and actresses into the same category nor anyone who happens to rely on their looks for their job. Evolution drives us to be attracted to certain things making it, in its purest form, natural rather than the construct of the patriarchy or capitalism. Sex sells but evolution not capitalism set these events in motion. We cannot and should not purge sex from every corner of life but we should be aware that the opposite appears to be happening: sex is becoming predominant.

In an article of response on Point of Information, Women Aren’t Meant to Be Beautiful, I agreed that the sexualisation of women in the media was to blame for the plethora of body image related mental health issues face by women but suggested that men also face such pressures. I also noted that while such damage was being done it was not correct to blame the underlying concept of sexual attraction that underlies the entire situation. It is the unnatural circumstances we find ourselves in with instant access to explicit images and an endless assault of sexualised capitalism and entertainment. This article merely raises the point that recent developments such as social media, dating apps, mass produced pornography and the decaying state of our entertainment industry has played on our natural instincts and altered our attitudes and behaviour.

‘‘Love is not a god at all, but is rather a spirit that mediates between people and the objects of their desire. Love is neither wise nor beautiful, but is rather the desire for wisdom and beauty.”, Plato.

I am not advocating for such media to be banned as my support for free speech comes far before any qualms I have with ‘Top 40’ lyrics or trash television. Indeed, many examples of sexualised media can often be tasteful or in service of a plot in entertainment. Furthermore, who would decide what is appropriate or not? Those who support such bans are however correct in much of their assessment about the effects such content has on our modern society. This article can offer very little suggestions on what to do about this. People will consume what they like and people will create what they like, often responding to one another. Now, all we can attempt to do is resist the temptation offered by media to embrace a life of aimless hedonism.