New study shows Gen Z hates ‘unnecessary’ sex scenes in movies, series

Gen Z has a free-spirited way of life with bold tricks up their sleeves. They openly engage in conversations about sex and relationships, redefining boundaries with new-age relationship styles like situationships. These young adults also are avid binge-watchers, staying in to devour their favourite shows.

But a new American study reveals a interesting finding, expanding our understanding of this often-misunderstood generation. Excessive explicit scenes in movies and TV shows immediately spoil the mood for Gen Z. Contrary to popular belief, despite popular Gen Z slang like 'Netflix and chill'—these young adults endure on-screen steaminess with blank, deadpan feelings, and feel ‘doused’ instead of ‘roused’. Talker Research surveyed a pool of 2000 American young adults.

Pointless to the plot

Sex and nudity to drive the plot forward make sense, and add a modicum of bearability for the viewers. Some might consider them necessary to add depth to the characters. However, the threshold for explicit scenes comes crashing when they exist without any motive. Meaningless sex scenes alienate the viewers from the storyline, become repetitive, and are found to be ‘shoved down the throat.’ This discomfort makes viewers turn off the movie when they encounter incessant intimate scenes. And Gen Z, surprisingly, more than any other generation, gets annoyed, and may even ditch the movie. The entertainment industry has intensified intimate scenes to the point where they feel downright voyeuristic. Most of the Gen Z respondents in the poll believe that sex scenes don’t enhance the story or viewer enjoyment.

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Women more likely to skip

The research concluded that women when they encounter repeated sex scenes, either skip or turn off the movie, whereas men are less affected. This difference stems from the notion that men thrive on visual stimuli, while women are more imaginative.

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Moderation is the key

Don’t mistake Gen Z as a prude. They don’t recoil and clasp hands over their ears at the mention of the word ‘sex’. Moderation is ingrained in Gen Z’s lifestyle, whether through thrifting or opting for sustainable paper straws. Their sense of social consciousness elicits a similar expectation for silver-screen portrayals as well. Moderation for explicit scenes is required when they exist solely to propel the plot forward, and not for the sake of sensationalisation. Often, pointless sex scenes are added with the hopes of attracting a young audience to boost views. It's an easy shortcut for profits, and achieve trending stardom on social media. The irony is, that no one really understands Gen Z.

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