Why do you think our society focuses on sex so much?

I guess because it sells and it is something that easily grabs people's attention. There is probably a lot of more complex reasons, but I think those are the main two.

I think that people just want to think that it's morally correct to look at porn or whatever so they put it in the media. That way they can just say, "Oh, look, everyone's doing it! It must be okay." Then do something totally sick and wrong and get away with it. So girls are dressed to turn guys on and guys just sit back and enjoy the show! It's really quite sickening...

I think that generally speaking, boys are addicted to sex and girls are addicted to love.

because some girls don't have a strong sense of self?
i don't dress provocatively-end of story
the only guy who'll ever see me that way is either my boyfriend or my future husband
and I guess it's from family values and their upbringing-not necessarily society-it's possibly instilled by the media

Women have been dressing 'more provocatively' since the dawn of the 20th century. Each generation tries to outdo the other because novelty is much more interesting. That's why girls of today seem to dress more provocatively than the girls of the 50's, and the girls of the 50's, interestingly enough were dressed much more provocatively than those of the girls at the turn of the century. It's simply due to the progression of time. And no one is pushing us to dress this way! It's a choice. I know plenty of girls who keep it classy and keep it covered and haven't felt any outside pressure to skank it up. If you're weak enough to dress that way simply because 'everybody's doing it' then you're exactly what the media preys off of. If you can dress to flatter your frame which, let's face it, is sexy enough then you're doing what you're supposed to.

Since when has sex ever been an 'issue'? Girls, boys, men, and women have always been having sex with each other since the dawn of time. Regardless of reason and age, people have always been gettin' it on but it's just become a part of our mainstream culture as opposed to other time periods. Girls have been pressured to have sex and guys's expectations for sex haven't really changed throughout the years, they've just been accepted as a norm now.

And as for money, sex has always been an industry, but with the invention of modern technology like the television, vcr, dvd player, computer and internet it's just way easier to access. There has always been porn and erotica, even in ancient times. Granted, during ancient times these things were used mostly as a celebration of fertility (think ancient fertility statues from India depicting extremely busty women shaking their lady lumps) or the Kama Sutra. Many cultures have a 'how to' guide for sex to get birth rates up.

Christianity did a doosy on sexuality in Western culture. Other cultures don't see sex as a forbidden pleasure. Sex seems like an issue in our society because of how much we are programmed to think it's wrong or dirty or just to be used for reproductive purposes. It's not! It's how we all got here, and it's how our children will get here and so on and so forth. Plus it's really fun and a great way to get exercise, show how you love someone or just to pass the time. I think the stigma of sex really has a long way to go before it's lifted especially in this country. Sex isn't an issue, it's as much a part of life as eating or breathing, and there's nothing taboo about that, right?

I am a liberal. I welcome the idea of sex and freedom of expression. I do however believe that maturity plays a vital role in this ideology. If a person is using sex to masquerade feelings of inadequacy, or giving into the needs of peer pressure, then I would not classify that as freedom of expression.

For followers, it's people adapting into a uniform society.
For the Entertainment, Beauty, and Fashion industry, selling 'sex' is strictly for monetary gain!

I like this question. Yes, I believe that society focuses entirely to much on sex. However, I couldn't give you an answer as to why.

I have no idea...but I think its definitely an issue that is getting worse, and I think its a lot to do with how capitalism, and Western ideals are becoming more and more base, and more and pore popularized...girls are SO desperate these days to be viewed as sexually attractive, almost in some cases, seemingly to the exclusion of all else, and its really scary, and also hard to escape from- even on this site, there are girls pimping themselves out... I don't have a definative answer, but I've definately noticed that as I've gotten older, things seem to be getting worse and worse in terms of how riduclously sexualised they are i.e. on television, in films etc...I mean, if you compare ideas of what was attractive 30-20 years ago to now, its so different- nowadays it seems like everything is so sexual and plastic, and the idea of beauty that women are supposed to aspire to seems to be becoming akin to the image of a porn star, or a 'video hoe'...as to why, I really have no conclusive answer but I agree that it seems as if sex and the idea of being sexually attractive has become a ridiculous obsession.

Sex sells because sex attracts attention. The FIRST thing you have to do when you are selling ANYTHING is get the people to look your way. That's why car lots have balloons flying and pennants flapping in the wind! That's why the carnival barkers are out there all night on the midway with their snappy pitches.

As for focusing too much on sex? Consider this. Every new medium developed for the exchange of information was used to depict sexual topics almost from their conceptions. From cave drawings to the Internet they ALL were used to display sexual content. It just so happens that the internet has a much greater delivery mechanism than the cave drawings had.

i think its how the media portrays it

Take away the inventions of mankind over the years and we are sexual by nature. And regardless of what comes forth in our society, sex remains a prominent focus in our lives. Why? Because it's the one subject/activity that has held influence in our lives since the beginning. It's been held back by conservative view, but continues to strive (AKA 60's sexual revolution).

Keep in mind, that there are both consequences and positives to our sexual issues in society. While we may have opened the ideas of sexuality, we also subjected our children and future children to the idea that sex is "natural" and "normal" at an early age. And this is why you see the younger generation growing more and more liberal when it comes to sex. This is the barrier from which everyone is battling with.

:O...

Epic question, I have never thought about it.

I would guess the internet is to blame.

For the big things it's money but for everyday decisions sex can be of more influence.
I'll put it in economic terminology:
Sex has been traditionally in short supply (because of morals, education, religion, risks involved) thus it's a higher priced commodity and girls(and their parents!) learned that long ago. Girls 'corner the market' (the way their parents teached them)

To dress more provocatively has always been done: it's just publicity for what they have to offer: better publicity=> greater demand=> higher market price.

The guys expectations are just that, expectations.

Sounds gross, but it's a reality. We talk about girls who are 'cheap' (=who offer a lot without being difficult, without being demanding)

Many parents consider (unknowingly? Not always!) a 'high maintenance' daughter as ideal (high maintenance to their boyfriends of course, not to them! Lol)

a way for their daughter to gain social & financial status.

It's freedom. Girls are not told to dress more provocative but they like it and they feel good dressed that way. Guys have always had high expectations but how far they can get it's all up to the girls.

Let's see here, CEO's of some of the biggest lingerie, makeup, clothing, women's fashion, so on so on, are guys. Yes there are some female CEO's of these companies, but ya. In this country, my sister, who dresses conservatively, has a HUGELY hard time trying not to find tight clothes for girls, it has reached a point where some girls can honestly say they have no choice but to wear some of that crap. ANd I mean, dude, there are vibrator advertisements on tv on regular channels now, money, money, money. Everyone gets money, off the poor, often too weak to resist mentally, people being forced in some cases, or lured in others, to fall towards temptation. And parents, are letting their kids just go at it, little girls are shopping Voctoria Secrets, and getting stuff that turns guys on, and wearing it wherever, and making it apparent. It is the parents not teaching their kids, and having that overlapping gap, grown and grow, in our society. There is also a bigmaturity issue, and of course, MONEY being made on this, at an undreamable level. And girls falling for it and believing it, thinking that they are ugly without a bunch of crap painted upon their faces, or all of their body showing.

As for the expectations from guys, I don't know exactly what you mean, but I can tell you my expectations. I will not be with ANY girl whom I visually see as immodest or openly hot, because I know probably several million other guys have checked her out, it is almost as if she is used even though not physically having been that. I cover myself, and wear modest loose clothing, and don't show stuff to people, so I expect to find a woman like that, which is rare, like myself. But I have, and am happy. Yes, I have found a girl who has never worn a bikini and never will (and no, I have never worn speedos). And see, in a society where males are often accepted or portrayed as dominant, and also since the males are more sex driven, they have changed the culture in a manner so as to change the minds of an entire generation, one after another, to make it reach this point. It is very sad, and yes it is common around the world, but not everywhere around the world.

Just my opinion by the way :D, I'm not saying everything is fact.

In the first half of the 20th century, sexuality and visual beauty was suppressed by the church. If a woman showed an ankle, she was doomed to burn in hell. Once the Drug 60's came along, that began to open up our perspective of visual beauty and the freedom to flaunt ourselves both men and women. With the dwindling influence of censorship, the increased freedoms given to women and the interaction of cultures from other countries in the world, now we have this concept that sexuality sells. Think about it: how else do you think when you go to a restaurant, you are greeted and served by young hot women while the ugly men are in the kitchen? Who sells more cars: younger attractive women or old fat men? I dont' think women are "pushed" to wear sexy clothes in contrast to choice. A slim hot woman wants to show it off, teasing and ridiculing the unsightly because beauty is quite literally everything. When was the last time you saw an young, ugly male actor who was the star of the show? And how many times in college have you seen the nerds with the hot sorority chicks like in the movies? None. Reality is far more harsh.

I feel America really does not focus on sex as much as we think, else more and more people would get laid openly and willingly. You still won't find brothels in any given major city standing on Main Street outside of Nevada and the religious fanatics still voice their beliefs(loudly) at the porn shops here. Nobody walks along the street here naked as some do in europe and no woman has EVER offered me herself out of the blue who wasn't a nasty smelly Detroit stroller from hell. People love sex, it's a good thing and always have been. The problem is that our country is still quite conservative about it openly and fails miserably to make the world think we are "pure" despite the fact that we produce more porn and any other nation and lead the world in more teen pregnancies(so I think).

Makes sense? Of course not, isn't supposed to make any sense at all. But it's reality.

Sorry for the lecture but it's my thoughts on the topic

Its nature. Simple men are visual and 2-4 size females are best in shape and to our basic instincts we are turned on by it. Society just pushes it on to us a lot more by music videos, shows, and etc. Its just nature for a guy to have expectations for a female with that size because mentally a well toned girl we know will keep up, and be able to please us. For females with male expectations they just raise the bar to where the man can take care of their needs.