Sex has taken over pop culture, but does anybody care?
Even weeks ago, as the rumors of the affair buzzed through Munich’s nightlife crowd, there was reason to be perplexed. Internationally renowned soccer goalie Oliver Kahn, it was said, had fallen for a local bartender (P-1) who “looks exactly like Christina Aguilera.” Though this seemed a bit unbelievable, we must—now that the bartender has become front-page news—look the truth in the eye. Verena K., 21, the “wild party tramp,” is indeed a representative of greater pop-cultural implications and her affair, which would normally not be worth talking about, has become the focus of a discussion on cultural iconography. The insanity of this amour fou is lost on those who are not familiar with Christina Aguilera. Verena K. sports a pirate-style bandana and long, blond hair, which recalls freshly mown hay, a strange nose that can perhaps pass for “pretty” and a rather vapid grin. These attributes can’t possibly have driven the ice-cold Kahn out of his wits. The explanation must be found elsewhere. Kahn is, like so many of us, a prisoner of pop imagery. That this can cause lasting damage has been clear for some time now. For those who are not exposed to these dangers, here are the facts: Christina Aguilera is a young, American pop star. She is fond of wearing pirate headgear, has long, blond freshly-mown-hay hair, a strange nose and a vapid grin. She has, nevertheless, captured the imagination of millions of fans. At the beginning of her career, when she still had a relatively innocent image, most of those fans were teenagers. Recently, however, Aguilera shocked the pop world with the release of her “Dirrrty” video, which commanded round-the-clock airtime on music television channels. Given the fact that the video is quite pornographic, it is no wonder that record executives felt that one “r” in the song title was not enough. Many men were somehow different after seeing the video. They forgot to close their mouths, to wipe the silly grins from their faces and, in the worst cases, their wandering eyes lost sight of their pregnant wives. One thing is clear: a young Münchnerin who moves through the city’s nightlife as a clone of Christina Aguilera sends a strong message, one that is clearly received by those with a common pop-cultural background. Surely Kahn took one look at Verena K., a walking string of associations, and that “Dirrrty” video ran through his mind. At that moment, his infidelity was sealed. What is behind this ridiculous affair is a trend that seems to interest no one and a debate that is not taking place. It is precisely today’s pop world, the one that has always targeted teenagers with its products and messages, that has undergone an unstoppable “sexualization” during the past three years. It is clear that this kind of conditioning cannot go on indefinitely without consequences. It is tough even to contemplate the effect that today’s popular culture has on an already fragile sense of gender roles—impressionable boys and girls defining themselves through the fantasy worlds presented to them. Thirty-somethings remember the emotional turbulence that followed a bit of nudity being shown on network TV. Those days are over, forgotten, buried. How, then, do 15-year-olds cope with the basest form of stimulus with which they are constantly being bombarded? We don’t know and, to avoid the worst, we don’t even ask anymore. It might not be bad, however, to ask a few questions. For instance, what does it mean to African American teenage girls to see that hip-hop videos show women in only one role? Those young women who are not stars in their own right are portrayed as nothing more than the accessories of male hedonism gone wild. In hip-hop videos, the rapper is surrounded by swarms of women, a sight that suggests boundless “availability.” The women wear the absolute bare minimum—strippers and prostitutes are the stylistic reference points here. If that isn’t racism, what is? For such Caucasian stars as Christina Aguilera, things function a bit differently. Here, the pop industry seems to have learned a thing or two from feminist discussions of the past. As soon as a woman labels her pornographic work “an expression of her own sexuality,” all depictions of her seem to be accepted. It is, therefore, stressed to be the gospel truth that both Aguilera and her biggest competitor, Britney Spears, who has also made a move toward pornography of late, are fully in charge of shaping their own images. In fact, Britney Spears takes schizophrenia to new heights: while her latest video features the singer in skin-tight leather, whispering “get nasty,” she has been quoted in the press as giving thanks to god and talking about the sacredness of virginity. By the time you get this far into the discussion, you seem to lose the overview. The situation is so perverse and complex that we hardly know where to begin to criticize or debate—and which side would come out: the victim or the perpetrator. One thing is clear, however. We must begin to confront these developments. Not in the way of clueless politicians, who would immediately forbid all sexual expression, but in order to understand what is happening, to get into our own minds and the minds of our youth. That would be an important step in the right direction.