Remember the cinematic gold that was American Pie? While the movie was decidedly sex-obsessed, we think there's a reason it captured the nation's imagination. (Not to mention spawning at least three sequels and four spin-offs.) From the infamous apple pie masturbation scene to the epic conquest of Stifler's mother, it's more-than-obvious that these fledgling men cared about sex only slightly more than their well-gelled coif—that is to say, they deeply cared.
Then, something surprising happens the night of prom. Foxy band geek Michelle (i.e. Alyson Hannigan, or Lily from How I Met Your Mother) reveals her true frisky nature when she admits what really goes on at band camp. The truth is, American Pie was right about that revelation; it ain't just the boys that can't. stop. thinking. about s-e-x.
Now even science backs it up!
A new study conducted in Sweden by The Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics found that teenage boys and girls have similarly sex-obsessed minds. Yup! Even though it's widely believed that teenage ladies are merely curious about it, studies suggest otherwise. Our brave researchers found that more boys than girls have watched porn (96% vs. 54%). What's interesting to note however, is that of the group that admitted (yes, admitted—hold that thought) to watching porn, researchers found that the youngsters had approximately the same rates for:
1. porn-influenced fantasies
2. actual attempts to recreate porn scenes
Remember when we said "admitted?" Here's the thing: research also found that—damn you society!—young ladies also have far more negativity surrounding their perception of sexuality. Teens who were more sexually experienced were also more likely to have some issues; researchers discovered a distinct link between sophisticated sex résumés and children of divorced parents or victims of sexual abuse. Despite this, boys seemed to have a more positive, shagadelic outlook on it all. Why is this?
It seems that, in general, the way we handle abuse or trauma differs significantly between genders. Women who've suffered through sexual violence are more likely to develop major depression and suffer at the hand of lifetime psychopathology (like anxiety disorders) than men. That's not to say that men aren't affected, but the enduring negative affects are much less common. Why men aren't as deeply "disturbed" by sexual abuse is another can of complicated worms: everything from their masculinity to their sexual orientation can come into question; drug and alcohol abuse are common ways of coping in addition to other forms of self-destruction..as opposed to women who seem to gravitate towards profound anxiety.
While these kinds of studies remind us how generally f'ed so much of the world is, we're also more-than-happy to focus on the silver-lining here. It's research like these Swedes are doing that might help pave the way for a more sex-positive experience for teens. (Maybe this data will encourage more young women to step up and own their sexuality—after all, it wasn't too long ago that we believed women in general didn't like sex at all!)
Image: Those damn kids and their perfectly white underwear. Courtesy of, Flickr.
