DAYS OF OUR LIVES or ANOTHER WORLD? – The Reality of Sex on Soap Operas
One of the major criticisms of soap operas is that they portray all aspects of life, especially sex, unrealistically. Sometimes things can get a little far-fetched. Many characters have been married to, or romantically involved with, half of the members of the opposite sex in their towns.
Witness from ALL MY CHILDREN, the following character's full name: Erica Kane Martin Brent Cudahy Chandler Montgomery Montgomery Chandler Marrick Marrick! (This information is according to the Soap Opera Digest website, other sources differ probably due to some marriages turning out be invalid and sources recording their information at different times.) The double names are no typing error; soap characters often marry the same person twice or marry multiple times within a family. This only counts marriages, never mind engagements, affairs, one-night stands, etc. For those who think this is completely unrealistic, and admittedly it may be for the majority of viewers, they should direct their attention toward some Hollywood stars who have been married practically as many times!
Do viewers think examples like that above represent real life or are they more inclined to believe this merely represents "reel" life which is more faithful to the writers' and producers' imaginations (and perhaps to their Hollywood friends' behavior) than to the actions of the general public?
One of the inevitable consequences of sex on soap operas is pregnancy unless the couple wants to get pregnant, but then that is another infertility storyline entirely. The first question on the original research survey for this article asked if responders thought the birth rate on daytime serials is the same as in the real world. Most of the men and all of the women disagreed or strongly disagreed that the two were equal.
This is a good sign that viewers realize that everything on soaps is not the same as in real life. In fact, the birth rate on afternoon TV, is eight times as high as the United States birth rate as a whole and higher than the birth rate of any underdeveloped country in the world. (Frentz 35)
|
