In a sexuality obsessed culture as America, where sexual conquest is a rite of passage for pubescent boys before graduating high school and a must do activity on prom night, what is surprising is the fetishistic manner in which we view masturbation. Once considered a topic to be shunned, with promises of mental illness and hairy palms for its practitioners, this paper will examine the mechanisms current film actors treat the topic and how filmmakers over a 40-year trajectory have kept self-pleasure a central cultural force through a series of humorous and comedic enmbarassments and mishaps. Yes, we have come a long way (pun intended) from Judge Reinhold’s voyeuristic pool scene in Fast Times at Ridgmont High (Phobe Cates was blazing hot in the 1980s, but current representations suggest a very prudish acceptance of masturbation in recent teen films.
About the presenterBrian C Johnson
Brian C Johnson is an independent scholar focused on the intersections between media and society. An active scholar and writer, Johnson is anticipated his 9th book length publication in 2021. Johnson completed the PhD in communications media and instructional technology at IUP in December 2016. His research focuses on diversity and film pedagogy.