Just as I thought the media and entertainment industry couldn’t promote sex anymore than it already does, there are singers like Katy Perry and Enrique Iglesias coming out with a new hit song that revolves around inappropriate sexual references. The way that sex is promoted in songs, and in the entertainment industry in general, seems to be getting more vulgar every year.

I never really believed in the marketing strategy behind “sex sells,” but I’ve started to see its appeal in recent years. Everything from music to television seems to incorporate this theme of sex into songs and programs, and people are buying it. I’m not old-fashioned by any means, but I do believe in moderation. And I think a lot of people and a lot of industries are crossing that line of what’s appropriate for their audience and what’s not.

One of the scariest things for me to see is how teenagers, and even preteens, sing along to these songs and don’t even understand the concept behind the lyrics. One of Perry’s newer songs, “Peacock,” is all about, well, the second half of that word. The song explains that there’s a group of people that want to see “it” and that the guy would basically be a coward if he doesn’t show it to them. Personally, I think it’s the tackiest song I have ever heard. And I think Perry could have come up with one that’s not as sexual – and even more appealing.

Then, there’s Iglesias. I want to stop right here:  I mean, come on, the man is sexy enough. Does he really need to be trying so hard with the lyrics to sell his music? I’m not going to lie, I actually like the song “Tonight,” but the lyrics are super vulgar. In this song, he explains that he wants this girl, and regardless of what she wants, he’s going to close the deal with her. The terminology used and the meaning implied in this song just doesn’t seem appropriate for any audience.

Furthermore, I recently saw Usher live in concert. He was one of my favorite musical artists until I saw his performance that night. In addition to his weak vocals, his performance – choreography and all – left me and my friends in shock and a little bit in disgust. It was almost as if he was trying so hard to be sexy. He was literally bumping and grinding for most of his show. And I can tell you this much:  If he, or any of his back-up dancers, lost one more article of clothing, it would have been suitable for some kind of pornography video. And if that’s what I wanted to see, I would’ve stayed home, behind my computer, and saved myself the cost of admission.

Finally – saving the best for last – I wanted to touch upon MTV’s television show “Undressed.” This show dates back to 1999 (it only lasted three years), and I am still in shock when realizing I was only 10 years old when I watched it for the first time.

It was somewhat of a soap opera that followed the sexual and romantic relationships of high school and college students, but it contained a lot of explicit material – some of which was very controversial. Just recently, MTV decided to adopt a show that was originally premiered in the UK, titled “Skins.” This show basically promotes sex, drugs and alcohol, with no lessons learned.

I watched the first episode over the weekend to get an idea of what it’s like and I have never seen anything more tasteless. Throughout this episode, a high school student named Tony is pushing his friend, Stanley, to lose his virginity. Tony devises a plan to have Stanley buy all kinds of narcotics to give to a girl named Cadie to get her to sleep with him. The saddest part is that Cadie’s character is aware of the plan and agrees to go along with it as long as she’s intoxicated. With this alone, we can just imagine the array of negative messages that are being sent out to the viewers of this show, especially the females.

The language is vulgar, and there is too much nudity and sexual content for a channel like MTV. I don’t like it one bit, and I don’t know about you, but whatever these media outlets are trying to sell, I’m not buying it.

– Ashley Rahimian can be reached at [email protected].