Patterns of heterosexual sex in popular Netflix series : a content analysis of age, race, face attractiveness, and body type

Abstract

The portrayal of diverse ages, races, face attractiveness, and body types in sexual media content might impact societal perceptions of sexuality, delineating which individuals are deemed sexually appealing and whose sexuality is normalized. Despite extensive research on demographics within pornography, the representation within mainstream media, particularly on streaming platforms like Netflix, remains underexplored. The current study addresses this gap by employing quantitative content analysis to examine the diversity of characters in sexual contexts within seven highly popular Netflix series. We coded the age, race, face attractiveness, and body type of 91 characters (45 female characters) that appeared in mixed-gender sexual encounters (i.e., sexual encounters between a woman and a man). The study reveals a predominant adherence to stereotypical demographics and conventional beauty standards. The sexual scenes presented mostly younger individuals and revealed a notable underrepresentation of individuals aged 40 +. Racial diversity among characters was more evident. Female characters were predominantly depicted as conventionally attractive and were almost exclusively portrayed with skinny body types, while male characters exhibited a wider range of physical appearances. This study highlights a gap in the media’s inclusivity efforts and suggests a need for more comprehensive representation to reflect a broader spectrum of age and beauty ideals in the portrayals of human sexuality. While our study is limited to analyzing media representations, future research should include longitudinal experimental studies to evaluate their impact on people’s sexualities.