What, in your opinion, are worthy criteria to be in love with someone?

With the media such a prominent part of today’s society it is little wonder that it has become a resource on how the world works. Adolescents, particularly impressionable as they attempt to make sense of themselves and others around them, often look to the media (e.g. Bachen & Illouz, 1996; Brown, 2002; Signorielli, 1997) for issues increasing in importance such as those of romantic and sexual relationships (e.g. Arnett, 2000; Furnham & Simon, 1999). However, interpreting media representations of these issues as being an accurate reflection of reality may have serious implications for adolescents’ perceptions of the world. Films and television programmes typically rely on exaggerated and unrealistic portrayals of romantic and sexual relationships to appeal to their audiences (e.g. Committee on Public Health, 2001; Jowett & Linton, 1980; Ward & Rivadeneyra, 1999) and whilst older and more experienced viewers can generally recognise this (Illouz, 1998), younger viewers with few of their own experiences to compare against may come to view these representations as cultural norms and form unrealistic relationship beliefs and expectations accordingly. If adolescents are indeed looking to the media’s exaggerated and unrealistic portrayals to gain insight into what to expect in their own relationships, research must determine what specifically they are being exposed to. Research on romance media content thus far, however, is severely lacking. The present study therefore sought to address this gap by analysing the romantic content of a sample of romantic comedy feature films. Furthermore, a coding system of the romantic themes identified during analysis was created and interrater reliability established.

What's a cougar?

I hate for our relationship to be characterized by that last exchange.

Personal Safety and Sexual Safety for Women Using Online Personal Ads

Paige M. Padgett?

This study examined the impact of the Internet on personal and sexual safety for women meeting men through online ads. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected with an online survey. Of the 740 women who completed the survey, 568 reported having met in person with a man who answered their online personal ad. Results revealed that women used e-mail communication prior to a face-to-face meeting to negotiate such issues as safety, boundaries, sexual preferences, history of sexually transmitted infections, and condom use. Thirty percent of respondents engaged in sexual activity on their first encounter. Seventy-seven percent of respondents who met an online partner did not use condoms for their first sexual encounter. The high frequency and intensity of e-mail communication prior to meeting in person cultivated acceleration of intimacy for the individuals involved and may have affected women's decisions to engage in risky sexual behaviors.

The secret to men is keep their bellies full, balls empty, and laugh at the jokes.