The history of sex in mainstream Hollywood movies: the battle between erotic expression, conservative values and the ratings system

With all forms of art, it does not take long from the development of the style or technology for artists to produce works that include sex, erotica and expressions of desire, and so it was with motion pictures. Sex has been present on screen since the beginning of movie making, from 1896’s The Kiss right up to the current day, but it has also been a source of fear and trepidation for almost as long. Were movies able to corrupt society? Should they be controlled? This conflict between erotic expression and changing conservative values led to the formation of the restrictive Hays Code between 1934 and 1968 that prevented any sexual or ‘immoral’ content and later Hollywood’s MPAA ratings systems and UK’s BBFC ratings that tried to limit and guide what could be seen on screen. How has this affected the sex that we see in movies? And what can this say about society at large? Join me as we delve deeper into this fascinating and illicit topic