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Lights, camera, no action… Addressing sexual health concerns in South African soap operas

At the first discussion in this series of intimate forums, titled: Writing the stuff of our lives, it became clear that because the sex in soap operas is mostly implied, writers have difficulty incorporating messages around healthy, safe sex into their storylines. 

To address this concern, we are hosting a follow-up forum presented by renowned sexologist, Elna McIntosh and Pierre Brouard, deputy director of the Center for the Study of AIDS, that will introduce writers to new and innovative ways of thinking about and addressing issues of sex and sexuality in their stories, in particular in the context of the HIV epidemic.

There has been a recent upsurge in awareness of the potential of soap operas and similar television programmes to inform and educate around issues of sexual health. Some of the recent research has been uploaded below.

What do we know about sex in soaps?

Sex is a key ingredient in soaps. Previous research suggests that sex features in over half (58%) of locally broadcast soap opera episodes. This may be even higher in popular international programming. A recent British study found that 71% of analyzed TV shows contained some form of sexually explicit content. 

But it gets very little screen time. In the British study, talking about sex took up a mere 2.7% of the total footage whilst actual sexual activity took up only 0.5% of total screen time. As a result, viewers know the logistics of the characters’ sexual activities (i.e. who is sleeping with whom and behind whose back) but very little else is known about the circumstances under which these encounters occur. This leaves little room for messages around healthy, safe sex.

Because soaps and their characters can become part of viewers’ lives, viewers often turn to soaps for guidance on sex and relationships. Read more...

Health messaging around sex in soaps need not feel like education or be boring. If it did, viewers would probably loose interest. Instead, soaps can simply touch on issues and viewers can continue the discussion amongst themselves. Read more...