There are a lot of gratuitous sex scenes in movies and Generation Z has had enough.
Those tech-savvy young adults are reshaping the film landscape with a fresh perspective, according to a new study from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
It would seem that the era of “nomance” is upon us, where platonic relationships take centre stage, and sex scenes, just for the sake of sex scenes, are taking a back seat.
The UCLA Center for Scholars and Storytellers conducted a “Teens and Screens” survey, involving over 1,500 participants from Gen Z’s age group. Over half of them expressed a strong desire for more content focused on friendships, a sentiment shared by nearly 40% who specifically long for non-romantic relationships and asexual characters on screen.
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Most of the respondents also agreed that romance in media has become an overused trope.
Why the shift? “When there’s media with too much sex, me and my friends often feel uncomfortable,” shared Ana, a 16-year-old respondent. Joseph, a 20-year-old, added, “My friends and I maybe awkwardly bear through it.”
It seems Gen Z is opting for feel-good character relationships instead of cringe-worthy romance scenes.
The “nomance” phenomenon can be traced back to the effects of the pandemic years. With an increasing sense of isolation, young people have come to value close friendships more than ever.
The digital world has grown to be a significant part of their lives, but there’s a growing desire to reconnect with real-world experiences. Researchers Stephanie Rivas-Lara and Hiral Kotecha, expanding on the survey results, noted that “somewhere along the way, this may have been forgotten in storytelling.”
UCLA
It’s essential to clarify that the survey did not inquire about Gen Z’s interest in sexual or pornographic content outside traditional media. UCLA Center for Scholars and Storytellers founder Yalda Uhls suggests, “It’s not that young people aren’t interested in TV, movies, and other media with sexual content, it’s that they want to see more and different types of relationships.”
So, the era of “nomance” dawns as Gen Z paves the way for a more diverse and friendship-focused entertainment landscape, reminding us all that storytelling has room for more than just love stories.
An interesting dive into what teens are actually thinking about can be found right here.
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