Representations of female sexuality in Spanish television fiction

Résumé 0

: The overrepresentation of sexual content on television and the debate raised by new femininities have transformed research on sexuality and TV fiction into a fruitful field of study. Content analyses demonstrate that television fiction offers a distorted image of sexuality and that information on relevant sex issues is barely considered. This article analyzes the sexual representations of female characters in Spanish TV fiction using a hybrid method that combines SPSS Statistics tools and socio-semiotics. The sample consists of 709 female characters from all the shows premiered in 2012 and 2013. The sexual activity of the female characters is related to physical attractiveness and age, with the exception of children and adolescents. Young female characters in the sample identify empowerment with sexual assertiveness and control, while sexual depictions of women over 45 are almost non-existent. Sexual relations are presented as the “natural” outcome of romantic relationships and seduction.