MovieChat Forums > About Last Night... (1986) Discussion > the skin magazines under the sink

the skin magazines under the sink

posted 17 years ago by skparks05
11 replies | jump to latest

I don't know if this bothers anyone else out there, but I get particularly ired when movies blithely use the presence of pornography to illustrate the vacancy in a bachelor's love life prior to finding the love of his life. Herein Demi/ Debbie, mid-musical montage, finds magazines in the under the sink in the bathroom, and just kind of smiles, laughs it off, in a "boys will be boys" kind of way. In "Dying Young," when Julia Robert's character finds magazines in the kitchen (too, to musical accompanyment), their discovery is, again, laughed off. The magazines are tossed away as if to say, "There's a woman here now, and you are no longer needed."

It is just not that simple.

The persistent use of pornography more often than not leads to, and masks, very serious issues regarding intimacy with others, and I resent the widespread implication that just because a man masturbates to these images that he is only doing so only in anticipation of a real woman. Or, that the "real woman" will soon supplant the necessity of such images. It is just not true. Pornography is addictive and desensitising, and it is irresponsible for movies to imply otherwise.

[–] davidsena 17 years ago

They are there only for the articles. Lighten up Francis, not every guy with a slight stash of mags is a hairy-handed near-blind jerk fiend.

[–] rippinitup7 17 years ago

Ya, they laugh it off in the movies as do we all mature people. Its normal for guys to have mags and stuff. It doesnt mean it will interfere with the real people. You are kind of taking it too seriously.

[–] outthesnow 17 years ago

Every time you go into a single woman's home, you find a stash of chocolate hidden away in the back of the fridge. It's sad how women use chocolate as a substitute for a fulfilling loving and physical relationship. Chocolate contains phenethylamine, a brain neurotransmitter responsible for the euphoria of falling in love. Adding a methyl group to this chemical gives alpha-methlyphenethylamine, commonly known as "amphetamine". Chocolate is addictive and desensitizing, as no actual man can possibly provide such euphoria. It is irresponsible for movies to show chocolate consumption as a "normal" activity for women unable to find sexual fulfullment.

It must be sad to be a feminazi with no understanding or empathy with men, so try swearing off chocolate for a year and see whether you can think about anything but chocolate. Then perhaps you'd tell us what you would have men do until the real thing comes along?

[–] tawdry_hepburn 17 years ago

I minored in women's studies in college, (I'm a man), and I would agree with you if it were violent pornography that was being laughed off. But nudie mags, while somewhat objectifying are not the source of the problems you mention.

,Said the Shotgun to the Head--
Saul Williams

[–] scocar 17 years ago

Movies don't always have a responsibility to deal with every social ill that may come up. The bottom line is that is probably how it would have happened in reality, so the movie handled it fine.

[–] MeiLing_1982 16 years ago

I think that you've made a blanket statement that just isn't applicable to everyone and shows a complete lack of understanding of men.

For a great many guys, it is just that simple. Guys are visual creatures and pornography provides a good substitute for them.

Not every guy whose looked at pornography or utilized it gets addicated to it or is desensitized by it.

Furthermore, what is so wrong about a guy seeing a woman naked? Big deal. In America, we could never become desensitized to it because it has been ingrained in our Puritan psyche that nudity is immoral and wrong.

Spend some time in Europe and you'd find that they have a whole different approach that hasn't created a culture of sex-obsessessed rapists as folks like you seem to imply that pornography will lead to.

Addication is a complex subject and it can have a great many forms. My father is addicated to the internet (no pornography involved) and I think it is just a much of a problem as any other addication, such as drugs or alcohol, with a few less damaging physical side effects. It's causing him to lose his personal relationships with his family.

[–] piahellgrenbrooks 10 years ago

Exactly. Most of my female friends enjoy porn at times- With or without their men. It´s the hysteria that´s dangerous.

[–] dorisblake 14 years ago

skparks, don't be silly. it's mental to think boys having nudey mags are housing some sort of sexual disorder. my husband doesn't really have them anymore but he used to. he has a couple videos lying around (two exactly) that he never watches anymore but my other male friends have magazines like that right under the bathroom sink haha like in the movie.

anyway, it's not a big deal unless they're, like, OBSESSIVELY obsessed with porno like my ex was. which was very gross and disturbing.

so it goes both ways.

[–] gabby_bm 14 years ago

"You toss out my magazines and I toss out your vibrators"

I still have my magazines.

We both still have fun. Granted, Nowadays we both use her vibrators on her a lot more than either of us look at those magazines.

I think I shall never pee on life as lovely as a tree

[–] hitchcock_blonde 11 years ago

While I do understand your point about how destructive pornography addiction can be, not everyone who looks at magazines featuring nude women is abusing pornography at that level. Personally I don't consider Playboy to be pornography, and in my house it is on the coffee table with all the other magazines.

Can you hear me?....They did this

[–] daughterofolaf 10 years ago

This has got to be one of the funniest posts I have ever read! I can see why it has been left on this board by admin for over seven years--hilarious!!

It wasn't me who was murdered, was it?