Lounging in my box-sized dorm room, a couple of my friends huddled around a shiny MacBook to witness something shocking. No, we weren’t Facebook-stalking that cute-guy-down-the-hall’s profile, nor were we ogling Shiloh-Nouvel-Jolie-Pitt’s latest round of photographs with her god-like parents. While I concede to both activities, on this occasion something far more mind-blowing had captured our attention.

We were, as it happens, staring at Harry Potter. And his nearly naked adolescent body.

Traumatized as we were, we couldn’t help but giggle like 10 year olds who had secretly written “pen-15” on their hands in the shimmery purple shade of their Milky Pen collection.

Apparently the actor who portrays Harry was trying to break free from the beloved childhood role that defined him and become, well, sexy. No faithful wand or handy broom adorned appearance this time.

Now, there are some places where sex is appropriate: abroad with a gorgeous foreigner whispering sweet nothings in a language you barely understand, or in my opinion, any movie involving Clive Owen.

But Harry Potter as a sex symbol just doesn’t jive. His chiseled six-pack and the hairy trail scandalously visible below are in serious need of an invisibility cloak.

In an age when celebrity popularity skyrockets with an outrageous sex tape or a flash of their non-existent underwear, the phrase “sex sells” is truer than ever.

A dress without some cleavage is considered frumpy and hooking up at the nearest bar has become routine. The graphic (and unconventional) sex scenes of Brokeback Mountain garnered Oscar nominations and praise from critics and audiences alike, while shows like Sex and the City film actors in passionate throes. Most flagrantly though, are the obvious innuendoes that infiltrate many forms of entertainment, advertising, music and fashion – all facets that define the culture in which we live.

In the past, strict societal norms dictated what was acceptable. Behaviors were stifled by the pressures to fit within a mold of modesty. Even as recently as the 1980’s, a Calvin Klein ad featuring Brooke Shields was pulled from CBS airtime because of the seductive way in which she stated “nothing comes between me and my Calvins.” Meanwhile only 27 years later, my eight-year-old brother was stripped (no pun intended, I swear) of his innocence when he unknowingly clicked on a pop-up ad blazoning the oh-so-squeaky-clean “boobs.com”.

Nowadays sexuality has become a defining factor of one’s identity and is inherent to our modern lives. Still, one can only wonder if this exhibitionism and lack of modesty is really healthy. The progression of sex throughout the years has gone from strict denial to unabashed exposition. Yes, we can easily type something taboo into Google’s inviting white bar and receive thousands of responses within seconds. But it begs to be asked: have our customs and lifestyles become too brazen – perhaps even garish?

All in all, it is obvious that ours will be defined by titillating scandals and bold immodesty. Sex isn’t going anywhere. And that’s hot. ?

SESP sophomore Alexandra La Manna is a PLAY pop culture columnist. She can be reached at [email protected].