Sexual Scripts in Contemporary Mexican Cinema: A Quantitative Content Analysis

While the literature on sexual scripts is substantive, with some scholarship examining the role of popular media in the production of normative and divergent sexual practices and interactions, limited attention has been paid to the contemporary Mexican context. In this article, we share findings from a quantitative content analysis of popular Mexican films in order to explore how sexual behavior is portrayed and more specifically how relationship characteristics, condom use, and substance use interact with representations of sexual behavior. We find that more sexually explicit portrayals featured people engaged in heterosexual sexual interactions outside the context of marriage and also in age discordant relationships, where one partner was a minor. Few films featured safer sex practices or substance use in concert with sexual behavior. This research sheds light on how film as a powerful agent of socialization communicates sexual scripts in contemporary Mexican culture that may contribute to risky sexual behaviors among Mexican youth.