From Vikings and Euphoria to Game of Thrones, many shows have been accused of cramming unnecessary nudity down our throats. While no one minds a few tasteful passionate scenes here and there, it becomes a problem when some shows seem to drop one scene every episode or so, without much follow-up or relevance. A similar issue has cropped up with Jennifer Lawrence’s Netflix film, No Hard Feelings.

It has uncovered an interesting study of how the Gen Z demographic, who, by the way, coined phrases like 'Netflix and chill,' reacts to the overuse of expletives in movies and shows.

The impact of a forbidden moment of intimacy or impulsiveness can be lost when viewers come to expect it as a given. This has been a major gripe with Jennifer Lawrence’s comedy No Hard Feelings, which triggered a social media debate about whether the nude scenes were really necessary in the film. A UCLA study shows that American Gen Z, contrary to popular belief, is not impressed by unnecessary nudity, and feels it does not add to the story or viewer's pleasure (via The Hollywood Reporter).

Many actors have also shared their discomfort in unnecessary nudity on screen, while some even opted for body doubles. The study also revealed that women are more likely to skip or turn off a film with repeated sex scenes, while men are less bothered. Approximately 51 percent of those surveyed wanted more content about platonic relationships, with 47.5 percent saying sex “isn’t needed” for most TV shows and movies. The study also found that Gen Z favors original content over adaptations, remakes, or franchises. 

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Now that could be a concern given the sharp decline in Netflix’s original content over the past year.

According to a report from Bloomberg, Netflix released over 100 fewer original programs in 2023 than it did in 2022. Despite this drop in original content, the streaming service is still winning with new releases. Netflix is now focusing on licensing cult classic shows and movies for its platform, rather than producing originals. For instance, it spent a hundred million dollars just to keep Friends on its platform for one year. 

Making originals is usually a lot more expensive than licensing older content. That might explain why Netflix has been dropping licensed titles in such huge numbers. But the OTT giant is hoping it will pay off in the long run. Therefore, instead of making out 50 films a year, Netflix now aims to back between 25 and 30. While this plan seems to be working for the streaming mogul, using pointless sex scenes to attract Gen Z as a shortcut to profits is a strategy that is clearly not working. 

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What do you think about the new study on Netflix’s Gen Z audience? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!