christoffer: the media’s huge responsibility
Your reality is subjective and shaped by the world around you. That means what you consume will help to define your truth. The media is obviously a big part of this, whether we’re talking editorial, magazines, social, films, music - the list goes on. So how is this landscape looking today when talking intimacy, the body, sexiness? That’s part of what we explore in this conversation with Christoffer Juul who we met when he interviewed us for the Danish fashion magazine Costume. We loved connecting with Christoffer as he is so reflective and has such a deep understanding of the impact the media has. We think it’s important to talk about these things because it makes us more aware of why we’re feeling a certain way about ourselves and our lust, body, mind. The more we understand it, the greater power we have to distance ourselves from unrealistic stereotypes. Luckily, the world is changing and we’re seeing a more honest representation - but more on that in the interview.
Thank you Christoffer for sharing your thoughts - you can follow him right here on Instagram.
Hi Christoffer, can you start by giving our readers a bit of insight into who you are?
Of course! I’m a very passionate person with a lot of opinions on everything I consume and see. I experience a lot through my sight and feelings, so I pay a lot of attention to details. I’m also a very curious person, which I guess is very useful in my work with creating editorial and commercial content for magazines and brands. I’m very mindful of what is happening in these times regarding representation, identity and sexuality, and I love to see how we gradually are mowing towards a more inclusive society where a lot more different people feel seen, heard and respected for who they are.
How did you end up working with fashion and lifestyle editorial?
I’ve always been interested in fashion as a reflection of our history and current time, so from a very early age I was drawn to fashion, and thought I wanted to become a designer. But when I started to read magazines, and then in my teens collecting different national and international titles, it occurred to me how fashion and lifestyle can be used to represent and tell different stories and social matters in a visual way that draws on what happens around us. Since then I’ve always dreamt of working with magazines, so when I studied journalism and got the chance I had to go for it.
You work with editorial. What changes have you noticed within fashion, lifestyle and wellness lately?
People don’t just buy apparel, beauty and furniture with the look and comfort in mind, but with their feelings and mindset. They want something to match their personal values within topics like equality, sustainability or fair labour. That has changed the way brands communicate and what lifestyle magazines need to cover for them to be relevant for a more woke audience. This change in the way we shop has demanded these kind of brands to take a more political and social stand in their set of values for them to break through to the individual consumer. That means that brands that don’t have a public opinion on social matters or lack a cause is likely to be cancelled because people can’t connect them with their own mindset.
What changes would you still like to see?
I would love to see a broader representation of different types of men and masculinity in the fashion, beauty and lifestyle industry. As a queer man I’m so happy to see how we gradually get more nuanced representation of non-normative people and cultures in media and fashion. So much have happened regarding different types of women in ads and media, but I still need to see men liberated from the Adonis or viking stereotype that is still dominant in media today. As a man with a little too much on the sides, I still don’t see my body type represented often enough in ads for Speedos, in fashion editorials or in mainstream porn. And I don’t think I’m the only one hoping for that change to come soon, so that more people can get sense of not being alone or missed out.
Do you think there’s openness around sex as a topic?
I think there is openness to talk about sex in a more holistic way of what we’re used to from before. And I think there is openness to talk about how sex not only can be enjoyed by two people in love, but by one self and with multiple partners, without it being something to be ashamed of. But it’s still a topic in schools that isn’t prioritised as much as it should, so younger people get a more realistic sense of what sex is and what it means.
Has this always been the case?
No. There is still a huge problem with young people getting most of their sexual knowledge from mainstream porn because of a lack of a way to narrow minded sex-ed in schools. That’s not good, because that kind of porn mostly focus on sex from an outdated male perspective, so we need to talk more open about different types of sex and how to make sure that both parts get the best possible pleasure from it.
What role do you think brands and magazines play in defining sexiness?
Brands and magazines have a huge responsibility defining important topics - including sex. What we don’t learn growing up or in school, magazines have the option to enlighten current topics that matters and educate readers from that in an exiting way. And brands have a huge role here too: just see how Gillette through decades defined sexy legs with their ads, or how Tom Ford at Gucci made sex a key role in their ads. Unfortunately, at that time, they upheld unrealistic beauty standards, so brands have huge role in portraying sex and sexiness in an inclusive way.
Do you feel the way the media and sex wellness industry portray sexiness and intimacy represents everyone?
No, definitely not. Even though we’ve come a long way with representation of different body types, genders and sexualities, it feels like the sex wellness industry is really far behind with outdated stereotypes that very few see themselves in, and branding that don’t correlate with todays standards and expectations from the consumers. I do think, however, that mainstream media is getting way better at portraying intimacy on a wider spectrum than when I was a teenager, and that is so liberating to see.
Can you personally relate to the way sexiness is portrayed in the world around us?
Both yes and no. Sexiness as a term has changed a lot over the past 20 years. Rather than looking sexy for someone else, now it’s more about feeling sexy on your own terms, and I feel like I can relate to that. Because for me sexiness comes from confidence and self acceptance. And I feel like more communication regarding sexiness gets better at conveying that, even though we are not quite there yet.
Lastly: How do you stay up to date with everything wellness and lifestyle?
I get updated very naturally from my curiosity in everything around me - in advertising, on TV, in articles, on social media and in culture generally. Even though a lot of this is for entertainment, I usually connect the dots from that to current trends.
Thank you so much for this chat Christoffer.
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