33 Pop Culture Moments That Taught You What's Sexy

For millennials, sex education in school felt like a tame Disney movie. We are the generation that learned about sexuality from R-rated flicks, MTV, and the world wide web. Growing up, we all watched movies that mortified our parents, voted for raunchy videos on TRL, found seminude magazines featuring our heartthrobs on Google, and dropped our jaws as pop stars stripped on national TV. Hollywood blew our formative minds, and as a result, nothing comes close to shocking us. (FYI, we laugh at your onstage antics, Miley). To celebrate all the ways mass media made our life imitate art, let's take an NSFW trip down memory lane with the hypersexual — and, in retrospect, often embarrassing — moments that defined our era.

01
You Were Captured by Leo and Kate's Passion
20th Century Studios

You Were Captured by Leo and Kate's Passion

Let's just admit it: when Titanic was released in 1997, we were more interested in the action than the history.

02
At the Same Time, Some of Us Were a Little Confused
20th Century Studios

At the Same Time, Some of Us Were a Little Confused

Does passion kill?

03
Backstreet Boys' Seductive Gestures Mesmerized You
20th Century Studios

Backstreet Boys' Seductive Gestures Mesmerized You

Looking back at 1996, it's clear the "Quit Playing Games With My Heart" video had nothing to do with heartbreak. Source: Sony Music

04
Samantha Taught Us About Size
HBO

Samantha Taught Us About Size

You may have spent Sunday nights from 1998 to 2004 trying to find a way to watch HBO without your parents noticing.

05
And Positions
HBO

And Positions

I mean, we learned a lot from Sex and the City.

06
Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson Showed You How to Kiss
Paramount Pictures

Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson Showed You How to Kiss

How did this moment from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days not even get nominated for best kiss at the MTV Movie Awards in 2003?! Blasphemy.

07
You Gave the Rewind Button a Workout During Varsity Blues
Paramount Pictures

You Gave the Rewind Button a Workout During Varsity Blues

"OMG, look at his butt!" — You, circa 1999

08
Ali Larter Showed You a New Use For Whipped Cream
Paramount Pictures

Ali Larter Showed You a New Use For Whipped Cream

Except it wasn't this sexy for anyone who tried it.

09
You Considered Getting Naughty in the Laundry Room
Paramount Pictures

You Considered Getting Naughty in the Laundry Room

And you realized it was just really cold.

10
You Questioned Your Midriff Near the Turn of the Millennium, Thanks to Britney Spears
20th Century Studios

You Questioned Your Midriff Near the Turn of the Millennium, Thanks to Britney Spears

Remember the Y2K problem in 1999? Barely — we were thinking more about pushup bras. Source: Rolling Stone

11
Ryan Gosling Implanted a Wall Fantasy in Your Head
New Line Cinema

Ryan Gosling Implanted a Wall Fantasy in Your Head

It's still there, even though The Notebook came out 10 years ago.

12
He Showed Guys How to Make the First Move
New Line Cinema

He Showed Guys How to Make the First Move

And be the sexiest man alive.

13
Reese Witherspoon Demonstrated Things Could Happen Anywhere
Universal Pictures

Reese Witherspoon Demonstrated Things Could Happen Anywhere

Fear really earned that R rating during the infamous roller-coaster scene back in '96.

14
Which Probably Happens Naturally Around Mark Wahlberg
Universal Pictures

Which Probably Happens Naturally Around Mark Wahlberg

Having visions of Marky Mark in his Calvins . . .

15
You Learned to Appreciate the Male Physique When You Saw Usher's Abs
20th Century Studios

You Learned to Appreciate the Male Physique When You Saw Usher's Abs

Back in 2011, the "U Don't Have to Call" video was as hot as it got. Source: Sony Music

16
And Justin Timberlake's Abs
20th Century Studios

And Justin Timberlake's Abs

You had to buy his copy of Rolling Stone in 2003. Source: Rolling Stone

17
And Ashton Kutcher's
20th Century Studios

And Ashton Kutcher's

He was "newly single," which gave us hope in 2003. Source: Rolling Stone

18
You Understood the Sexual Power of a Car Wash When Jessica Simpson Did This
Warner Bros.

You Understood the Sexual Power of a Car Wash When Jessica Simpson Did This

Let's also pay tribute to her glorious spray tan in 2005's The Dukes of Hazzard movie.

19
Brokeback Mountain Taught You Some Guys Like Guys
Focus Features

Brokeback Mountain Taught You Some Guys Like Guys

Who would have thought the dudes from Donnie Darko and 10 Things I Hate About You would get it on?

20
American Pie Showed You Just How Visual Guys Are
Universal Pictures

American Pie Showed You Just How Visual Guys Are

The hit came out in '99 but totally reminds us of the raunchy '80s genre.

22
And How Desperate They Are . . . All the Time
Universal Pictures

And How Desperate They Are . . . All the Time

For a while there, eating pie gave you flashbacks.

23
Josh Hartnett Made You Squirm in the Theater
Disney

Josh Hartnett Made You Squirm in the Theater

In '02, 40 Days and 40 Nights sounded like your fantasy vacation with Josh Hartnett.

24
You Practiced Your Strip With Britney
20th Century Studios

You Practiced Your Strip With Britney

Britney set the bar for every VMAs performance after baring her bod in 2000. Source: MTV

25
Wild Things Introduced the Proper Pool Exit
Columbia Pictures

Wild Things Introduced the Proper Pool Exit

You may have used a couple variations at parties after 1998, and that's OK.

26
Christina Aguilera Pushed the Limits
20th Century Studios

Christina Aguilera Pushed the Limits

When the "Dirrty" video aired on TRL in 2002, you realized what a girl wants can change pretty fast in between albums. Source: Sony Music

27
Same With Brit, as Much as You Loved Her
20th Century Studios

Same With Brit, as Much as You Loved Her

The dancers in "I'm a Slave 4 U" were so thirsty, they were licking our national treasure. That totally made sense in 2001. Source: Rolling Stone

29
And Kick-Started Your Crush on Ryan Phillippe
Columbia Pictures

And Kick-Started Your Crush on Ryan Phillippe

His lips were the bomb.

30
After-School Activities Meant Something Totally Different After Election in '99
Paramount Pictures

After-School Activities Meant Something Totally Different After Election in '99

31
Julia Roberts Gave You a Lesson in Contraception
Disney

Julia Roberts Gave You a Lesson in Contraception

You couldn't get enough of the R-rated '90s flick Pretty Woman on cable.

32
And Sassy Foreplay
Disney

And Sassy Foreplay

If it worked for Julia . . .

33
Britney and Madonna Gave Your Friends a Lesson in Getting Attention
20th Century Studios

Britney and Madonna Gave Your Friends a Lesson in Getting Attention

Thanks to this 2003 moment, girl-on-girl kissing became a go-to party move. Source: MTV