Society's view of sex, and knowledge of the risks involved, has changed dramatically since the 1970's. James Bond was created in the midst of the "sexual revolution" where the risks of unsafe sex were insignificant compared to what they are today. Most sexually transmitted diseases had a simple cure or treatment, AIDS was unheard of and the contraceptive pill was widely available. Even the importance of morality was being questioned in the seventies with 75% of Americans deeming pre-marital sex to be acceptable, a significant change from a figure of 25% in the 50's. For this reason James Bond sleeping with a plethora of women was understandable. However in the eighties the "sexual revolution" ceased as the sexually active came face to face with its new adversary, HIV/AIDS. This lead to an increasing awareness of STD's and the promotion of "safe sex". So as the new era of the eighties brought changes to society it would be thought that James Bond would have followed suit. However, take a look at the endless list of "Bond Women" from the 80's onwards and it seems Bond was stuck in the mindset of the seventies. Yes we cannot deny that the script writers of James Bond have made some attempts to adapt the set plot to retain societal relevance, the Bond women have certainly increased in intellect over the years and only recently has he given up smoking, having only a fine Cuban cigar from time to time. However despite these changes, agent 007 has failed to curb his willingness to engage in unprotected sex with multiple women. In films today we may see Bond put a "No Smoking" sign on the dashboard of the car, but do we see him pull out a condom or show any questioning of what the consequences of his actions might be? We certainly don't. To the young and impressionable minds of our society today, James Bond is not a good influence. Sex education in schools stressing the importance of safe sex cannot have any effect on our youth if the action-packed Bond films are constantly counteracting this.
