It seems that a typical rite of passage for young Hollywood stars that appeal to a youthful audience is their transition into more “adult” fare. Look no further than Miley Cyrus’ ongoing push and pull with expressing her impending adulthood, or Britney Spears’ move from Mouseketeer to “slave.” These transitions are usually met with cries of moral corruption and the rending of garments as parents everywhere try to keep their own children young and innocent. Well, let’s add a couple stars of pop-culture phenomenon Glee to the list of potential protest targets.
In the upcoming November issue of GQ, Dianna Agron and Lea Michele pose for a number of photos (a few of which are included below, of course!) that, in some instances, could be considered rather racy, especially for two women who play 16-year olds, and are reaching out to a very young audience (Cory Monteith is in a couple too, but, in comparison, he has an inordinate number of layers on in his photos). In various states of (mostly) undress, the actresses strike poses certain to titillate the lads who pick up the magazine. But so what? Are these twenty-something adults not allowed to show a little skin and portray themselves as sexy? As is often the case, context may be everything.
Glee has never shied away from controversial subjects, or censored itself because younger viewers are watching the show. The producers are aware of their audience, but as creator Ryan Murphy has said:
“I didn’t want to do a family show,” says Murphy. “I wanted to do my version of a family show. But we try to be as responsible as we can, because we know some young people watch. Some of the humor goes over their head, hopefully.”
This will do nothing to assuage the parents out there that are concerned with the oversexualization of their children. Especially this season, Gleehas given said-minded parents more to be concerned with, as the show has exhibited increasingly sexualized dancing (the remakes of the Britney Spears videos in “Brittany/Britney”), naked masturbation in the library (in the same Britney episode), and a mention of “scissoring” by Santana in a make-out session with Brittany (last week’s “Duets”). Now comes legs-wide-open underwear shots and tiny school-girl skirt photos on actresses playing underage teens. Will Glee start to feel a backlash as a result?
Personally, these women are adults, and as far as I’m concerned, can do what they want. Should Fox discourage such things? Perhaps, but then again, everyone is writing about the show, and as they say about publicity….
UPDATE: Like clockwork, the Parents Television Council has issued a press release:
It is disturbing that GQ, which is explicitly written for adult men, is sexualizing the actresses who play high school-aged characters on Glee in this way. It borders on pedophilia … Many children who flocked to High School Musical have grown into Glee fans. They are now being treated to seductive, in-your-face poses of the underwear-clad female characters posing in front of school lockers, one of them opting for a full-frontal crotch shot. By authorizing this kind of near-pornographic display, the creators of the program have established their intentions on the show’s direction. And it isn’t good for families. (Hat Tip: EW.com)
So, what do you think of the photos? Do you find them too risque? Do shows that appeal so greatly to minors have a responsibility to portray a certain image on screen and off? If you have children, how do you feel about this type of material? Please drop your comments below or in our Glee Forum. Be sure to also check out video of the cast performing “Time Warp” and audio of a few other songs from next week’s Rocky Horror-themed episode.
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