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“Glee” Photo Shoot Sends the Wrong Message
"Glee" in GQ: Too Hot?
A media watchdog group has issued a press release saying that the recent “Glee” photo shoot for GQ is overly sexualized.
“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,” said Tim Winter, President of the Parents Television Council. ”It borders on pedophilia. Sadly, this is just the latest example of the overt sexualization of young girls in entertainment.”
My Strollerderby colleague Madeline Holler recently leveled some similar criticism at the photo shoot.
“The “Glee” GQ photos are raunchy, something you’d expect from TVs Sookie Stackhouse or, heck, a couple of airbrushed Real Houswives. Not, you know, two of the (supposed) high school girls (actually, they’re grown-up women) on a show watched by millions — including, perhaps, your own little girls!” writes Madeline.
Another Strollerderby colleague Sierra Black weighed in on the photos. Sierra wonders why the magazine chose to fetishize the skinny white girls.
“I’m pro-sex, and I want my kids to grow up with a healthy, lusty embrace of their own sexuality. But the Glee shot isn’t about the girls’ sexuality at all. It’s a pinup fantasy of high school girls as pretty objects,” writes Sierra.
Why are the female characters wearing underwear in front of school lockers? It does seem to be unnecessarily titillating — especially in a magazine targeted for adult men.
“We wonder why the show’s creators feel the need for such graphic sexualization of women. Interestingly, the photos of the male character showed him wearing a shirt, tie and vest,” points out Winter, adding that “‘Glee’ is only masquerading as family show and is far from appropriate for young viewers.”
What do you think? Did the photo shoot cross the line? And is “Glee” becoming too racy for kids?
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16 Comments
Anonimom commented on Oct 20 10 at 2:50 pmThis is the third article today about these pictures. I guess I don’t understand what the big deal is. Plus, if the pictures are so outrageous, why is it that every time an article about the pictures appears so does a link to said pictures? Doesn’t that just spread the pictures to an audience who might not have even seen them? I for one am not a reader of GQ and wouldn’t even have known about the Glee pics if not for the three articles listed on Strollerderby.
Jamie commented on Oct 20 10 at 3:13 pmAs pointed out in the article these “girls” are actually grown women. These pictures while in character are no different than pictures of actual teenage “starlets” taken when they are still underage. For examples look-up some early photoshoots of Britney Spears or current shots of Miley Cyrus. I would much rather have men looking at grown women playing dress-up than looking at actual teenagers. It’s all part of a fantasy. How many grown women have dressed up like a cheerleader or sexy school girl for their husbands. Get over it.
bob commented on Oct 20 10 at 4:13 pmIf you have a new point to make, rather than reporting on each other’s posts and starting new threads, why not just contribute a comment and add to the existing discussion?
Manjari commented on Oct 20 10 at 4:39 pmYeah, this seems like excessive coverage.
kristen commented on Oct 20 10 at 7:11 pmThis is dumb. These are 20- somethings, not high schoolers. And how many kids read GQ?! Any parents who aren’t monitoring their internet use if they’re too young to see this, or let them read GQ are just bad parents- these photos aren’t meant for kids, so don’t let your kids see them! otherwise, shut up about it!
paulabernstein commented on Oct 20 10 at 7:37 pmKristen, the point isn’t that kids will be reading GQ. The point is that it is creepy for GQ, a magazine for adult men, to be featuring sexy pictures of girls dressed up like high schoolers. And, Manjari and Bob, thanks for the feedback. We’re listening!
Lula commented on Oct 20 10 at 10:49 pmUm…. I think many adult men *do* find 16-18yo girls sexy. I think they’ve found them sexy for a long, long time, certainly way before Glee or GQ ever existed.
Treespeed commented on Oct 20 10 at 11:22 pmPaula,
almost as creepy as all those 40 year old female Twilight fans.
Ashley commented on Oct 20 10 at 11:47 pmThese pictures have been posted basically everywhere. I’ve seen reports about it on tv also. It’s a shame that these women have decided to do such raunchy photos when there are young girls looking up to them. They are all adults and can certainly make their own choices, but I feel that it’s just trashy.
paulabernstein commented on Oct 21 10 at 8:43 amLula, yes, adult men do sometimes find 16-18 year old girls sexy, but they are underage and we shouldn’t encourage pedophilia. And Treespeed, the difference between this and “Twilight” is vast. “Twilight” isn’t about fetishizing boys to appeal to older women. Plus, that’s a book/film with an actual plot – as opposed to a photo shoot in a magazine. Big difference. I agree with Ashley – they’re adults and they can make their own choices, but with the show being such a hit, they certainly don’t need the publicity anyway!
Lula commented on Oct 21 10 at 9:35 amIt is driving me crazy that people are using the term “pedophlia” WRT these pictures. Pedophilia, as defined in mental health circles, is sexual interest in prepubescent children, not highschool-age youth. These actors are not prebubescent, nor are the characters they portray on TV. I agree that the photos are in poor taste and I would love it if the actors and the photographers had done a better shoot, but this “OMG, PROTECT THE CHILDREN!!!!” reaction is equally over the top in my eyes.
paulabernstein commented on Oct 21 10 at 9:39 amYes, Lula, technically you’re correct but who would know what I was talking about if I referred to ephebophilia, or the sexual preference of adults for mid-to-late adolescents, generally ages 15 to 19? It’s just a question of semantics.
And, for me, it’s not so much a question of “protect the children.” It’s more an issue of how girls/women are being depicted in media.
Lula commented on Oct 21 10 at 9:57 amIt’s not semantics at all – it’s a term that’s being bandied about over sexualized depictions of characters who are probably over the age of consent in the state where their TV show takes place (Ohio? 16 is legal age of consent there). It frightens me that we can’t have a productive conversation about hyper-sexualization of girls and women in media without devolving into “OMG, PROTECT THE CHILDREN FROM PEDOPHILES!!!” The vast majority of GQ readers are a) probably already having fantasies about girls and women wearing cheerleading uniforms and/or underwear, and b) not going to run out to the nearest high school to try and score as a result of seeing these photos. We’re not helping teenage girls navigate sexism by saying that these photos “border on pedophilia” or trembling over their effect on the grown men reading GQ.
Ken commented on Oct 21 10 at 4:55 pmAdults. The models, photographers and readers are all adults.
The supposed greatest country on the planet is centuries behind other, lesser, countries in accepting the human body. If the girls (23 years old) went to the beach in a bikini, would you react like this? A bra and a bikini top are the same amount of material, so what exactly is the problem here? The uniform? Grow up. Do you wear something sexy or flirty for your husband? If so, you get it. It’s a game. It’s fantasy and it’s harmless. If you don’t dress for your mate, then the problem is jealousy.
Everyone involved, except the media and the alarmists, are adults.
Forget these pics …. Do you know what’s happening in Iraq or Afghanistan today?
Didn’t think so.
J.J. commented on Oct 22 10 at 9:27 pmComments thank you “media watchdogs” for bringing these very sexy pics of grown women who pretend to be younger on T.V. to my attention. I would’ve never seen them otherwise, looks like they had a blast
charly commented on Jan 08 12 at 12:33 pmThe actresses are adults, not underaged. GQ is for grown men. And kids shouldn’t even be watching Glee..it’s inappropriate for them considering the constant topic is hooking up.
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