Prime Time TV 'Objectifies and Fetishizes' Underage Girls, Study Says

LOS ANGELES – Long
gone are the days when Marcia Brady’s sweet smile and Winnie Cooper’s
brains and beauty were how television represented teen-age girls.


According to a new study conducted by the Parents
Television Council (PTC), Hollywood
is shockingly obsessed with sexualizing teen girls, to the point where
underage female characters are shown participating in an even higher
percentage of sexual situations than their adult counterparts: 47
percent to 29 percent respectively.


PTC’s report, entitled “New Target: A Study
of Teen Female Sexualization on Primetime TV” is based on a content
analysis drawn from the 25 most popular shows in the 12-17 demographic
throughout the 2009-2010 television season.


“The results from this report show
Tinseltown’s eagerness to not only objectify and fetishize young girls,
but to sexualize them in such a way that real teens are led to believe
their sole value comes from their sexuality," said PTC President Tim
Winter. "This report is less about the shocking numbers that detail the
sickness of early sexualization in our entertainment culture and more about the generation of young girls who are being told how society expects them to behave."


“Storylines on the most popular shows among
teens are sending the message to our daughters that being sexualized
isn’t just acceptable, it should be sought after,” Winter said. “It is
outrageous that TV
executives have made it their business to profit off of programs that
depict teen girls blissfully being sexualized by casual partners.”


Examples used by the PTC to illustrate their findings, all taken from prime time broadcast television, included Taylor Momsen’s character in bed with Ed Westwick on “Gossip Girl,”
Annalynne McCord taking a swig of alcohol while donning a bra and
panties on “90210,” and a lesbian kiss between cheerleaders on “Glee.”


The data, based on factors ranging from the
genre of the program to the gender of the initiator and the
participant’s attitude toward the sexualizing incident, also revealed
that 98 percent of the sexual incidents involving underage female
characters occurred outside of any form of committed relationship, and
that 73 percent of the underage sexualized incidents were presented in a
humorous manner or as a punch line to a joke.


Winter also claims that TV networks can’t be
trusted as 75 percent of the time they leave off the “S” descriptor to
warn audiences about sexual content. However, Adam Temple, the
Coalitions Director at the TV Watch Organization, a broad-based coalition that opposes government control of TV proramming, said that examining the age appropriate rating is the most important factor to take into consideration.


“You have to look at the whole story. First
and foremost shows are rated based on age, so before you even get to the
point of those content descriptors (such as ‘S’ for sex, ‘L’ for
language and ‘V’ for violence) parents have to decide what is
appropriate,” Temple said. “As with other PTC studies, it is very
subjective, so 'reader beware.’ It is important to remember that parents
are the ultimate authority, and that this seemingly ‘scary’ study based
on vague methodology is subjective.”


Nonetheless, the PTC and its supporters don’t simply just want networks
to slap more warnings on programs – they’re calling on parents, actors,
and advertisers to take action and demand that the trend to air content
based on teen sexualization be reversed. However, Temple argued that
end of the day it is up to parents to take control over what their
children can and cannot view.


“Parents understand that all programming is
not for all children and, according to polling conducted solely among
parents, take seriously their efforts to ensure their children view what
is appropriate based on their age, taste and values,” he said. “What is
increasingly difficult to take seriously, is a patchwork of studies
characterized by vagaries and omissions, apparently intended to raise
money because the group has the word 'Parents' in its name."


But another expert not associated with these
studies or organizations firmly believes that Hollywood is indeed
sexualizing underage characters on its shows for profit.


“Certain shows, advertisers, etc. sexualize
underage people, which does double damage: it sends a message to youth
that their self-worth depends on their sexuality, and provokes
inappropriate sexual responses from adults. This is irresponsible
programming and is disrespectful to youth,” Los Angeles-based
psychologist Dr. Nancy Irwin said. “This (PTC) study is not being blown
out of proportion.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2010/12/16/new-study-shows-images-sexualized-teen-girls-dominating-airwaves/#ixzz18f59tNBj