Everyone Loves A Little Gossip…and SEX!
Ok so first let me show you what I am going to be talking about:
We have all seen these adds all over the city promoting the recent return of the teen drama, “Gossip Girl.” These sexually charged adds, with the intentionally negative attitude makes the advertising for the hit show very interesting. In America, unlike most countries, we are very closed off sexually. America would rather show yoU 50,000,00 people killed in a movie before they showed you a graphic sex scene. The bedroom has always seemed off limits for our culture, making it a very taboo subject.
This blatant display of sexual conduct shown on the side of the rode is truly a big step in the advertising campaign. They are a little bit of that I want to look, but shouldn’t. The three ads show supposed high school seniors doing things, adults, mostly parents, would like to think their children don’t take part in. This links the photos to the quotes used on the billboards. The three quotes display what was supposed to be negative reviews from adults about the sexual content of the show. From being “every parents nightmare,” to a “nasty piece of work,” the show is using these negatives and making them positives.
The adults’ reviews are coming back to haunt them, by being placed on these billboards. This haunting is done due to the fact that teens and young adults hate being told what to do, so by showing adult disapproval over the show, that in turn makes the targeted audience want to watch it even more.
Although I see this fact as true, considering the 10% increase in viewers who fall under the targeted audience of 18-34, I found a bigger media issue. Why is sex seen as shameful? Who are these adults commenting negatively on a show that portrays some serious issues teens and young adults deal with. Why don’t these parents face their “nightmares,” and just talk to their kids about the issues before they watch it on television. Let’s get smart people. This demographic of teens and adults see people kill each other on tvall the time, but we don’t follow suit. Just because Serena and Dan had sex in a bus bathroom, doesn’t mean the views will, and if they do so what? It’s their life and they will live it.
So my closing thoughts are that America should be less ashamed of the act that gets us all here in the first place, SEX! Yep I said it! We need to not care if a tv show displays an intimate scene every now and then. It is entertainment, not how people are going to live their lives.
Keep it Licious,
Chase
You, reader, are going to think that because I’m only commenting on Chases’s columns means that I’m obsessed by what he is writing… but it’s not the truth (at least entirely), in fact, I like what he chose as subjects to talk about!
Anyway, the topic about the relationship between gossip girl and the notion of sex interested me a lot, owing to the fact that that is the first thing that surprised, or even revolted me when I came to the US, and especially to Los Angeles three weeks ago, and in a very particular way.
As a matter of fact, since my native country, France, I heard a lot of things about America, substantially, as for example that they were overall conservative (though the really tight fight between The Democrats and The Republicans, the US stay above all very puritan), and liked following strict rules. But I wasn’t expecting so much embarrassment about a topic, such as sex! in the country where “anything is possible”, I waited for a lot of open-minded people who don’t care in talking about anything, where is this damn freedom of expression ?
I know how it works : people like watching TV series and movies such as “Sex and the city”, “Gossip girl”, listening musics talking about dirty things, but they don’t wanna talk about it, because they feel ashamed of delivering subjects such as sex in front of people’s face. What happened in people’s mind to be afraid of talking about subjects that belong to nature? After all, everyone will pass by this path one day or another… so why not breaking the ice and discuss without taboos? Why the parents don’t warn and learn children about their adult life, instead of protecting them until the day they will plunge into “real” life, frightened and without self-reliance?
In France (where I’m from), and certainly in whole Europe, people are quite free and open-minded about the subject, they don’t care about what can be shown in TV, movies, and music, because they know that this must be part of people’s life, since teenager until… (for example, “Sex and the city” is in France inadvisable to people under 10, whereas in the US, it’s allowed for people over 14). Actually, French people are also renowned for dining whereas speaking about sex, between other subjects a lot more interesting, I reassure you!
So, american people, can you prove us that you are a lot more profligate that your reputation can pretend? I bet on you!
elsa1811
September 13, 2008