The great debate: female characters, sex and the Parents TV Council
Teen girls are having more sex on TV. That means teen boys are too, but the Parents Television Council isn't worried about them. Their latest research found that underage female characters have more sexually driven plot-lines than adult female characters. Focusing on the top 25 shows on broadcast TV for viewers age 12-17, their research indicates that hit shows like "Vampire Diaries" and "Glee" are big on teen sex. "Out of all the sexualized scenes depicting underage or young adult female characters, 86 percent of those female characters were presented as only being of high school age," according to a statement made by study researchers. In other words teen girls are acting (literally) like sluts! Teen boys, however, will be boys, since the study doesn't measure their activity.
Every year, the Parents Television Council stirs up publicity with an outraged, imbalanced survey that points fingers at popular television shows on major networks. Despite seemingly feminist agendas, their bottom line is often much more conservative. Subjects of ire have ranged from the increase in "homosexual content"(the acclaimed show "Will and Grace" was on their hit list) to mentions of masturbation and "non-traditional family" values. Their research stems back to the '90s when sitcoms like "Roseanne" and "Ellen" began breaking new ground. In 2000, the PTC released a list of what they believed to be the best and worst shows on TV. The best? "Early Edition"! Hello! That guy gets the newspaper in the morning and it says who he has to save! And don't forget "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" -that show with the talking cat. Now compare that to some of the biggest PTC offenders through the years. Notice how many of them feature strong female characters.
Roseanne: The acclaimed series, created and written by a women, featuring two teenage girls in a loving family, was named one of the 10 worst shows by the PTC in 1996. Aside from the award winning writing staff, and the portrayal of realistic family dynamics and female body types, the show was considered a bad influence compared to, say, 7th Heaven--where teenagers look like Jessica Biel and homeless kids look like Les Miz understudies.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: A female butt-kicking teen super-hero is way too violent. Buffy was named the worst series by the PTC in 2002. "Smallville's" butt-kicking teen Superman? Not on the list.
Veronica's Closet: No, it was never a great show, but it was about a woman who's a boss. Please refresh yourself with the credits here. If you think that's racy for an 8pm time-slot, you probably think the CBS Sunday Morning Show is pornography.
Felicity: Remember this lovely drama with a smart young woman who's deciding between majoring in writing or medicine at the college of her dreams? Really dangerous to society. The council was particularly concerned with episode where she's deciding whether to have sex and seeks out guidance on using condoms. You know, taking sex seriously and making a safe and responsible decision as a college student? Bad example for teens.
Seinfeld: One of the best written sitcoms ever conceived, it also challenged female stereotypes with a character that wasn't afraid of her own adult sexuality. (Remember the sponge-worthy episode? So does the PTC.) They also aren't comfortable with the masturbation episode, even though it's a form of safe sex.
Gilmore Girls: A show created by a woman, about a successful single mom and her brilliant daughter. The show was under fire for a scene where Rory walks in on her friend Marty (above) who passed out naked in a dorm room freshman year.(Watch that scene here-no embedding code) Nothing sexual ensues and he, unlike most college dudes, is embarassed and regretfully polite. But still, this kind of thing would never have happened on "Early Edition".
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