MTV's 'Skins' controversy: child pornography or publicity stunt? »
MTV's "Skins" may not have matched our favorite "Shore"-loving Guidos in the ratings with last week's debut, but with 3.3 million viewers, the new show's nevertheless a hit. And like clockwork, it's already run into trouble for its racy cocktail of sex, drugs and teenagers. An array of reports have raised the specter of child pornography, with the New York Times reporting that executives at MTV's parent company, Viacom, have asked MTV to "tone down some of the most explicit content," with a forthcoming episode involving a nude 17-year-old's backside reportedly under the spotlight. And according to the Hollywood Reporter, Taco Bell has pulled its ads from the show after an outcry from the Parents Television Council. With the show's cast of actual teenagers in mind, the PTC is reportedly "asking the Department of Justice and U.S. Senate and House Judiciary Committees to open an investigation." For its part, MTV stated to several outlets that, "We are confident that the episodes of ‘Skins’ will not only comply with all applicable legal requirements, but also with our responsibilities to our viewers.”
"Skins'" ahem, skin doesn't come without precedent -- it's based on a similarly racy multi-season U.K. show of the same name, something Taco Bell should've known before signing on. (Curious viewers can find the original show's first three seasons on Netflix Instant.) And we can't help but think back to the complaints raised over the sexed-up ad campaign for the second season of The CW's "Gossip Girl," which spun the PTC's lament for the steamy show ("mindblowingly inappropriate") into a clever tagline as well as hot ratings. Whether or not "Skins" crosses legal boundaries, the furor is the kind of publicity storm a show couldn't pay for if it tried, with a ratings bump for upcoming episodes almost certain. (Of course, lost in the discussion is whether the show's even worth watching: the L.A. Times calls it "an R-rated teen soap minus any truly resonant characters.")
What do you think, Brand Xers? Does "Skins" cross the line or merely reflect an unsavory reality? And is the Parents Television Council in the right, or do they do more harm than good by shouting from the rooftops instead of letting parents do their jobs? Let us know in the comments.
-- David Greenwald
Photo: Daniel Flaherty and Britne Oldford are part of the ensemble cast on "Skins." Credit: Jason Nocito/MTV
Jason Mewes
The Sweet Hurt
This is so not reality for teens today. It is pablum laced with vanilla, and sweetener. The whole country is in serious denial and this show is just taking a tiny bit of what is SHOWING and putting that on the air (or cable). Drinking and drugs (mostly pot) and sex are starting in the 5th grade now. Hard drugs (prescription, as well as street drugs such as cocaine, crack, heroin, LSD, E, K, and the others) are entrenched in later middle school and junior high. Why? Too much trouble. One kid, 15 years old, having returned from re-hab for crack and heroin and drinking, back to her nice suburban high school, was continually fined money for going outside and smoking a cigarette. Meanwhile, in the girls' bathrooms her classmates were snorting coke and Ritalin off the backs of the toilets.
When she told the "security and DARE officer" he should be doing something about THAT! His answer was, I'm not going in there! I'm not stirring up THAT hornets nest.
Her estimate is that 25%-35% of students are using daily. 20%-50% are having sex more than twice a week and nobody is doing anything to stop it. In case a parent is wondering here are words for having intercourse - hooking up, date, meetup, and jungle-bump. For users - Chill, Hang,and a million others. Frizbees and ice cream are not the activity of choice after school anymore.
Posted by: Charlie2nd Dad | January 21, 2011 at 01:07 PM
Is Roman Polansky going to be brought in to direct and episode or two?
Posted by: J Wagner | January 21, 2011 at 01:21 PM
there is alot of pressure and kids are always trying to grow up so fast, seeing that done by other children just adds to them saying sure lets do it because kids are alot worse off now than they were back then.
Posted by: ?????? | January 21, 2011 at 01:23 PM
I'm going to have to agree with Charlie2nd Dad on this. This has nothing on the real world since there are more teens and kids then adults and cops and places that you wouldn't think of are where peaple can get a "Quick Fix" of their choice and most sellers aren't picky on who they sell to.
Also at large schools and such you can find peaple having sex with eachother and even teachers.
Posted by: Zach | January 21, 2011 at 03:45 PM
This show is TERRIBLE. They claim that they relate to American teens today which is incredibly off. I'm a freshman in college and this does NOT relate to all American teens these days. They overexaggerate how teens act and what they do when they go out. This gives parents more reason to not trust their kids. Yes I understand this does apply to some kids out there BUT NOT EVERYONE IS LIKE THIS. This show is ridiculous and has an awful storyline to it. TAKE IT OFF THE AIR because obviously they cannot relate to teens these days. This show has me so upset and makes all teenagers look like immature, irresponsible kids when that is not the truth at all. Ask the REAL teenagers of America how things really are in high school. Adults will be surprised to know many of them are incredibly responsible and smart. But like I said, there are a FEW kids out there that somewhat act like that but not to that extent. Terrible show.
Posted by: Haley | January 21, 2011 at 04:38 PM
This show is an unrealistic depiction of American teenagers. No young adults I know of are this scandalous and distraught. "Skins" gives parents yet another reason to view teenagers as "irresponsible" and "dangerous". How many teenagers have driven a car full of others teenagers into a river, survived, then swam out and walk home? Really people, let's not take it that seriously.
Posted by: universitystudent | January 21, 2011 at 05:11 PM
@ haley: "the show... makes all teenagers look like immature, irresponsible kids." TRUTH.
thats exactly what made the UK version stand out. it pictured its teens as layered, complex young adults - not immature kids or fully formed adults yet, but a deftly handled balance of both - as young people grappling with some very adult things. and yes, some of that includes some ridiculous parties and plenty of sex and obviously drug use. and while some of those scenes were intentionally over the top, they were always balanced with realism - with the narrative seriously examining the consequences of the characters choices (or in many cases, lack thereof). besides, the show was much more of a sharply written character study than this overproduced, poorly acted ghost of a show mtv has put out.
why mtv ever thought it could translate the UK version, which simply based on prude US television standards would obviously never fly, stumps me. screw this show, anyone reading this should just do yourself a favor go watch the first two seasons of the UK version.
Posted by: overit | January 21, 2011 at 05:28 PM
So because it happens in real life that means it's OK to make a show about it? Don't you think the show is just going to encourage more of that behavior? Just like everything else you show on that channel?
Posted by: K | January 21, 2011 at 07:22 PM
This show actualy hits some aspects of teenage activities on the dot. Im a freshman in highschool and this stuff realy happens( not the SUV in the river of course) but alot of drugs and sex really do occur. i mean, me and my friends get crazy on the weekends so its not much of a difference.
Posted by: Dman96 | January 21, 2011 at 07:49 PM
i hope this show gets canceled!
Posted by: Robby F. | January 21, 2011 at 09:24 PM
I HOPE THIS SHOW GETS CANCELED TOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Denise | January 21, 2011 at 09:52 PM
This show was exactly like my high school experience... the different characters and all.
Posted by: Julie | January 21, 2011 at 09:56 PM
This is just the newest "cause" taken on by the PTC and I definitely think they will do more harm than good. I watched the show and it's not good by any real standards and the reality is that most teenage kids probably would have been bored with the first couple episodes but now that so much "controversy" and publicity has been given to it, more will watch. There have been so many other things throughout time that have been viewed as negative or influential however we as parents have to raise our children to know the difference between M"tv" and reality and right and wrong and explain and show the consequences of negative behaviors and choices. Our children have their own minds and although there will always be negative influences and by way more things than one show on tv it is up to us as parents and our children to decipher what is entertainment and what is real. Just like not all kids that watch wwe decided to jump off rooftops, and like not all kids that listened to slayer became devil worshipers, I don't believe that all kids that actually end up watching this show will be more likely to do drugs or have sex. The less we advertise it and make a big deal about it the less our kids will want to watch it anyway.
Posted by: Sheryl | January 21, 2011 at 10:18 PM
You're all off. This, like all works of fiction, is a representation of how THESE teens act. To say that it's not like this in real schools is idiotic. There ARE teens that act like this, and that's the story the writers are telling. Nobody says, "don't watch X-Files because real FBI agents don't investigate people from parallel universes," do they?
Furthermore, sex and drugs are a huge problem. In fact, where I'm from, the number of kids that smoke pot WITH their parents' permission is astounding. The hippies didn't just put down the pipe. As far as hard drugs, that's a much smaller group, but it's still there. The show doesn't say THE WHOLE SCHOOL is doing it, but this group of kids the show follows does.
If you're upset with the show, it's because you recognize it's reality and don't want to deal with it. Do something to fix it. It's out there. Watch with your kids and talk to them about it. It actually is doing you a favor.
As for the sexy nudity by 17 year old actors? Depends on the rules of the state doesn't it? Some states have age-of-consent laws as low as 12. Which is another issue that deserves to be discussed. But the average teen girl loses her virginity at 16. I don't think that's some kind of epidemic. High school girls were putting out back in the 50's, too. Let's stop being hypocrites. Us adults lost our virginity in high school. Our parents lost our virginity in high school. Their parents...on and on. This is a very small percentage of religious extremists trying to dictate their morals to all of us.
I know students at my school (where I teach) whose parents have had "the talk" with them and taken them to their family doctor to start the on birth control knowing what's going on with their kid and their boyfriends. But are there cracked out kids having dangerous sex with multiple partners. Yes. In most cases they have absentee parents who do drugs and screw everyone they know. The point? If you're a good, concerned parent, your kids will probably watch Skins and be upset just like you. If you're not, you're kids are probably doing what you're seeing on that television and you should shut it off and get involved. Period.
Don't blame the messenger.
Posted by: Wakeup | January 22, 2011 at 05:35 AM
The problem isn't with the show; it isn't with the subject matter. Kids are kids. They'll do what they do when they do it.
What it is; is a mirror held up in front of the adult parents of this country. They see what their lack of parental support has wrought - pushed out in some cases in an exaggerated way.
Remember, a well supported child is like a sponge. They will absorb what they are taught. After a certain age, they'll "rebel"; yet if they were taught right and were taught consistently during their "sponge" years, it would only be a bump in the road as they go through their "rebellious" age.
The adults that are pitching such a fit about it are those that have failed in their responsibility; are failing in their responsibility; or will fail their responsibility - for their children. Or they are folks that don't have children, never intend to have children, and sprang to life as adults never having a childhood or a desperately needed family support. They want to rule the lives of others because they themselves were "lorded over" insted of loved and supported. Their only outlet is to impose their will on others because they don't believe in the concept of free will. All the rhetoric about how bad the show is has nothing to do with "cleaning up the airways" or "protecting our children"; it has everything to do with the petty despots that want to impose their will on others through whatever means possible.
The key is to communicate within your family. The key is a discipline within the family to go through the easy times and the hard times. It is NOT abdicating your responsibility to the schools or local government, state government or federal government. Always saying "fix it" to those entities.
Bottom line, either the parents don't care about their children; they don't care to learn how to be a parent; they don't care to learn how to set boundaries; they don't care to even listen to their child - even when the child is 2 years old. Children grow up knowing when a parent is listening to them. They "see" it on so many levels; mostly unconscious levels - so they either grow up without that subtle but very strong KNOWING that their parents care about them; or they do grow up with the KNOWING that what they say and do means something to their parents (who by the way is the child’ entire support structure/world.) It is an undercurrent that flows throughout the family unit; the tell tale signs that reinforce the words "I love you"; unconscious communication that a parent speaks daily to their children. There are so many bigger things to worry about than a petty un-reality show.
Posted by: MastiffShack | January 22, 2011 at 06:50 AM
mang i wish i got to drink and roll my balls off and have sex twice a week in high school!!!
oh wait, all the kids who were into that in high school haven't amounted to anything special
mids 20s
65k
masters in chemistry
did all the drugs and had all the sex i wanted in college!
get real people.
Posted by: dan marino | January 22, 2011 at 02:09 PM
All of you are just... flat out stupid. The show represents how this group of teens act. Just because ONE show, portrays teens like this, does NOT mean they think every single got damn child acts like this. Believe it or not, a lot of teens act like this. Okay! Just because you can't handle the real world doesn't mean you have to rag on all the subjects you're scared of. Fucking pricks...
Posted by: peace.love.happiness | January 22, 2011 at 05:18 PM
This leads only to the notorious Streisand effect.
However crosshairs over politician's electoral districts are much more bad...
Posted by: Matthias | January 22, 2011 at 11:55 PM
In response to universitystudent1:
Well Ted Kennedy did.
Wait, he wasn't a high school student anymore.
Gladfully it was only one other person in the car. Pitifully she died.
Posted by: Matthias | January 23, 2011 at 12:00 AM