It was only a matter of time before Gossip Girl’s scandalous “OMFG” ad campaign stirred up the sensitive old crones that work for the Parents Television Council. The watchdog group, which has previously filed complaints about shows such as Dexter, America’s Next Top Model, and Las Vegas, now has their panties in a twist about the CW’s latest marketing strategy. The ads, which we wrote about here, focus on the show’s sexiest hookups and are heavy on the somewhat explicit “OMFG” slang. Has the CW gone too far for a show that’s marketed to teens, or is the PTC overreacting yet again?
If “OMFG” made the PTC clutch their pearls in horror, how will they react to the gay character that will be outed in the show’s May 5 episode? Read on if you want to know all the details.
WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS!
It feels like the PTC is always trying to squash anything fun that pops up on TV, and this Gossip Girl complaint is no exception. They specifically take issue with what they say is a “sexually suggestive photo showing a teenage boy kissing a girl’s cleavage.” In a statement, PTC said it “deplores the CW’s deliberate use of profanity and sexual imagery to exploit and further corrupt young viewers.” Further, the Council adds, Gossip Girl “glamorizes casual sex and drug use among teens. Storylines have featured a would-be teen rapist, threesome among teens, and teenage girls having sex with adults.”
Okay, so perhaps everything they mentioned about Gossip Girl is true. These teens do have sex, some of them do indulge in casual drug use, and our beloved Chuck (Ed Westwick) did ponder date rape in the very first episode. However, the PTC seems to have a naive view of how innocent real teenagers actually are. I doubt any impressionable youngsters discovered “OMFG” for the first time by watching the CW, and I’d hope that most kids are raised well enough not to snort coke and have threesomes just because they saw it on TV. The PTC tries to shelter the youth of America by rallying for censorship, when what they should be rallying for is better parenting.
I’m not sure how members of the PTC will react to a teenager experimenting with his sexuality, but they may want to break out the smelling salts for the May 5 episode of the series. It’s long been rumored that someone would come bursting out of the closet before the end of the season, and now it’s been confirmed that the gay character is Serena’s (Blake Lively) brother, Eric. According to Kristin at E!Online, he’ll be caught making out with Jenny Humphrey’s (Taylor Momsen) new boyfriend.
It’s almost enough to make you scream “OMFG!” Just make sure you scream it softly, or you might find the PTC knocking at your door.
– Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
Source: E!Online, TVGuide.com
(Image courtesy of the CW)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
