Have Music Videos gone too far?

[ciderdrinker]

At my place of work, we have a lot of TV's for our customers to watch. Generally we tend to have music channels on most of the time. The other day a customer of about 50 or so years asked me if we could turn off the sex film that was showing and pointed at the video that was playing (Leaving by Jesse McCartney, which isn't necessarily that raunchy).

The lady stated that she didn't think it was appropriate for her husband to see girls walking around in their underwear. Whilst I think this woman was being a bit overly protective (if that's the word) of her husband's ability to cope with half naked women on the TV, it did get me thinking about a lot of the videos that are regularly being shown on music channels which are seemingly not governed by a "watershed" (i.e. showing certain things after certain times so that children can't see them etc).

It seems to me that there is a growing trend to show overtly sexual dance moves and women in their underwear for no other reason than to help sell the track. And although that is the main reason for the video in the first place, at what point do we cross the line of these videos actually turning into porn.

In my mind this trend seems to have come from the video for Eric Prydz "Call On Me" where a lot of women were shown to be working out in a gym, and being very sexual in their moves. The video was a huge success and was talked about a lot (well I knew loads of people that discussed it at length!) Now it seems that virtually any kind of Dance track is accompanied by women dancing very provocatively in little more than their underwear and lots of gratuitous shots of cleavage and backsides. Here are a couple of examples: (because of the nature of these videos you may have to be a member to watch them as some of them are rated as suitable only for over 18s!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCWUiBn2yXc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML-CE_GDxnE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLYoyD_GibY

The last video of H2O ft Platinum "What's it Going To Be" even shows girls dressed in school uniform undressing down to their underwear, which in my mind is completely paedophillic heaven! (The girls are well over 18 but the connotation is still there!)

I expect I maybe coming off a bit prudish here, but I am totally not, and until this lady remarked on it I hadn't really noticed how provocative videos can be.

Is it possible that they are so commonplace in so many peoples lives that we hardly notice them in a way that we would notice the actors in Eastenders running around Albert Square in their underwear (for example)? When do we say "You know what? This is not something I would want my child to see?" Is it downright seedy, purposefully controversial, degrading to women or just harmless fun?

What are your thoughts?

[Retrograde]

I've always thought that music videos nowadays (in general) don't have much thought put into them. You make a song, you make a music video, it's as simple as that. Now there are those that buck the trend but this huge generalisation is pretty much accurate, especially in the case of hip-hop artists.

I don't think you're being prudish at all. I find most videos at the moment disgusting. Especially that middle link you posted - WTF! I'd imagine soft-porn films are less pornographic than that. It may also affect me because I'm a pretty fierce feminist. Obviously these women have chosen to do this and so I don't find it degrading, however what I do find degrading are the videos such as 50 Cent and Busta Rhymes etc, that depict women as being around solely for the pleasure of males. There is nothing I hate more than the sight of one of these horrific hip-hop stars whose talent is to mumble incoherently along to some preset drumbeat (no offence to people who like them), sitting around nonchalantly while women dressed in usually nothing more than a thong and 2 plasters over their nipples, parade around in front of them. Now that is degrading, and aside from the feminist aspect, it should not be available on television before the watershed! On music channels, I have noticed they blur out images of guns and knives, but not of practically naked women. Why is this?

[Risa]

My thoughts on this is: Sex sells. Always has, always will.

The funny thing is that the sexy music videos is not a new thing. Madonna got at least one of her videos banned back in the day because she had some very naughty stuff going on. Why should we censor music videos when you can open any magazine and see an underwear ad? Drive down the highway (depending where you live) and you will see billboards full of beautiful women and handsome men. Turn on the tv and you will see ads that make the music videos look lame.

In my opinion, all the sexy stuff really doesn't bother me. They are human bodies and the human body can be a beautiful thing. I don't think its downright seedy, purposefully controversial, or degrading to women. Its just human. I don't think children will grow up completely warped and twisted just because there are some sexy videos going around. Now they start showing music videos that make Playboy seem dull, then we might have to change something.

[Retrograde]

My thoughts on this is: Sex sells. Always has, always will.

The funny thing is that the sexy music videos is not a new thing. Madonna got at least one of her videos banned back in the day because she had some very naughty stuff going on. Why should we censor music videos when you can open any magazine and see an underwear ad? Drive down the highway (depending where you live) and you will see billboards full of beautiful women and handsome men. Turn on the tv and you will see ads that make the music videos look lame.

In my opinion, all the sexy stuff really doesn't bother me. They are human bodies and the human body can be a beautiful thing. I don't think its downright seedy, purposefully controversial, or degrading to women. Its just human. I don't think children will grow up completely warped and twisted just because there are some sexy videos going around. Now they start showing music videos that make Playboy seem dull, then we might have to change something.

I completely understand your point here, however it is not the nudity that bothers me, it is the overtly sexual behaviour, available for kids of any age to watch any time they like. Sure you can see an underwear ad any time you open a magazine, but generally it is not overtly sexual, it is to display the item to the best it can be.

[ciderdrinker]

On music channels, I have noticed they blur out images of guns and knives, but not of practically naked women. Why is this?

Good point! I hadn't thought of that!

My thoughts on this is: Sex sells. Always has, always will.

The funny thing is that the sexy music videos is not a new thing. Madonna got at least one of her videos banned back in the day because she had some very naughty stuff going on. Why should we censor music videos when you can open any magazine and see an underwear ad? Drive down the highway (depending where you live) and you will see billboards full of beautiful women and handsome men. Turn on the tv and you will see ads that make the music videos look lame.

In my opinion, all the sexy stuff really doesn't bother me. They are human bodies and the human body can be a beautiful thing. I don't think its downright seedy, purposefully controversial, or degrading to women. Its just human. I don't think children will grow up completely warped and twisted just because there are some sexy videos going around. Now they start showing music videos that make Playboy seem dull, then we might have to change something.

I also agree with Retrograde here, it's not the near nakedness that I find is the problem, it's pumping and grinding whilst dancing and gratuitous shots of womens crutches which I feel is unecessary and OTT. Of course sex sells and there have been plenty of raunchy videos in the past, but it seems that they are getting more and more overtly sexual, without there being any kind of backlash or banning of them whilst they are being shown at all hours of the day.

I've never seen inside a copy of Playboy, but from what I understand it is one of the more tamer "exotic" mags out there, and so I can believe that what is being portrayed in these videos is bordering on that level of pornography. The video makers know that they couldn't get away with actual nudity, so they choose to show a woman dancing as if she was thrusting during sex wearing next to nothing. It's not exactly very far from showing the real thing really, is it?

[lee]

This has been going on for the last 15 years now, it aint nothing new, you'd think
people woud be used to it.
They dont leave much to the imagination, i aint complaining though.
(plus, playboy is very tame compared to some mags)

[kudagirl]

When it is in my home I get to chose to either watch or turn the channel. In a public area like a store, they have to consider the customers and should be aware of the rating of a video, DVD or book on display. I don't offend easily. Yet, I wouldn't want to have small children see some of the videos I watch.

[Retrograde]

This has been going on for the last 15 years now, it aint nothing new, you'd think people woud be used to it.

As mentioned before, this is still a relatively new thing to allow that level of pornography before the watershed. A lot of Madonna's videos were banned, and it has definitely got progressively worse over the years, I think starting with 50 Cent.

[lee]

Starting with 50 cent... RIDICULOUS thing to say, to say he started it, omg.
50 cent just added to the many that was already out.

But anyway, yeah, morales have gone right out the window these days.
Dosent bother me though, theres so much more worse stuff than hot
girls dancing around on TV.(probably alot of which, lots of people wouldnt agree with me)

[Risa]

Actually I wasn't talking about the Playboy Magazine. That is a very tame magazine with tastefully done pictures. I was talking about the Playboy channels. Depending on time of day and what day it is, they can be pretty raunchy and vulgar.

Starting with 50 cent... RIDICULOUS thing to say, to say he started it, omg.
50 cent just added to the many that was already out.

But anyway, yeah, morales have gone right out the window these days.
Dosent bother me though, theres so much more worse stuff than hot
girls dancing around on TV.(probably alot of which, lots of people wouldnt agree with me)

I hate to break it to people, but morales have always gone out the window. Its just nowadays people show this lack of morality to the general public instead of just in private or with close friends. Its kinda like people turning up their noses at adult merchandise. How they can't believe today's people would buy that kind of stuff. News flash...Adult merchandise has been around for centuries. Societies have always lacked morals. They just didn't have the methods to spread it as far and wide as we do today.

[Anon]

I'm with the people who think that having talentless girls all but having sex on camera is an obscenity. There are still decent music videos around though. Here's how it should be done.

[lee]

great tune. Theres no 'how it should be done' though. If people have got a problem
with this kind of stuff on Tv , then thats their problem, dont watch it.

[Retrograde]

Starting with 50 cent... RIDICULOUS thing to say, to say he started it, omg.
50 cent just added to the many that was already out.

Cheers!

50 Cent was around the time that many people started noticing it. Yes, it has been going on for a while, but it has got progressively worse and I just used 50 Cent as an example of how MTV etc have started turning a blind eye to pretty much pornographic material on at any time of the day.

[Anon]

great tune. Theres no 'how it should be done' though. If people have got a problem
with this kind of stuff on Tv , then thats their problem, dont watch it.

There's how to do something and there's how to do it well. If people actually like the type of thing linked to by ciderdrinker, well that's up to them, but I will think less of them for it.

[Risa]

Okay I finally watched those videos that were in the first post. LMAO...I have seen more provocative scenes in an AXE body spray commercial. I saw more dirty dancing in the movie "Dirty Dancing" than what was in those videos. They are pretty tame compared to what else is out there. The last one actually had some decent hip hop dancing in it. Maybe I've become numb and jaded to what stuff is out there, but if I was to make a list of provocative videos those wouldn't even make the list.

[Cell]

No, they haven't. It's all a part of the continued PC correctness of modern society. The facts are that in most countries nowhere near as puritanical viewpoint is taken, and throughout history nowhere near as puritanical of a viewpoint was taken. It's sad that we live in a society that is scared to death of sex in every way possible and instead we rather take on puritanical views that foster sexual repression, disorders, and latent social problems.

[litzie]

Actually I wasn't talking about the Playboy Magazine. That is a very tame magazine with tastefully done pictures. I was talking about the Playboy channels. Depending on time of day and what day it is, they can be pretty raunchy and vulgar.

I hate to break it to people, but morales have always gone out the window. Its just nowadays people show this lack of morality to the general public instead of just in private or with close friends. Its kinda like people turning up their noses at adult merchandise. How they can't believe today's people would buy that kind of stuff. News flash...Adult merchandise has been around for centuries. Societies have always lacked morals. They just didn't have the methods to spread it as far and wide as we do today.

Well, I think it's not so much that morals have always been going out the window, but rather that people have always been panicking about morals going out the window - and specifically, to children being exposed to immoral content. In the fifties, for example, there was a big moral panic about comic books. There were also moral panics about young girls reading romances in the 1890s, and teenagers listening to rock in the 60s...etc. Media kind of lends itself to that sort of attitude.

Personally, I think it's quite upsetting that my old boss' 3 year old daughter's favorite song was My lovely lady lumps..and even more upsetting that my boss thought that was cute. But socially...I'm pretty well against any kind of censorship - if you don't want your kids watching sexualized music videos, tell them not to watch. Public places are a different story...but really, is the woman in the example from the first post going to try to censor her husband's music video watching? *shrug*

Cheers!

50 Cent was around the time that many people started noticing it. Yes, it has been going on for a while, but it has got progressively worse and I just used 50 Cent as an example of how MTV etc have started turning a blind eye to pretty much pornographic material on at any time of the day.

In the US, we don't have the same thing as they have in the UK with the "watershed". Torchwood, for example, would never be on network or cable tv in the US - in fact, it is on BBC America, and they edit it. In the US, if you want to have R (or NC-17) content on television, it has to be on a subscription premium channel like HBO. I actually worked in TV, and the contracts that networks have to sign, even a network like MTV, mandate that the content accommodate the FCC's guidelines re public decency...

In the UK, though, I don't know what to tell you.

Okay I finally watched those videos that were in the first post. LMAO...I have seen more provocative scenes in an AXE body spray commercial. I saw more dirty dancing in the movie "Dirty Dancing" than what was in those videos. They are pretty tame compared to what else is out there. The last one actually had some decent hip hop dancing in it. Maybe I've become numb and jaded to what stuff is out there, but if I was to make a list of provocative videos those wouldn't even make the list.

Can I just say that the band one made me immediately think of Alyson Hannigan?? BAND CAMP!!! Also, it was practically a spoof - the moments when they had like sexualized wedgie-picking, for example? Comedy Gold.