Yesterday, when I was writing about GQ’s Glee photo shoot, in which Lea Michele was just TRYING so damn hard to look like a sexed-up school girl, while Dianna Argon had the decency to look embarrassed, I noted several things. One, the shoot was done by noted pervert Terry Richardson. Two, that the vibe of the shoot had “lots of jailbait/pedophilia imagery”. Turns out, I was a lot like a concerned parent. Us Weekly reports that The Parents Television Council (the group that took on Gossip Girl, for instance), has issued a statement about this GQ cover. It sounds like something I wrote, honestly:
GQ’s sexy Glee cover has gone too far, The Parents Television Council says. In a statement released Wednesday, the group slams the November issue, which features Cory Monteith, 28, Dianna Agron and Lea Michele, both 24 — all of whom play highschoolers on the hit Fox show — wearing hardly any clothing.
“It is disturbing that GQ, which is explicitly written for adult men, is sexualizing the actresses who play high school-aged characters on Glee in this way. It borders on pedophilia,” the statement reads.
“By authorizing this kind of near-pornographic display, the creators of the program have established their intentions on the show’s direction,” the statement concludes. “And it isn’t good for families.”
Even the Glee stars are surprised by the GQ shoot, titled “Glee Gone Wild!”
“I don’t know how they got me to do half the stuff I did” for the GQ shoot, said Michele. “But I was in really good shape this summer, so…”
Said Agron: “I’ve never been shot in so little clothing.”
GQ has yet to comment.
[From Us Weekly]
I never thought I would side with this parents’ group, but I do. The imagery in the shoot is really disturbing and gross. Yes, I know the three actors – Lea, Dianna and Cory – are all adults. But the play under-18s, and they were “in character” as under-18s for the shoot, and the shoot was set in a high-school like atmosphere. It’s very jailbait porn, especially Lea’s shots.
Photos courtesy of GQ, photos by Terry Richardson.
It’s not pedophelia. They are all well into their 20’s. It’s distasteful based on the show they are on. if they were on Baywatch no one would care.
I’m with Ron. Because of their age. It’s still highly distasteful, and I still have a thing about the tattoos, which someone got offended by yesterday.
Not saying they’re bad, but to me they look great on some people and others they look out of place-that’s what bothers me about Lea’s and Dianna’s. Maybe I just didn’t phrase it right yesterday.
They are not in the outfits of their roles and neither is the set decorated that way, so the argument holds no sway.
Lea is the one that’s out of place, IMO. I’m starting to hate her, dont know why i didnt hate her already… oh yes, she has an awesome voice.
Yeah it’s inappropriate. And Lea needs to get over herself she’s not that hot!!!
These pics are just all kinds of wrong. Why didn’t Lea just pose for Playboy? She probably could’ve been paid more and gotten more tasteful pics done.
Disgusting pics.
“I’ve never been shot in so little clothing.” Ah yes, whatever has become of GQ? I remember the days when it still was the epitome of high fashion and their sex objects were dressed in Couture.
Seriously though, these statements reek of damage control and it is beyond ludicrous that either of these two grown women couldn’t have objected to the way they were being portrayed during the shoot.
I don’t care whether they choose to pose for Playboy, GQ etc. but the least they could do is own up to it. “Yes, I was approached by Terry Richardson whose whole schtick consists of having women strip down and make them look as vulgar as possible, and I chose to do it because it would get me a step up on the famewhore ladder.”
THIS is a perfect example of why the Willow Smith song seems so appealing! Little kids look to middle/high school kids as role models, and here we have adults pretending to be underage doing totally inappropriate things in school settings. I’d much rather my kids jump around to “whip my hair” than try out that lollipop thing (which I’ve seen milder versions of from 8th graders at my kids’ school).
The reason that they cast people over 18 is due to union rules of child labor. Almost all shows do this, esp one like Glee that has a lot of hours invloved in making their show. If an actor is underage they can only work a limited number of hours based on their age and it makes it a pain for prodcution when they are the leads of the show, if they are kids on a sitcom, it’s much easier to deal with.
As a parent myself it’s unfortunate that a show with a huge audience of children, that’s won praise for having a multi talented cast, that has made it’s ‘tolerance is good’ point by having a diverse (in looks as well as race) cast has to be marketed in such a sleazy way that contradicts all of the above.
It seems that if ANY popular show nowadays has any attractive/half decent looking women as part of the cast we get photoshoots like this even if the show in question is for a family audience.
I can see why parents of little ones wouldn’t like them but the pics are no where near pedophilia. Could have been in better taste but you can’t force taste either.
Parents need more things to protest, you can’t child-proof the world.
I’m sorry, this kind of thing drives me crazy. It might be tacky, but it is NOT pedophilia! Modern people have stretched the term to include anything they disapprove of. The actors are in their 20s–and the characters in their teens. Pedophilia is finding the body of a prepubescent child attractive. There isn’t anything wrong with teenagers being attractive, they have adultish bodies. Acting on those feelings is something different, but that doesn’t mean the person that finds them attractive is a pedophile. Slinging the term around does nothing but devalue it and take away from the real problem, which is someone thinking a 7-year-old is sexually attractive.
Tasteless, yes.
Pedophilia, no.
I love Lea’s quote “I don’t know how they got me to do half the stuff I did” for the GQ shoot, but I was in really good shape this summer, so…”
What a great excuse. She contradicts herself in the very sentence. Oh, I probably wasn’t going to do it. Oh, I was in good shape and wanted to show my body off though.
This chick really makes me sick. Unlike Dianna, who will probably have a career in Hollywood outside of Glee, I have a feeling that this show will be Lea’s only claim to fame. She’ll have to resort to doing pictures like these to stay in any sort of relevancy.
Poor judgment? Yes. Over-sexualization of women? Totally! Pedophilia? I don’t think so. If someone is going to be outraged by a magazine shoot, at least frame the outrage in a proper argument.
Yeah, it’s derivative, bears the Terry Richardson Seal of Debasement, in bad taste and totally out of line given the kind of show on which they’re featured–but it isn’t ‘borderline pedophilia’. That’s the thing that bothers me, because you take a lot of punch out of your argument when you start throwing out buzz words like (or the similarly overused, ‘misogyny’) around in a fit of hysteria without really thinking them through and you just sound like another hysterical chorus without any edifying argument behind all of that mouth-foaming. They play teens on the show, so what I gather from this embarrassment is that they’re trying to evoke an ephebophiliac’s fantasy. Has T.R. EVER done anything else in his entire professional (or personal) life? So, it’s totally possible that this is going on when you consider the source, and while it is still gross, it’s just NOT pedophilia. That’s a fact.
The females (boyfriend got to wear a trenchcoat!!) are safely over the age of majority, meaning they’re two adults who let themselves (or wanted to) be made to look pretty foolish at best and something less complimentary at worse. I just don’t buy this babes in the woods ‘I have no control over my body or career’ argument from people that age. Show some agency, ladies. It’s not like this show needs any more publicity (it’s getting an episode of The Office devoted to it), so I don’t know what they were thinking with this. These women don’t need publicity because I know their names and I’ve never seen their show, so damage control is going to have to go into overdrive.
But parent’s groups, get your arguments correct, because what is being suggested, what is actually happening, and what you claim is happening at this shoot is are three vastly different things, so what are you expecting to happen when you don’t even know what’s happening?
ewwwwww
*turning away from pervert land***
Ugh, whatever it is, whatever we want to call it, it’s not pleasant to look at. Especially that shot with Lea on the bench. Blech
meh – i think “pedophilia” is a bit far, but that is one played out photo shoot scenerio. and ugly, as well.
@Jo: Spot on.
Perverted, yes. Pedophilia, no. Pedophilia is the desire to have sex with PREPUBESCENT children. High school is not prepubescent. Yeah, the pictures are perverted and a little creepy but no where near pedophile bait.
Tasteless, perhaps, but NOT pedophilia.
It was also tasteless of the parents’ group to call it “borderline pedophilia” – that is such an offensive slur, not to mention inaccurate. That term shouldn’t be thrown around when not warranted.
Isn’t pedophilia when they find a child sexual not a teenager. When I was in high school my 16 year old friend was going out with a 20 year old and nobody called him a pedophile.
I call BS! Look at Britney Spears when she did the ROLLING STONES cover!!She was underage (I believe) or made to look that way
http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/archive/2008/08/20/girls-girls-girls.aspx
I am not about to monitor magazines and their photo shoots. If parents have a problem with it, don’t let their kids read it or see it…..Sex sells, this is Hollywood, these actors are over 18!
These people in real life are old enough to be dong what they want BUT they portray high scholl teenagers on tv. Being that their target audience is high school age kids I think this is VERY inappropriate. Why are only the girls dressed so skimpily? Why didnt they have Cory bare chested in a Speedo? Yes because its GQ i get it but its sexist and inappropriate on the part of the stars, not GQ, but Lea, Cory and Dianna to have posed like this.
They are only showing pictures of Lea so are there none of Dianna? It seems like she didnt want to do the shoot or was embarrassed of the content.
A grown man attracted to a 5 year old or 15 year old girl is borderline pedophilia to me! Both are way to young for grown man to be sexually fantasizing about. Its not about age of the stars – its about the age they play on tv which is teens. Teen boys dont really read GQ, Grown men do so it is borderline pedophilia when you are talking girls who play 13-16 yr olds posing like this for 40-60 yr old men!
Its on Lea for posing so sluttily. She wasnt forced by anyone to spread her legs like that! She is trying to prove she is sexy & you know what they say if you have to prove it – you aint it.
I said this yesterday, but anyone who thinks Glee is a show for children is not watching it very carefully. Two cheerleaders making out on a bed and talking about scissoring is not content aimed at kids. These photos are incredibly pervy and unsexy, but they’re no more pedophilic (if thats a word) than school girl halloween outfits. Still crass and tasteless though.
Instead of pedophilia, I think the word people might want to use is “PEDERASTY” (I could be using the wrong word as well) to describe this whole scene. I have never watched “Glee” but know enough about the photographer to know he’s just sleazy. He could make “Paris Hilton” look more whorish (& that would be hard)
Anywhore–I’m in agreement with most of the posters on here. Why overreact to this when you aren’t even certain who the television show is marketed to. I though the whole thing was marketed to Gay men…
Some really interesting comments on this story…kind of hard to believe so many people are wanting to split hairs about whether it’s pedophilia or just run of the mill soft porn. Regardless, it’s gross- the producers of this show aim for the preteen and teen audience, AND made a big deal about how their stars “were not allowed to have sex on set in their trailers”. Please. I am totally on the parents group side with this one- you don’t get it both ways, and I seriously hope this is a nail in the good-by coffin of that icky Lea person.
God, Lea Michelle, just go be a pron star already.
Yeesh. The arguments being made here all have valid points; but I would like to point out that the social pressure of expectancy being put upon girls like these two are incredibly strong.
People expect you to want to look hot and take off you clothes; some part of you knows it’s wrong and maybe you aren’t sure you *don’t* want to do it, which is taken as a “yes she wants to do it”. Still this shit makes me ill.
How is this show supposed to be a good influence for kids with a pregnant teenager and discussion of “sexting”? I watched the show for the first time after seeing the original post about this photo shoot and I was not impressed. The photo shoot is tasteless as they are advertising a show where they play teenagers. SO CLASSY!
I think they should do a public service announcement about it. Frickin Glee.
I’m with Cheyenne on this.
I agree with Ron, calling this pedophilia is just hyperbole and the PTC did it for attention. Yes the photoshoot is in poor taste, and I think the stars are idiots for doing it, but they’re both 24, and playing students who are post-pubescent.
Parent’s Television Council is the same group that whined about Janet’s “Boobgate”. They are a parent’s group’s answer to Anne Coulter/PeTA/Westboro Baptist Church: attention whores and media whores who say ridiculous things just to get attention. Most of the time THEY don’t even agree with what they are saying, they just want the attention. And they don’t have any credentials to back up their claims, other than that they’re bored housewives and husbands. As a both a parent AND a member of the media I can’t stand this group and the harm they’re doing to free speech. As a TV/radio reporter I will NEVER cover anything this group says or does because they’re just doing it for attention, just like I think it’s irresponsible for the media to continue covering PeTA and Westboro Baptist Church media stunts.
Ugh. This was so gross and tasteless. I used to defend Lea Michelle but now I hate her too. She tries *way* too hard…
These pictures are gross… no redeeming value except for perverted men to wack off to…
It’s not pedophilia, but it’s still tasteless and creepy. The characters they play are 15-16 years old. If they wanted to do a cast photoshoot, great. They’re nice-looking kids. But they could have gone the Mark Salling way, and gotten rid of the highschool setting (he did a beach photoshoot earlier this year). They’re not being sexualized as adults, but as minors. That ain’t right.
“As a TV/radio reporter I will NEVER cover anything this group says or does because they’re just doing it for attention,”
I thought reporters were supposed to be objective and report the news and not their opinion of the news? Unless you are Bill O’Reilly, Keith Oberman, etc (they aren’t reporters and are upfront about their biases)
We had a reporter here who refused to report on rallies by the Tea Party when it first started. When she did report on them she made it clear she didn’t think it was necessary and was only doing so b/c she was ‘forced’ to.
As for this council, I find it sad there is more outrage over their misuse of a term than the actual pictures. These ‘girls’ are associated with their teen characters. MTV is constantly running PSA’s telling teens not to ‘sext’ or put graphic pics on the Internet/cell phones. These photos just make it look cool to show your goodies to the world.
Between these pics, Miley’s videos and that Taylor trashes antics, I am scared to raise a teen daughter.
you know what? i love glee. but i hate lea michelle, and i really hate this. dianna agron is so freaking gorgeous that she’s probably jaded on skeezy photogs, so i’m convinced there was some SERIOUS weirdness on set for her to be so…awkward looking in these pics.
i don’t think the point is that they’re over 20. i think the point is that they’re, like kaiser pointed out, basically playing their characters in this shoot. they are actors portraying 17 year olds in panties and knee-highs, straddling gym benches. that is inappropriate, and i tend to let almost anything slide.
again. love glee. hate lea. freaked out by these photos, and that’s really tragic, because i’m in love with dianna and i wanted to see some fierce from her. instead you just get lea’s open mouth, in the photos and the interview. go away, lea, and put some pants on.
of course it isn’t paedophilia but it is inappropriate and so so tacky, lea’s shots are so tasteless
There’s so much wrong with the photo shoot but it’s not pedophilia.
The fact adults play teens on tv and thus portray unrealistic images of teenage life from the basics like no pimples to the less obvious filled out mature bodies (not just talking about the boobs either) is just as stupid as this photo shoot. Which is worse, the obvious gratituous photo shoot or the more insidious under the radar message that teens aren’t good enough to portray themselves?
Lea’s smugness drives me mad. I don’t get why she thinks she’s so hot. She’s not. She’s average. Get over urself, Lea! But DIANA… she is GORGEOUS! I’ve always thought she’s the hottest on the show.
Vi said it perfectly: Lea’s shots r TASTELESS. why couldn’t they have done something less smutty.. less highschooler, something a little more sexy and mature?
Whether parents groups want to admit it or not, teens are having sex. This is hardly new. The more people deny reality and stop facing it, the worse life is for everyone. It’s a PHOTO SHOOT for a mainstream magazine, not pornography (which, by the way, has also existed in our society throughout history via photographs, drawings, even hieroglyphics and the human race is still here). This is far from pedophilia, anyone who alleges it is has no idea what the term means. The actors are just that, ACTORS. They play teens but aren’t and thus shouldn’t be held to any underage standard. The school photographed is simply a location. Teens aren’t the only people that frequent school halls, teachers, principals, and school counselors do as well who are all adults. More hooplah over nothing, people must really be bored.
I think it’s distasteful but considering their well in their twenties I think it is a tad dramatic to call it bordering on pedophilia.
@cantbelievethis-
Don’t be afraid to raise a teenage girl! Believe it or not there are a lot of teens who desire to live a great life without being part of the dregs of pop culture! My girls did love Glee, but got over it when they kept straying from the first season’s quirky stuff, and yeah, the teen pregnancy thing was questionable, (I guess) but they have friends at school who are raising babies, so?! It’s all about impressing upon them that they have to be responsible for their choices and that without an education and staying out of trouble, it’s going to get ugly for them. I love it when they turn up their noses and sneer at how slutty Miley has become- I don’t have to tell them- they can see it for themselves.
It doesn’t matter what age these adults are. The photo shoot was designed to look like a high school, and the image they are trying to depict is one of someone under 18–at the school locker, gym socks, lollipop, etc. They are trying to simulate something that IS pedophilia imagery, and that makes it way, way inappropriate. Uncalled for, pointless, tacky.
@hmm, exactly my point, much more eloquent. my thoughts got lost in glee-bias (and lea hatred.)
Glee is an adult show, I think. The humor is definitely not aimed at children; I’d honestly have a hard time letting my son watch it even if he were in high school. It’s a pretty tasteless shoot, but then, the show has been pretty tasteless this year as well. I’m giving them a few more episodes to turn it around and make those characters likable again, or I’m hitting the road.
This photo shoot is tasteless, tacky, creepy, gross and basically soft porn. However I’m not offended because these actors play teens–I’m offended that, as usual the man is fully clothed while the women are dressed up like sex dolls. This is the wrong message to send to young girls (who are fans of the show); that is, that girls have to look like slutty Barbie in order to get attention/fame/value/love etc. You would never, ever see male stars (like Cory) dressed in see-through underwear sucking a cherry red lollipop, but this is a regular image being sent to girls. It is disgusting and I’m disappointed in Lea and Dianna for agreeing to go
along with it especially after they saw how Cory was dressed — didn’t the fact that he was dressed normally and they were in short skirts and underwear make them
pause and say “WTF?” These are two talented girls yet these photos make it look like all they have to offer is their bodies.
As for the parents group I don’t care that they used the wrong word– I hope their statement brings the pictures to the attention of parents who might not have known about them otherwise and that those parents tell their daughters that they don’t have to dress like a f*ck doll to have value in society and their sons that they shouldn’t treat women as sex objects.
Eugh those photos are so hideous and again I feel dirty seeing them.
Thanks, Heathen, and anyone who covered the “This isn’t pedophilia” angle. As for men being creepy if they’re attracted to 16-year-olds, just remember Taylor Lautner was only 17 in the first Twilight movie and lots of older women thought he was hot.
You know who’s the real skank? Terry Richardson.
I just don’t get the anger towards Lea. Yes, she’s trying hard. That’s what actresses do.
Lea Michele has her mouth open in every single shot- it’s such a tacky version of “sexy”, so unoriginal and uninspired.
@ #28 (sorry, can’t read your handle)
Totally. Kids may *watch* ‘Glee’ but there is no way in Hell that show is made for kids! The only reason I’ve watched it is because it’s one of my (nearly-70-year-old) parents’ favorite shows. It’s incredibly adult in nature.
Maybe this activist group should be concerned more about what they consider children’s programming!
PTC, PETA who cares what those nuts think?
This is not soft porn. They are adults posing for an adult magazine. If this shoot was aimed at kids then yeah I would have a problem with it but it’s not!
Anyways..
Glee was on in Australia last night and it was the episode where Kurts Dad has a heart attack. I cried and cried and cried. How sad was it when he was singing I want to hold you hand? It gave me goose bumps. He is such a great little actor.
I must confess, I’m a tad partisan to the lollipop pic.
Unfortunately, if the target audience of Glee are tweens or teenagers then this is bordelines on tasteless and over sexualized pictorial. The actresses are in highschool costume projecting the pseudo slutty and sexualized teens — I believe that was the intent.
Highschool is for learning not whoring and should never-ever be projected in such deragatory manner. I agree with the Parents Television Council. GQ did cross the line by publishing this tasteless garbage which is best described as soft porn in scampy clothing.
I agree, this is NOT a show for very young children and I don’t think that’s who it’s aimed at – if you actually watched the show you’d realise this and if as a parent you are happy to let your young children watch it then maybe you should be judging yourselves and not the actors? As a Brit who has many friends who sit for hours on end with their children watching all the trashy soaps that are very depressing and cover every crappy topic under the sun (teen pregnancy, murders, gang mentality, alcoholism, drugs etc…… the list goes on) I think Glee is a pretty great show all things considered and I find the music and optimism really uplifting compared to the crap depressing shi*e that are the British Soaps – I so would love to see the PTC’s comments if they saw any of these!!
All the girls saying this is distasteful are probably jealous because 1.) they dont have a body like these girls. or 2.) they’re jealous because they’re guys are looking at these girls instead of them.
I’m not sure what the problem is. They are posing in an adult magazine which is not aimed at children. They are all in there 20s so that’s not an issue. They are in no way representing Glee in the photo shoot.
If there wasnt such a media outcry and so many people jumping on the moral bandwagon the younger audience would probably not even know these photos exist.
Its because parents , gay guys and fat single women in there late 30’s are the ones who like glee no one else .
They see there precious glee characters not the actors .
Like someone else said if it was another more raunchy show no one would care .
A show written for adult men?
I don’t know any men that watch this show. Not straight men, for sure.
This is a chick show for the most part.
Use the term jailbait if you want, but do not compare this to pedophilia. Pedophiles are attracted to CHILDREN – PRE AND EARLY PUBESCENCE ie 13 and under. Not only are these actors adults, they play older teens not children.
Tacky yes, but not verging on pedophilia.
Dianna is hot.! I like it.! 😀
Lea…umm..just like a porn star.. I don’t like it.. 🙁
I’m sorry but i find these pictures moronic from the blow up doll expression to the lollypop . people who find such cliched and infantile images ‘hot’ seem to me as moronic as the actors who are so insecure about their talent that they feel the need to ‘star’ in them. To act as sex toys with vacant expressions! I’ve watched glee so often with my ten year old for gods sake! she admires lea for her talent and her singing voice – hope she doesn’t see these on the internet while looking up glee. As for the comments saying the actors are in their twenties. come on! lollypops , locker rooms, high school uniform, yes they’re really depicting adults!
if any one things that this is child porn they should never look in the teen magazine. there it shows accual teens walking around hideing their chests toppless, skimpy swimsuits, and worse. and the modles in that magazine are under age teens.
..