So the Government will release a report proposing tighter regulations on the sexualised content of music videos on monday. The main theme of the report will be the empowerment of parents to complain about inappropriate material, including advertising, partly by offering an easier way through the current confusing fog of regulatory bodies.Now in principle I have no issue with this. But aren't we just a little late? I remember Madonna doing more for me and my friends premature sexualisation back in the 80's, that's 30 years ago, and even more scary, people were walking around festivals smoking crack pipes bollock naked with their kids on one arm over 50 years ago.
Cameron commissioned the report with Reg Bailey, the chief executive of the Mothers' Union....whoa! wait a minute, why not just ask a man in the street. There always seems to be a link to where these reports fall down. It's a bit like asking a banana farmer to do a report on apple farming. They will always have an angle, not a balanced approach.
It's been suggested that the report will give the retail, advertising and video industry 18 months to improve their act voluntarily or face tougher government regulation. There is also speculation that the Government will demand some regulatory bodies such as Ofcom and the Advertising Standards Authority do more to ensure they seek the views of parents on what is acceptable to show to children.
I can't wait for Reg (I feel we are on first name terms seeing as he's supposedly speaking on my behalf), to do some damage to the Porn industry once he's spanked an easy target in the music industry.
I am an adult, I agree that some videos may be a bit close to the mark, but the news just showed a specifically shortlisted shot of Lady GaGa whilst discussing the report, again STOP for one moment. Her videos are pretty tame sexually, infact I'd say no worse than your typical piece of modern dance or ballet, however have you seen some of the magazine articles she's done. Well they are far more provocative than any one of her videos.
The report will claim 41% of parents said they had seen programmes or adverts on TV before 9pm that they felt were unsuitable or inappropriate for children because of their sexual content. Well guess what? so did I on the news at 10:30 in the morning. So it's an impossible task to monitor, infact it may send visual creators the other way just to get their video seen. Don't ever assume the kids won't find it. The horny little blighters are born with computer literacy and are faster than us in our thirties who grew up wondering how cool it was to play games after 20 minutes of tape upload on our spectrum ZX.
Bailey's review will inform us that around half of children have access to TV via their computers in their own bedroom. Whose fault is that, the parents or the content owners. Well as a content user, it's not my problem. Put the responsibility back where the issue is. In the home. If you want to fully manage you childs media usage then don't expect them to stick to your rules if you give them unlimited access in your own home, Kids are very inquisitive, thank god they are or the world wouldn't achieve half the cool things it does.
Finding Madonna helped me find music, and industry I still work in some 20 years later. I got into music far earlier than sex even though I knew about both at the same time, Madonna and Holiday have loads to answer for.
And just wait for the report claiming that it's the labels fault. A news article just showed 30 seconds of a Bra and Pantied GaGa on daytime TV, and without an age rating or a warning before hand. I was offended, GaGa in Bra and Panties, if they'd put a pair of tights on her it would be ballet. Get over it people. Let's not go down this road, it will only end in the demise of the visual music industry, 3 minutes of joyous dance, with Passion (no worse than you see on the Ballroom TV shows) or a story.
This has reared it's ugly head before and has gone nowhere, so why are we millions of pounds into it all over again? Pointless or ultimately a stupid law that will ensure warnings at the beginning of Pop Promos. Will the starting credits of 'Debbie Does Dallas' inform me that it may contain nudity? I doubt it!