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Stop bringing the sexy back
02/02/2007 07:52 - (SA)
Colleen Figg
Make time to watch a music video featuring one of these R&B singers that
are hot on the charts and so popular with the youngsters at present. I've always avoided doing just that because I was aware, peripherally, that the predominant theme in such videos is sex.
However, the other night I actually forced myself to watch singers Cassie and Janet Jackson, back to back and suddenly found myself in the grip of a massive sense of outrage, and a blinding resentment towards these singers, their publicists and the people who choreograph and produce the videos that sell their music.
They are selling nothing more than sex. These videos are carefully crafted little pieces of pornography, with sexy singers making moves any stripper would have learned at her mother's unclad knee.
Yes, I said pornography and that is what I mean.
I saw this Cassie woman crawling on a table flaunting her backside like any table dancer down at the local strip joint. Then she lay on her back and spread her legs, lifting her hips towards the camera - slowly. When she wasn't fondling her crotch she was stroking her breasts and making suggestive... Hell! Never mind suggestive, downright blatant pelvic thrusts as if she were on the point of orgasm.
I'm not sure why there was such an outcry when Justin Timberlake accidentally bared Janet Jackson's breast on stage a few years ago. She herself, in all her music videos, does nothing but draw attention to her breasts and her genitals by her movements and style of dress, or lack of dress, should I say. Her every move is carefully calculated to put across the maximum of sexual innuendo and suggestion.
(None of these stars can spend very much on clothing for these videos, because they hardly wear any: their outfits lend new meaning to the term "the bare essentials".)
And it's all very well, say you, isn't it a free world, and can't people do as they like with their own productions? If Brandy wants to gyrate seductively whilst licking a pole, is that really any of my business? If the likes of Madonna and others want to get into heavy girl-on-girl tongue wrapping sessions on stage at the music awards, what is the problem, at the end of the day? It's their life. If young girls want to kiss their seductive reflections in mirrors in a hot simulation of masturbation and voyeurism, what's the big deal?
Recoil in horror
I'll tell you what the big deal is: our children are watching these videos.
Not convincing enough? Try this then: when was the last time you and your partner got a pornographic movie and let your kids watch it with you?
Ha! You recoil in horror at the mere thought, don't you? But while you're working, or while you're in the kitchen cooking, your little children are watching videos like these I have described, on MTV, around the clock.
Everywhere they look they are being inundated with the same message: "It's cool to be sexy! It's cool to be hot!"
When I was twelve I never even knew what "hot" meant, nor did I have much, if any, concept of what "sexy" actually meant.
The other day at a function at my daughter's primary school, I saw children younger than ten, dancing. They all did the same things I saw on the videos the other night. Perfectly executed: the pout, the flaunting, the touching, all of it!
Now if that's alright with you I'd like to know why!
Send your comments to Colleen.
Disclaimer: News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24.
- News24
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Agreed!
02/02/2007 08:33
Well said Colleen! I wonder what, or who polices these videos, and if there are any criminal boundaries at all. TV programmes and movies all have strict guidelines and get a rating according to the content. Does such a thing exist in the video industry? - Metoo |
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No! it's not alright with me!
02/02/2007 08:44
I cannot agree with you more. I think the seriousness of this issue only hits home when you have chhildren of your own. This is when you realise how dangerous it is to have our children exposed to such "pornography". Our children have to deal with peer pressure every day to try and fit in at school or with a popular group of frineds, these type of videos just make matters worse because all it say is in order for you to "hot", you'll have be like them!! - Lebo |
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I don't want no sexy.
02/02/2007 09:04
I totally agree. My wife and i are expecting our first baby girl at the end of March. Internet,mobile phones,tv,dvd, all perfect instruments to poison little innocent minds and all to do with sex, being sexy and how hot you can look,be, and act.
All i know is that it is going to be tough raising a litte girl this day and age, but my wife and i both agree that we need to know what they are watching and listening to and who there friends are. Don't think that it will be ok if are not involved. - Mike Julsing |
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STOP!! STOP bringing the sexy back!!
02/02/2007 09:19
Totally agree!!! im a young lady who enjoys most of the music but have utmost disgust for the music video's. It portrays disgusting images for younger kids and entices them to follow in that regard of dressing,behaviour and What kind of examples are these artists dipicting to us... Sex and more sex - it seems to me that they dont have self respect and it's all about the MONEY!!! MONEY CANT BUY U any love & respect!! you have to earn it!! IM TOTALLY DISGUSTED!!!! - deshni |
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Damn right
02/02/2007 09:26
Im glad that there others like me just as incensed by the filth thats on tv. Music videos, movies, tv ads - every form of media we see is based on sexual propaganda. Why - becuase sex sells. its not even subtle - its so blatant and in your face. My fear for young girls is the message that it sends to them. Is the next generation of young women supposed to think that behaving slutty and having lesbian tendancies is what men want?why aren't we teaching them self-respect instead of degradation? - lena |
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What dream world do you live in?
02/02/2007 09:51
Sure, deny your kids everything that they enjoy. Movies, Music, TV. Because everything contains either bad language, violence or sex in some form. And then watch them rebel, and fall into worse practices than they would have if you had informed them of how the world actually is, and let them learn from an informed point of view, instead of a denial of the truth.
Teach them right from wrong, yes, but caging them up in your world of make believe is more damaging than anything else. - Arnold |
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Blame Shifters
02/02/2007 09:53
As with Mxit and Schoolwork, Guns killing people and Alcohol ruining families are we guilty of shifting the blame to objects instead of lookng firmly in the mirror and facing up to the fact that we do not instill good christian morality and discipline in our children from day one?
My two boys 11 & 16 make use of sport to lead clean healthy lives together with parents and grandparents who are dedicated spectators. - Greg M. Scholtz |
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Way to go!
02/02/2007 10:06
Go for it, Colleen!!!
The music often isn't even worth listening to anyway. - Disgusted parent |
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You hit the nail on the head!
02/02/2007 10:17
Its amazing how nowadays our kids are exposed to the garbage that stems from TV, Radio and peer pressure,. You get 6 year old kids singing and dancing along to songs such as "Promiscuous Girl" "Sexy Back", Just to name a couple of the so called HITS.As a parent sit and listen closely to the lyrics and you'll be shocked!! If something is not done soon we'll very soon have a society of 13 year old Mommies and Daddies coz their innocent minds have all been poisoned. - Sex Sells |
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wake up from your slumber
02/02/2007 10:28
The world goes on a rampage when women decide to cover themselves to protect their dignity and pride. But when a woman demeans and disrepects herself , we hero worship them. If you think this view is extreme, please take a few minutes to closely examine the world around you( stories of Paris Hilton, are everywhere and we cant wait to find out what or who she's gonna do next).Does britney spears even know you exist and if she did , do you think she'd really care. Lets just live our own lives. - disgusted at the parents |
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Bringin' sexy back
02/02/2007 10:30
Ok, parents should look to themselves if their kids misbehave, I mean, who do they look up to to and follow the example of?. Denying your children access to something will certainly not work, why is it that the preacher's children are usually the most rebellious?. Let your children make up their own minds, and if their upbringing has been correct, they will make the right choice. - Bob |
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Re : Blameshifters/Dreamers
02/02/2007 10:34
Firstly, i do not see Collens article as shifting blame. Yes parents need to exercise a role in their kids lives and yes kids cannot be kept in a "dreamworld". But how dare we expose them to what we as adults find denigrating. This is not blameshifting - the media uses sex grossly. Its inescapable. I see more sex than violence on tv anyway. We're not saying take away freedom of speech - just show respect for anothers freedoms and rights. Whatever happened to music vids having dance sequences? - davy |
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Your too old
02/02/2007 10:44
All i got to say, is that you are living in the past.We no more play hop scotch and marbles, we living in a modern society and its naive of you to think that kids of today will be entertained with entertainment of the past. This is what sells and is what keeps kids entertained. In terms of exposing kids to sex too early, its up to you the parent to educate them enough so that they understand whats the difference between reality and television. Dont shirk your duty as a parent, and blame others - Young Gun |
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Values
02/02/2007 11:02
Think back a few years (5, 10?) and look at what you watched on TV, the ads they had on, the music that was played etc etc. Now, jump right back into here and now. Notice that alot more things are 'acceptable', the norm, whereas 5, 10 years ago it was taboo? Is this the advancement of mankind, our world society? And please don't tell me that 5 / 10 years ago music videos were as 'sexy' as they are now, because that simply is not true... - sharon |
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rhetoric
02/02/2007 11:16
There are worse things, such as using rhetorical and hysterical language such as 'recoil in horror', 'the pout, the flaunting, the touching', etc. Calm down, lady. There's a lot of inane stuff on TV. Rather say something about wrestling, horror movies, that woman on 3 talk..whatsername? Noeleen. - Mark |
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You are so right!!
02/02/2007 11:30
I'm 24 years old at the moment and I have a brother who is 5 years younger than I am. The gap between us in terms of time may not be that huge but in terms of lifestyle - wow! Kids don't play cricket in the street anymore like I remember, it's all about going clubbing and sitting on mxit all day. Innocence is no restricted to kids below the age of 3. It's terribly sad - I don't have any kids currently, but man I'm already worrying about what they are going to be subjected to when they do arrive! - Zee |
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Agreed - but what about.....
02/02/2007 11:35
I agree and yes there are parental control functions to block these. But how do I explain the Teazers BillBoard which I cannot block? You drive around Sandton and these billboards are everywhere. Do I tell him that some woman choose to demean themselves because money is involved? - Ivan |
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Notice the trend
02/02/2007 11:39
Brilliant that someone noticed how sexed-up the music videos became (and entertainment in general)! It is progressively getting more corrupt by the day. It is amazing even in the last 2 years how much worse the content became. Children can not reason as adults, and cannot decide about things such as sex which could be addictive, leading to STD's and unwanted pregnancies. It is time parents step up and take caution for their children out of love before it is too late. They will thank you later! - Louwey |
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Disgusting?
02/02/2007 11:48
I love reading these comments by reactionary parents. Cast your mind back a few years. Can you remember when Elvis was banned for gyrating his pelvis? Or Rocky Horror Picture Show was too raunchy? Get a life people! Move with the times. Our kid's behaviour will be determined by the values you teach them. If you ban something, you only make it more desirable to an enquiring mind! - Daz |
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More Disgusting?
02/02/2007 11:50
I am reminded of reading an article in which the author was lamenting the sorry state of the youth and forecasting doom and gloom when these kids grew up and were running the world. The funy part was that this article was found in some ancient ruins and was dated 50 BC. - Daz |
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