Following up on my comments at the end of my last post about the pressure the Glee actors are faced with, here is the blog post from Diana Agron about the GQ photo shoot. The backstory on this is that there has been a wave of controversy about the photos, which feature a few pics of a fully clothed Cory Monthieth (Finn) and several pictures of Lea Michele and Diana Agron posing suggestively in underwear while sucking on lollipops...you get the idea. There has been much debate about the objectification of the women, and whether FOX is trying to market Glee as a family show, in stark contrast to the tone of the pictures. I'll post Diana's blog, and then offer my thoughts.
Diana wrote:
“I’d like to start by saying that these are solely my thoughts on the November issue of GQ and the controversy that has surrounded its release. I am not a representative of the three of us, the show, or Fox, only myself.
In the land of Madonna, Britney, Miley, Gossip Girl, other public figures and shows that have pushed the envelope and challenged the levels of comfort in their viewers and fans… we are not the first. Now, in perpetuating the type of images that evoke these kind of emotions, I am sorry. If you are hurt or these photos make you uncomfortable, it was never our intention. And if your 8-year-old has a copy of our GQ cover in hand, again I am sorry. But I would have to ask, how on earth did it get there?
I was a very sheltered child, and was not aware of anything provocative or risque in the media while I was navigating through my formative years. When I was finally allowed to watch a movie like Grease, I did not even understand what on earth Rizzo was talking about!? I understand that in today’s world of advanced technology, the internet, our kids can be subject to very adult material at the click of a button. But there are parental locks, and ways to get around this. I am 24 years old. I have been a pretty tame and easy-going girl my whole life. Nobody is perfect, and these photos do not represent who I am. I am also not the girl who rolls out of bed with flawless makeup and couture clothing. I am most comfortable with my hair thrown on top of my head, in sweats, laughing with my friends. Glee is a show that represents the underdogs, which is a feeling I have embraced much of my own life, and to those viewers, the photos in GQ don’t give them that same feeling. I understand completely.
For GQ, they asked us to play very heightened versions of our school characters. A ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ version. At the time, it wasn’t my favorite idea, but I did not walk away. I must say, I am trying to live my life with a sharpie marker approach. You can’t erase the strokes you’ve made, but each step is much bolder and more deliberate. I’m moving forward from this one, and after today, putting it to rest. I am only myself, I can only be me. These aren’t photos I am going to frame and put on my desk, but hey, nor are any of the photos I take for magazines. Those are all characters we’ve played for this crazy job, one that I love and am so fortunate to have, each and every day. If you asked me for my dream photo shoot, I’d be in a treehouse, in a wild costume, war-paint and I’d be playing with my pet dragon. Until then…..”
My thoughts:
Unfortunately this is a great example of the pressure I was referring to. Diana is in a very difficult position here. She feels a responsibility to her fanbase, and to the parents of her fanbase. She also seems to be uncomfortable with the pictures on a personal level. They do not represent who she is. But Diana is an employee. She is under contract. Photo shoots are part of that contract. As long as they aren't making her do anything illegal, I don't think she can say no. She wants to stay true to herself, she wants to be a role model for the teenage girls that admire her, but she also doesn't want to be labeled a difficult employee. I'm sure she's also not meaning to give anyone the impression that she thinks FOX or the show or whoever made the decision to send them on that photo shoot made an error in judgement.
For me, Glee is not a family show in the sense that young children should be watching it. I do think its a show that teenagers could watch with their parents, although some of the scenes are risque enough for me to question whether my fourteen year old niece should be watching. But then again, there was some language in Grease that wasn't appropriate for kids, and I saw Grease when I was eleven years old. Did it hypersexualize me? No.
GQ is not a magazine for kids. Lea and Diana are both adults. Yes, they were scantily clad and posing suggestively, but they weren't naked. I think the pictures are designed to be over the top in the same way that the show is over the top sometimes. It pushes boundaries. But the problem is, the pictures are now all over the Internet. They are not limited to the magazine. But there are pictures on the Internet that go far beyond these.
I give Diana a lot of credit. I think her post was thoughtful, honest, and yes, careful. I think she tried to walk that line between being her own person and not biting the hand that feeds her. I think she was trying to stay true to herself and stand in solidarity with the gleeks who love her. She wasn't under any obligation to make any kind of statement, but I'm glad she did.
One more point I'd like to make. When you think about the show, the guys have actually shown more skin than the girls. Yes, there was the "Bust the Windows" dance with the cheerleaders, Santana in bed with Finn, and Quinn in the hot tub with Finn. But we've also seen Mr. Schu, Finn, Puck, and new guy Sam all show off their abs. So while I think there was definitely a bias in the photo shoot (Finn was completely covered, the young women were not), I don't think you can make the same statement about the show. The only time we've seen Rachel bare her midrif that I can recall was in the Britney "Baby One More Time" sequence.
gleekette
No comments:
Post a Comment