Yeah, so...
I read online that apparently the CW is getting slammed for its new Gossip Girl campaign.
There are two different pictures--one is of two characters (Blair and Chuck) kissing in the backseat of a cab and the other is of two diferent characters (Nate and Serena) making out. Depending on the market, it says "OMG" or "OMFG" at the bottom. And to give you a hint, here in Baltimore, I've just seen "OMG."
Yes, they're pretty racy, but nothing too offensive. It's not like they're naked.
The CW said in a statement, "This sexy, sophisticated campaign speaks directly to our adult 18-34 viewers using expressions that are part of their lexicon."
And even though this is targeted at adult viewers, it hasn't stopped anyone from saying, "Oh, the ad campaign and the show glorify teen sex and underage drinking."
To which I say, "Uh. Have you SEEN the show?"
Yes, some of the teenagers are having sex on the show and some of them drink. But the show also shows consequences, which I haven't heard any complaints mention. (Possibly because they aren't actually watching the show and are just going off what they're reading elsewhere? Hmmm...)
For example, Blair had sex with Chuck after she and Nate broke up. Then, when everyone found out that she had had sex with Chuck (and Nate), she was branded a slut and was shunned by her friends. It was so bad, she almost left town.
Serena actually did leave town after having sex with Nate (who was dating her best friend Blair at the time). They were both totally drunk, and it almost wrecked their friendship. She's back at her old school now and she's had to work really hard to regain trust.
And then there's Jenny, who's usurped Blair as the new bitchiest person on the show. She's the one who revealed that Blair had sex with two guys. At the beginning of the show, she was this cute, sweet, innocent little girl and now she's this really horrible person. It's very Mean Girls, and I'm waiting for her to realize that she's basically sold her soul to be popular.
So yeah, it's not like kids are watching this and thinking, "Wow, I totally want to suck down martinis and sleep around."
I don't think it glamorizes anything. None of the people on the show seem to be having all that much fun, even when they're having sex or drinking or whatever. And I think that if parents would watch this show with their teenage kids, it would be a really good conversational starter. Because on the outside, it looks like their lives are perfect but when you get closer, you see that they're all really screwed up (hence the binge drinking and the sex).
And I hate to burst your bubble, but some teenagers ARE having sex. And some of them are drinking. So it's not like Gossip Girl is making this up; it's just reflecting what's going on.
(Sorry for the rant. I just get really annoyed when I hear complaints that are inaccurate.)
Comments
One of the local independent TV stations here did a billboard campaign using OMG and ROFLMAO, and my instinct was to be annoyed with it. I didn't feel left out--I knew what the abbreviations stood for, of course. I guess I love language too much, and it seemed out of place and gimmicky. Of course, I've spent the last 3000 years working in advertising and media, so I'm a short-bus special case.
I just realized that it's the "OMFG" part that bothers me--not the drunk teens having sex.
Yeah, I'm annoyed by acronyms and abbreviations in general. I do use them sometimes (I find myself typing OMG a lot, for example) but I'm annoyed by people typing "u" instead of "you" and "b" instead of "be" or whatever. But using them in an ad campaign is annoying.
You know what it is? I don't approve of pandering to the lowest common denominator. (Yes, I'm kind of snobby about this.)
I love the cellphone commercials with text-maven Beth-Ann and her frazzled complete sentence-using mother. "Who are you texting all these messages?"
"IDK. My BFF Jill?" That mocks the whole textspeak phenomenon. On the subject of annoying abbreviations, though, UR2Rite.
I try really hard not to use LOL because a bunch of my friends overuse it. A guy I used to work with will literally type LOL after every sentence. LITERALLY.
I'll use it sometimes when I realize that what I've said may come off as me being serious, when I'm actually kidding.
Oh, I love those commercials!
I seriously haven't seen the OMFG anywhere but online and then only when I went looking for it. I heard there's a billboard in LA, though.
Thanks. :) And actually, I think the reason they stopped airing GG on the web is that the show's ratings were really bad because people watched them online and not on TV.
I don't know if they're still available on iTunes or not.
Jenny has become the devil. It's really funny.
I can't wait to get the DVDs.