GQ Editor on 'Glee' Photo Shoot: 'They're Old Enough to Do What They Want'

By Zach Dionne Posted Oct 20th 2010 05:18PM

GQ editor in chief Jim Nelson responded to a concerned Parents Television Council on the subject of his magazine's sexy 'Glee' photo shoot, telling The Insider: "The Parents Television Council must not be watching much TV these days and should learn to divide reality from fantasy."

According to TMZ, the Parents Television Council said the magazine's photo shoot "borders on pedophilia," adding 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."

GQ's Nelson responded without mincing words: "As often happens in Hollywood, these 'kids' are in their twenties. Cory Monteith is almost 30! I think they're old enough to do what they want."

In PopEater's recap of the photo shoot and article yesterday, we noted Dianna Agron's comment, "I've never been shot in so little clothing." We also noted she is 24 years old.

In Agron's blog, the actress apologized to all offended parties. "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 ... If you are hurt or these photos make you uncomfortable, it was never our intention. And if your eight-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?"

"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," she wrote.

Nonetheless, the PTC calls the Terry Richardson photo shoot "near-pornographic," adding, "The creators of ['Glee'] have established their intentions on the show's direction. And it isn't good for families."

On The Street: We Ask New Yorkers If They Think the 'Glee' Kids Went Too Far:

Contrary to the PTC's concerns about the negative influence 'Glee' and the GQ piece will have on young viewers, 28-year-old high school dropout Cory Monteith is quoted in the article as saying, "The last thing I want to do is kind of imply to readers in high school that you too can drop out and be an actor and get on a big show and be famous and make a s***load of money."

'Glee' co-creator Ryan Murphy also tells the magazine that while he was skeptical of doing a sugarcoated family show, he knew responsibility would come into play. "I wanted to do my version of a family show. But we try to be as responsible as we can, because we know some young people watch."

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Tags: Glee, GQ, Parents Television Council

Comments

(301)

Sunday 24 October

By Cathy

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I found these pictures on an article on an American Idol site.

Thursday 21 October

By Holly

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Are you parents just idiots or what?!?! How many of you will get a GQ magazine and then share it with your kids?!?!? Shame on Entertainment Tonight for airing this piece two days in a row and trying to make something out of nothing. The humor in that show is very much more adult oriented than younger children, so if your kids are watching it and NOT in jr. high or high school and don't understand..shame on the parents. When are PARENTS going to start taking responsiblity to PARENT?!?!?! MORONS!!!

Anyway, why do all these folks post that these people on TV are ROLE MODELS?!?! If anything, you should teach your children that 99% of people on TV or sports stars AREN'T role models!!!! They are there only for entertainment purposes...and if they are decent people, then great, but it's up to the PARENTS to lead their children to suitable role models...uh...and maybe to themselves.

By lhgraphics

that's the part these people don't get. The setting implies that these are high school girls. It doesn't matter how old the actresses are. We don't know the actresses. We know the characters they play. Sexualizing high school girls to sell magazines is pornography.

By Jules

your kidding me right?

By Brynn

I think these pics look great. Yeah they are very sexual, but it's cool cuz they r all old enough so what's the problem?

By Mary Jane

I'm just tired of actors and actresses starting off squeaky clean and appealing to kids, then once they get their audience they lose their focus. Children need roll models and it's a shame they have to be disappointed when their idols "fall of the wagon"

By Gabriela

Here's a thought. If you don't want your children to be influenced by a 20 year old actress, then be proactive and teach your son or daughter that the only person they should be looking up to as their role model is you, instead of letting a TV show raise your children

By Ron in NY

It is to laugh! Squeaky clean actors and actresses? You're kidding, right? If you believe any actor or actress was ever squeaky clean, I have a lovely bridge to nowhere in Alaska you can have cheap!

I almost wet myself laughing when I read that.

By Jamie

people in this country are just sad, if Glee is too racy, that is pathetic. Get off of your high horses and get a life. Focus on things way more important then what the Glee people are doing, and fyi there is nothing wrong with 2 girls kissing, 2 boys kissing, etc, THAT is the point of the show. That we should all be treated equally. It's also a very campy show. Try opening your minds for once, or are they so tightly closed you don't know how to. And as was said numerous times before, these ACTORS are in their 20s, GQ is aimed at older men, hence this seems like the perfect photo shoot if you ask me, plus they all look hot.

By Ben Allaway

GQ covers are visible to every kid in every grocery store. The cover shot was the lead picture on AOL today, so there is no "choice" any more. Pictures are no longer confined to print, they are instantly eveywhere. So no one should be concerned about how they influence young people? Any 14 yr old boy who sees those pictures will never look at GLEE the same way.

By anna

Some of you people are just sick....The point is that society is so oversaturated with sexuality and frankly it degrades and demeans us. Don't you have any dignity or pride. There are plenty of porn sites go watch those and let us folks that want some decency in our lives have it. TV is all around us and we'reat a point where the environment has more influence with the kids than parents. And these people who say oh just control your kids obviously don't have any.

By james

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Tell the parents television council to stick it. This show was not designed or marketed as a childrens show, those are on Saturday mornings.

By Jerry

This is the problem with GLEE. The actors and actresses are all pretending to be 16-year-old high school kids in the show, but in reality they're anywhere from 25 to 50 years old. Really! Check out their bios on Google. And most of them have 10 years or more of experience on Broadway or in Hollywood, whereas the show portrays them as stumbling, off-the-street high school kids who never sang a note before. So, all of the teeny-bopers in America are crushed when they see these "16-year-olds" with such talent and adult fresh-faced beauty, involved in very adult-level situations.

By laura

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That one guy's 28! they're all 20 something. They're adults and they can do whatever they want with their bodies. Chill out people

By Donna

Cat,, You put it well.
The only people I see that will want to se a photo like this would be boys, and men. And young girls, that dont have a clue as to whats right or wrong yet. This photo is not appropriate, because of the setting.
If it was taken any where else but a school, it wouldnt a big deal.
sugardaisy,, it never makes ANYONE look beter or smarter, whan calling others grade school names.

By sh91767

Glee is considered a sugar-coated, family friendly show? I don't think so.

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Glee airs at 8pm. That used to be 'family' hour. If they want the show to be more 'adult' put it on later.

The most important thing to remember is that in this digital age, the pictures GQ publishes in its magazine are no longer confined to those pages, but get sent out onto the web. You don't have to subscribe to GQ to find these images, and so both GLEE management and GQ have to ask themselves if this is how they want to present themselves to young kids, because I can guarantee that many young teens and pre teens will blow up and print out these sexy photos and have them under their pillow. This is pure sexual pandering, and it encourages hurtful stereotypes in our young people. Bad choices, you guys.

By Gail

Dear Parents Television Council, Please mind your children and leave the rest of the world alone.

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