Not Everyone Has Stopped Advertising During ‘Skins’
The MTV show Skins is having a rough go of it, thanks to the Parents Television Council. (I should note that I'm a huge fan of the original British version of the show.) So far, General Motors, Wrigley, Taco Bell, H&R Block, Schick and Subway have all pulled their ads. But, not everyone has been so quick to yank their commercials. Movies like The Roommate with Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl) and Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights), I Am Number Four with Dianna Agron (Glee) and Alex Pettyfor, and Just Go With It starring Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler are still running ads. So is Red Bull. And the show's website has ads for No Strings Attached with Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman.
The creator of the show recently released this statement, which does an excellent job of explaining what Skins is all about:
Sometimes that truth can be a little painful to adults and parents…We proceed from the idea, not that teenagers are inherently likely to misbehave, but rather that they are intensely moral and disposed to make judgments on their own and others' behaviour. Sometimes, but not always, they get things wrong. In this teenagers are remarkably similar to adults…When viewers have taken the time to watch the show in a little more depth, they are less concerned about the behavior of the characters. Teenagers can be loyal, supportive, dedicated, focused, and capable of making informed value judgments about their lives. In the pilot episode of Skins, it's possibly easy to overlook the story wherein a young boy sets off to a party to sell drugs and have sex, but in fact, does neither of these things, because, he senses that he has been manipulated by friends and does not feel ready to have sex with someone he does not know properly.
Skins is a traditionally made television series which has won countless international awards and gained a worldwide audience for stories about the joy, misery and challenges of being a teenager. The show has been used in anti-drug campaigns, has drawn praise for its portrayal of mental health issues and explorations of bereavement, sexuality, bullying and gender stereotyping.
I have lost count of the letters we have been sent by viewers who tell us that they have been able to approach their parents or teachers with their difficulties after watching the show. It is something that we take a great deal of pride in and which can unfortunately be eclipsed by some of the negative attention.
Skins airs Monday night's on MTV at 9pm.
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