GQ Magazine’s Glee-ful cover had tongues wagging this week as fans were treated to cast members dressed scandalously. The Parent Teacher Council claimed the shots were “borderline pedophilia” as stars Corey Monteith, Lea Michelle and Diana Aragon play teenagers on the Fox dramedy. The PTC says the men’s magazine is promoting the sexualization of young people.
While one can applaud the PTC for speaking out against the objectification of children, Monteith, Michelle and Aragon are all adults (Monteith is 19 and his ladies are both 24). Rolling Stone featured an equally as salacious Glee cover earlier this year where a draft swept up Michelle’s skirt, exposing her panties. The cover was met with rave reviews & no PTC complaints.
While the actors do play teenagers, they aren’t teenagers themselves. This isn’t the first time an adult playing a teen has posed provocatively for a magazine. Jessica Biel famously posed topless for Gear magazine in an attempt to get fired from 7th Heaven. Another 7th Heaven alum Ashlee Simpson posed in Maxim’s Blender Magazine promoting her first album (while still playing virginal Celia). Neither spread received flack. Not to mention that GQ is a men’s magazine. It’s not like these shots made their way into Teen Beat.
I’m surprised the PTC hasnt spoken out about nine year old Willow Smith, who has recently released her first music video. Surely that violates child labour laws. Either way, more people are talking about Glee, which makes Ryan Murphy very gleeful indeed.
The Misadventures of MHC 
Actually, the Jessica Biel photo shoot did garner some controversy when it was released. If you’re referring simply to comments by the PTC though, you’re right: I don’t recall them raising a stink about those photos.
Adding to the absurdity, it’s kind of ridiculous because 7th Heaven was way more of a family show than Glee. Biel’s character was also a straight-laced role-model and she was actually younger than 18 when posing for Gear magazine.