It's hard to imagine music videos without sex. That's kind of their thing. But, when sexy becomes sexism, it's a problem. And, a new report backed by the End Violence Against Women Coalition in the U.K. says sexism and racism are endemic in music videos.
Since it can't force the industry to change, the organization is petitioning the U.K. government to create an age-based ratings system, much like the one we have for movies.
Initially, we weren't sure how we felt about this. Because the pain of an old wound still lingers — that time a music store refused to sell this writer It Was Written by Nas because of its Parental Advisory label — we immediately sided with the kids. "No restrictions ever," says whatever is left of our youth. But, we can't be so dismissive when talking about rape, depicting black women as "animalistic," or just treating anyone like a commodity or sex object.
While we know ratings would probably only make teens more interested in the videos, it would allow them to be filtered with parental controls. This would keep them out of sight for, at least, some of the youngest eyes. And, we can't really argue with that. (Telegraph)