Why does Elana Levine title her chapter on sex in 1970s TV the way she does? How does network television attempt to capitalize on the so-called sexual revolution? Briefly summarize the TV trends of the era, especially where sexuality was concerned. How would you compare the shows Levine describes to network TV fare today?
Elana Levine’s essay on sex culture in 1970s television “kiddie porn versus adult porn” refers to the different ways the big three networks depicted sex in their 1970s programs. ABC was the “kiddie porn” (and ‘jiggle’) network that featured lots of sex scenes and sexual humor that would make “kids squeal and close their eyes” and was presented in a juvenile manner that would appeal to the teenager inside all audience members, ie. the lowest common denominator. “Adult porn” refered to the way CBS (and to an extent NBC) showcased their sexual content by sensationalizing it, presenting it in a more mature manner, or dealing with sexual themes that are heavy such as abortion or rape. Network Television (all big three) capitalized on the sexual revolution when they realized ‘relevant’ and ‘raunchier/sexier’ programs appealed to the younger demographic and could help them attract younger and more urban viewers than more traditional family-style sitcom programming could. ABC used sex appeal in programs to go from the lowest ranked network to number one, and CBS and NBC quickly copied and implemented their own sex appeal programs when they realized how profitable and good for ratings those programs were. The TV trends of that time were to include younger, more attractive casts; plotlines that revolved around sex and romance; and to include sexual revolution issues like being gay, rape, abortion etc. to appear relevant. I definitely think that the trends of sexualizing television programs that Levine describes is a trend that has never really died down or gone away, and is still incredibly relevant in today’s TV. I feel this is best exemplified by the popular show Entourage in which literally every single person (even unimportant or irrelevant extras who appear for half a second) are incredibly attractive people. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an unattractive female lead in a television series.
ReplyDeleteThe coveted number one spot. Everyone wanted it and ABC never had it. So the big three had to do something to get it. And that was sex. In a time when the networks were trying to attract younger audiences with new and exciting content, sex was the solution. And that solution wasn’t just talking about sex, but also showing raunchier characters and more sexual scenarios. Elana Levine chose to title her chapter “Kiddie Porn Versus Adult Porn” in order to display the different approaches the big three took to keep up with this sexual revolution and younger generation growing up in the 70s. ABC was considered the “kiddie porn” channel because they used a lot more overt sexual humor, characters, and scenarios that were more explicit than television had ever experienced before. This was called kiddie porn because many thought the network didn’t present sex in a mature way, rather displaying it as humorous and raunchy, appealing to the younger generation. Levine juxtaposes this kind of “porn” with “adult porn” which was displayed on the older, highbrow channels like CBS and NBC. CBS, usually being at the number one spot, basically looked down on ABC for the type of sexual humor it possessed, and rather displayed sex and its sexual topics more seriously. CBS and NBC tended to focus more on topics like divorce and abortion, still using humor, but in a way they thought was more appropriate and mature. In her article, Levine also talks about how ABC was the first to really hook on to this sexual revolution idea, with CBS and NBC quickly following realizing how profitable it was. In fact, the 70s was the first time ABC hit the number one spot in the big three ratings. All of this led to major trends of casting gay and lesbian characters, showing women in more risque clothes, and covering heavier topics like rape and abortion that were never really overtly spoken about before. I think the 70s and the sexual revolution on TV really was an incredible thing for our society and television that came after. It was awesome to see characters speaking so candidly about topics like sex and abortion. I felt like for the first time in all the shows we watched, female characters were actually given a voice to speak on topics that didn’t have to do with their husbands, their kids, or their houses. Women finally were afforded ownership over their bodies and say over what they did with their lives. Seeing how we’ve spent a lot of time on shows from the 50s, this sexual revolution was a welcome change that led to many changes in the television industry that can still be seen today in shows like “Sex and The City”.
ReplyDeleteIn Elana Levine’s chapter, “Kiddie Porn Versus Adult Porn”, the three big networks are, per usual, fighting for the number one network spot, however, this debate surrounds which network can best use the sexual revolution to their advantage. Levine talks about the different ways in which ABC, NBC, and CBS included sex and the sexual revolution into their programing. ABC represents the “Kiddie Porn” side the spectrum as Levine describes them as shameless, bold, and juvenile in their sexual content using blatant sex scenes, actors sex symbols, and the “jiggle television” method which is described as, “when you have a young, attractive television personality running at top speed wearing a limited amount of underwear” (Levine, 37). Conversely, CBS and NBC reside under the “adult porn” section. Granting that at this point in time ABC is residing in the number one spot, CBS and NBC decided to use more mature approaches to integrate the sexual revolution into their programing by deluding the blatant immature sex humor by focusing topics on more modern themes and creating a “made-for-TV movie schedule” (Levine, 41) that revolved around sex-themed movies. This heightened awareness of the profitability of the sexual revolution lead to many other trends in 70s programing that was deemed as relevant. This includes female leads in more genres (as long as they are sexy), plots that revolve around romance and sex, and more mature topics like abortion, divorce and homosexuality. I think we still find the sexual revolution trends that were introduced then in our television shows now. The TV fare today follows a lot of plot lines that surround sex and romance while also diving into more serious topics (that are still very debated today) such as again abortion and homosexuality such Will and Grace or Sophia’s example of Sex and the City.
ReplyDeleteThe title “Kiddie Porn vs. Adult Porn” is, of course, not referencing actual hardcore pornography - it’s about the differences in the ways television networks in the 1970s incorporated the new conversations about sex into their programming, and how each individual network had identifiably unique cultures around portrayals of sex. The “Kiddie Porn” in question is the manner in which ABC would objectify voluptuous lead actresses, presenting sex in a lighthearted way. It’s essentially the “fanservice” model, where rather than treating sex with a humanist lens or incorporating sex as a discussion or portrayal of real-life cultural phenomena, sex is relegated to eye candy in otherwise standard shows about other topics.
ReplyDeleteNBC, conversely, chose to go with portrayals of sex in the form of programs like Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway, a sort of after school special kind of social drama that attempted to discuss sex from a sociopolitical perspective. Of course, Levine also mentions that NBC and CBS both tried to copy ABC’s model of genre shows featuring scantily-clad women.
Comparing these to television shows today is difficult, because while it seems like many women on television are able to have agency as human characters and act as compelling leads without necessarily expressing sexuality, there’s still a massive attractiveness gap between male and female leads on television, and while purely objectified female characters seem like they’re more prevalent in film today, they still exist on TV. I think we’re just starting to enter an era where it’s okay for the leads of certain television shows (this applies to some men, too, but mainly women) to not have model-beautiful looks and exploit them.
The reason that Elana Levine title her chapter on sex in 1970s TV as “Kiddie porn versus adult porn” is that in mid-1970s, networks and soap producers saw turns to sex and controversial social issue as ways to draw new, young viewers and think young, sex and sensational social issues seems a winning combination. ABC especially takes the lead to produce some “kiddie porn” and “jiggle” fare. And by talking about “adult porn”, the author is referring to the NBC’s strategy to trying to differentiate its brand of sex from others. It set out to program a more “mature” version of the sexual revolution primarily through its sex-themed movies. It attempts to piggyback on ABC’s success and make itself seems a distinctive voice multiplied television’s representations of the sexual revolution.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1970s, all three networks used sex appeal to viewers. Inter-network rivalry produced the new sexual culture, ensuring its ubiquity, its limited diversity, and its commodified base. It did provide the framework within which television’s new culture was created.
I think compared the shows Levine describes to network TV fare to network today, the approach of using sex a way to appeal for audience is still extant. For example, the two story-line with one romance for writing a script. Also, all of the major protagonist are people with great-shape and amazing appearance.
The title "Kiddie Porn Versus Adult Porn" is extremely provocative, but rather than being about child pornography, "kiddie porn" refers to the programming strategies the Big Three networks (ABC especially) used to exploit sex to attract young audiences. In contrast, "adult porn" is a reference to NBC's counter-strategy, using sexually charged situations in more mature ways. The title is essentially code for ABC vs. NBC during the sexual revolution. ABC began this period last in ratings, a place they had been for nearly their entire existence. ABC's first attempt at climbing the ratings came through their made-for-tv movies. Countering NBC's own made-for-tv movie programming, ABC introduced "Movie of the Week," which featured many sexually-charged themes, contrary to NBC's action-adventure and suspense plots. However, ABC's movies were not mature and artsy, they played sex for laughs or were otherwise exploitative (Levine, 25). While they were taking over primetime, they also moved to take over daytime through sexually charged game shows (Dating Game, Newlyweds Game) as well as revamping their soap "General Hospital" to include more sexual and sensational scenarios. The other networks noticed ABC's success and were quick to try to copy their formula. Sex became a much more frequent topic on tv, and this period also saw the rise of the tv sex-symbol. While sex was generally played for entertainment (Three's Company, Laugh-In), many shows used it to spark drama, and some made-for-tv movies that claimed to be more mature played it for sensational value (Cry Rape!, A Case of Rape). These three uses of sex are still fairly common today. Playing sex for laughs can be seen in sitcoms like Friends and How I Met Your Mother, the drama of sex is still extremely common in soaps, and shows like Law and Order: SVU use the sensational aspects of sex to create a show focused on sex crimes. The sexual revolution changed tv forever, and its impact can be seen in everything from sitcoms to soaps to Family Feud.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1970s, the three major networks of television fought for dominance on the stage of sexual programming. Levin explains that there was an attempt to “out-sex” the competition. Instead of a difference in type of programming, it was down to the differences in “story lines, in stars, in the mix of genres, and the mapping of the schedule.” The terms “Kiddie porn” and “adult porn” are used in Levin’s essay title to distinguish the differences in how networks portrayed this new sexual revolution. If the battle was over who could be more sexualized, CBS and (somewhat) NBC were the more “sophisticated” networks. Their programming was more relevant to social issues of sex/rape/violence. NBC also experimented with suggestive sexual humor in it’s variety shows, but it was ABC that would take hold of the “kiddie porn” monicker that Levin explains. ABC’s tactic was to capitalize on the unrealistic depictions of sex and flaunt those innuendos, jokes, and visual stimuli in an informal way. Their “Battle of the Network Stars” focused on the physical bodies of television stars as the host sensationalized the bra-less women and toned men. It was “kiddie porn” because it involved depictions of women/men/relationships that were sensational as opposed to thought-provoking. What’s important to understand, however, is that each network was still attempting to cash-in on sexual culture. Regardless off their attempts to create a more mature image of their programming, CBS still exploited the general audience’s desire for more sexual content. Today, networks like HBO have almost crafted an image around this. It is not the trend of the nation, but shows like Game of Thrones enthrall viewers with “adult porn” depictions of battle and sex, and they have gained a huge audience because of it.
ReplyDelete“Kiddie Porn vs Adult Porn” is a great title, demanding attention from the readers. When it’s applied to television history, it’s a little misleading. Networks were not, in fact, airing child pornography to produce better rankings. TV is competitive, but not quite that competitive. Instead, it’s a reference to the kinds of content that the Big Three were airing in the 1970s. ABC had the kiddie porn. It was the family network, but they chose to air sexual content and sexual humor to get attention from the younger audiences. Sex sells! It’s fun! It’s provocative and draws eyes to screens!It was a successful strategy, and NBC and CBS noticed.
ReplyDeleteNBC and CBS didn’t want to miss out on a potential money-maker, so they also adopted sexual content and slid it into their shows. Due to their older audiences, they were far more mature about it than ABC was. This is what Levine calls adult porn. The adult networks explored topics like divorce or abortion in ways that hadn’t been done before. They started a conversation, and that was a big part of why this period is so important. This era also normalized sex on television, to the point where it’s never really faded into the background. Even on television today, we have shows like Scrubs that use aspects of kiddie porn and adult porn. The writers have intentionally sexualized characters at times to keep audiences watching, but they’ve also had full episodes about the topic of abortion, divorce, pregnancy scares, infertility, and more. I’m sure someone would have done what ABC did later, but it’s hard to imagine television without the rise of sex.
The article is called “kiddie porn versus adult porn” because the new era of TV created two distinct groups of viewers that fall into different age groups. Kiddie porn doesn’t refer to child porn, it refers to the type of things that appeal to juvenile viewers like “jiggle television.” Adult porn was more mature in nature and sometimes focused on more serious topics in sex and sexuality. The networks picked their demographics and because of its history with Disneyland and the younger viewers, ABC went with kiddie porn and CBS went towards adult porn. NBC was known as “the gentleman” of the trio, so it was more reserved but still took part in capitalizing on the sexual revolution. People were more open to depictions of taboo subjects on TV because of the political climate and so shows like Three’s Company were very successful. They have a hot blonde and a sassy brunette living with a young single guy and clearly they get up to shenanigans. The quips are almost all double entendrès or euphemisms. And jiggle TV featured women in tight outfits with no bras, like Charlie’s Angels. That was “raunchy” at the time. And now we have twincest on one of the biggest television shows in the world. Go figure.
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ReplyDeleteLevin titled her paper "Kiddie porn vs. Adult porn" because it highlights the different types of sex that the networks were portraying in 1970's television. In a struggle to distinguish themselves from the other two major networks and move to the top of the ratings, ABC decided to brand themselves as the sex network and began to put more provocative content on their shows in order to draw in a younger audience. They began what one NBC executive coined as "Jiggle-TV", which was essentially close up shots of girls' boobs jiggling as they ran. The phrase "kiddie porn" comes from another description of ABC's sexual content, meaning that it was the type of content that caused kids to squeal and cover their eyes. In a counter-measure to ABC's sudden success, NBC attempted to brand themselves as the more serious sex network and took on more realistic and darker topics.
ReplyDeleteThis era of television was essentially defined by the networks realizing a now often repeated adage in the media industry: sex sells. In order to compete with each other the networks tried to out-sex each other and opened the floodgates for the sex-infused television that we have today.
"Kiddie Porn vs Adult Porn" refers to the dichotomy of how sexuality was shown on screen by ABC and CBS. ABC's "jiggle porn" was unsophisticated, juvenile , and geared towards a younger audience (aka, the kiddies). CBS did nuanced sexual narratives and dramatizations for adults. NBC riddled its shows with more subtle mentions of sex, giving it the reputation of being "the gentleman."
ReplyDeleteThe way they used the sexual revolution and the idea of women's sexual independence is pervasive to this day. By jumping on the sexual independence bandwagon, they were allowed to portray women in an extremely sexual manner and cater to the lustful male gaze under the guise of liberation for women.
The two women in Three's a Company, were "liberated," sexually active, and partiers. The interesting thing this dynamic creates, however, is an equal playing field between the male and the females. He isn't a wolf in a sheep-pen, waiting to pounce on helpless women, because they have their own sexual and economic agency. It walks that thin line of a "strong" female character.
The title "Kiddie Porn vs Adult Porn" is one that refers to the difference in sexual representation between the big three television networks. Elana Levine describes these as individual constructions of the "sexually charged times," as each network had a significant and yet unique impact on the emergence of sex on television. "Jiggle porn" is the term used to categorize ABC's approach to sexual representation on television. This is synonous with the "kiddie porn" portion of the title in that they share immaturity and shallowness. CBS on the other hand is the "adult porn" portion of Levine's title. The reason being is that CBS used narrative and drama in order to create sexual tensions through nuances. What was paradoxical about this portrayal of women is that while they were selling sex on television, they were doing it while claiming female empowerment. It used the female body to draw mass numbers of viewers in a number of different ways. Today, any of the transformers movies display a number of sexual expoloitation characteristics. Megan Fox for example was a tool used by JJ Abrams to draw audiences toward a new, attractive female face and used her figure throughout a number of films to do that.
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