Since everyone and their dog seems to have spoken their mind regarding the recent controversial GQ photo shoot that featured three members of the cast of Glee, I thought it was time to throw my opinion into the mix.

First things first, argue what you want, but Glee is not a family show. It may have the 7 p.m. timeslot, but it is still not appropriate for young children. The first season included everything from premature ejaculation, talk about gag reflexes, “sexting”, a teen pregnancy storyline and three of the main characters are known for their promiscuous natures (Puck, Santana and Brittany).

Since Glee has many similar qualities as the High School Musical series, it’s presumable that there was significant carry over from HSM to Glee.  Musical numbers aside, the two franchises are nothing like each other. With HSM, it was clear that Kenny Ortega et al were very conscious of their younger audience. It took nearly two films for Troy and Gabriella to kiss, there was no swearing and even the stereotypical mean-blonde, Sharpay, nowhere close to evil. Yes, there are going to be drastic differences between something shown on the Disney Channel and on FOX, but Glee is obviously geared toward at least 13+ teens.

If I was a parent of a younger child who watches Glee, I can see how these pictures might be an issue. The pictures were shot in a high school setting and Lea Michele and Dianna Agron were wearing what could be characterized as “school-girl” outfits. Cory Monteith was also pictured playing the drums, a trait of his character, Finn. I understand how the photos could be misconstrued as them representing their characters. The provocative poses and choice of dress/props were certainly out of character for their respective roles. Personally, I didn’t go there. They don’t look like high schools students to begin with. The Parents Television Council needs to take a chill pill. The actors are ages 28 and 24, well beyond the age to qualify as victims of child porn. GQ’s primary audience is also males ages 18-49; I’m betting there was no complaints about the scantily clad actresses.

Dianna has since issued an explanation on her Tumblr. She wrote,

“Now, in perpetuating the type of images that evoke these kind of emotions, I am sorry. If you are hurt or these photos make you uncomfortable, it was never our intention. And if your 8-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?”

My thoughts exactly.

Participating in the photo shoot was probably not the smartest move by any of the three actors, but what’s done is done. The whole thing has been blown so out of proportion. Lea, Cory and Dianna are adults. They perfectly in their right to show some skin during a photo shoot. Taylor Momsen flashed the crowd at her latest concert. Miley is grinding and dry humping in her music videos. Stars acting raunchy is not something new. People, it’s time to move on.