Radio Times

Viewers who pay to receive satellite porn channels are losers. OK, so you already knew that. But I'm not talking about how these sad, lonely people need to get out more and experience the thrill of real human interaction. No, I'm talking about how stupid they are to shell out their hard-earned cash for a service they can already get for free elsewhere on their menu of digital delights.

I'm talking, of course, about music television. Flick on one of these channels at any point in the day, and within seconds I guarantee you'll be seeing more bare flesh than a cosmetic surgeon carrying out a year's worth of gastric band operations.

But there's the rub (and yes, there's generally plenty of rubbing going on in these sickening videos, too). The women parading around in their micro-skirts, their bikinis - or, if the wardrobe department's budget has been totally slashed, their underwear - are all anatomically perfect specimens.

And they can't wait to show off their taut physiques. They're up for anything, and these music promos cater to every taste. Sexy secretary? Check. Pert drum majorette? Check. Foxy dancer? Check. The list goes on. And on. Often what happens in these sorts of videos is that countless nubile young lovelies strip off before a geeky young man's ever-widening eyes. He can't believe his luck. And frankly, neither can I.

Among the men, rap artists and R&B stars are the worst offenders. But if women are belting out the tunes, things should be better, right? Nope. The focus is more on their curves and what they get up to with their male dancers than it is on their vocal talent or chart-topping success.

There are exceptions, of course - but they're few and far between. The thinking seems to be, why should the creative minds behind these music promos strain themselves to come up with a thrilling, fresh new look when they can just stick some giggly, vacuous-looking skinny-minnies in bikinis (or less), point the camera and shoot?

Some would say that the women in these videos are feminists of the most modern kind. But I don't think the reason they're not wearing bras is because they've burnt them. I'd be more confident they were in on the joke if the models in the all-girls-together scenarios didn't look quite so much as if, when asked, they'd hazard a guess that "Lesbos" and "Sappho" might be two of Santa's reindeer.

I know that the connection between music and sex existed long before the proliferation of music TV channels. But it's never been so in-your-face, so open-access, so 24/7.

It makes me angry that boys are growing up with images of women purely as sex objects. It makes me even angrier that girls are receiving the same message - that they will be harshly judged on their physical attributes and that "sexiness" will be the sole measure of their worth.

All too often these days we read that ever-younger children feel under pressure to achieve "the perfect body". Wouldn't it be great if a seven-year-old girl knew how to spell "gyrate" - rather than how to do it?

I absolutely agree with you.

It is sad and sickening that women have fought so hard to prove themselves as worthy and equal human beings deserving respect and recognition for their intellect.

i beleve that men should be respected for their intellectual abilities also and that we should be able to recognise and reward the strengths from men's and women's various and varied abilities. but even if you go to the gym, you will see videos of women in scanty clothes gyrating to music in an overt sexual way.

I am told that many young men do see women as sexual objects and indeed refer to them as a female dog.

How sad, how very, very sad...

This article needs a bigger picture

Why should they not wiggle their bits with almost nothing on,as they sure cannot sing

I think this whole argument is nonsense. Not merely the blogger's point, but that whole idea that there's something here to be discussed.

Old people have always bemoaned the youth and the culture of the day. That doesn't mean music television isn't shallow garbage, but what's the issue here?

That the women are being exploited? I'm sorry, I don't buy it. You can't tell me that women were empowered by having their bodies censored in the past; conversely it can't be argued that the ability to slut it up is empowering because it only offers one narrow kind of power: The power to seduce men. There's a lot more to equality than that.

Is it that the music is bad? Maybe it is, but most things are pretty bad, sadly there isn't enough talent and genius to go around and there never has been.

Is it that the artists are black? No, seriously, I'm seeing a lot of veiled references to 'American ghettos' here, and race has often been an issue in music. I'm not saying there isn't a lot to criticise in rap, but why bring the colour of the rapper into it?

Is it that it gives 'bad messages'? It's absurd to blame entertainment TV for children not being able to spell words like 'gyrate'. It's not the job of music TV to teach people to spell, and if music TV disappeared then our society wouldn't become the slightest bit deeper or more cultured and intelligent.

The real issue is something that isn't even being discussed here: The absence of... What? What is it that is needed to provide good role models for girls and examples to show boys what women can be other than a kind of device for holding up a pair of boobs?

Because as long as you're wasting time and effort complaining about music TV, you aren't helping to find it. Instead of being aghast that someone is showing girls they can be sexy, maybe you should be showing them all the other things they can be?

I could tell from the first paragraph that this article was written by a woman. What an outdated prudish view of the world you seem to have.

The argument "If you don't like it, don't watch it" and therefore shut up about it from Benjie is ridiculous. You could apply it to crimes on the news. How ridiculous would it be to say if you don't like the way Baby P was treated, then don't watch the news. It's not just about soft porn masquerading as popular culture, its about negative messages, values and attitudes being disseminated about women by one of the most powerful forces in modern life - the media. Both men and women who disagree with this damaging representation of women have the right to challenge it and open up an important debate like this one. Clearly, just because you like it, please stop sanctimoniously preaching about not judging others for their professions. When what you do for a living affects other people, then you have a moral responsiblity.

I hate to sound like a middle-aged curmudgeon, but the soft porn is just covering up for near-total musical incompetence. This junk runs at my gym, where I can't get away from it. There is little melody to speak of, no harmony at all, and the singers can't sing -- they just speak on pitch. The music is mind-numbingly repetitive and the lyrics moronic. If it had to stand on its own feet without the video, it would swiftly vanish.

It distresses me that so much of this quasi-porn seems to be associated with musical forms associated with black people. Do rappers have no respect for women? Not even black women? What are they saying about themselves? Whatever it is, it isn't flattering.

I remember "Pan's People" and "Legs & Co" being removed from Top Of The Pops because we were obliged to be politically correct and not exploit women.

Now, one look at many of the videos on MTV etc., will show you that women can exploit themselves nowadays, or get a "rap artist" to do it for them. Let's face it, much of the exploitation here comes from minority ghettos in the USA, not something one can quote as a good example of anything, except conspicuous consumption of illegal drugs and the highest gun crime record in the World.

Perhaps it's OK for black rap artists to exploit women, after all, no member of a minority group would even think of exploiting another, would they?

And there's me trying not to offend anyone by being polite and politically correct and all......

just watch BLiss TV...best music channel around!!

Im so fed up of people using the term 'youth of today' in contrast to the 'perfect' youth of yesterday. Noone born before 1990 was an innocent child. As for role models, your supposed to be our role models but instead you prefer to ridicule us and show us no respect. We are the future and this is our life. If we want to enjoy some casual soft porn then we will.

"Did you know that MTV is run by a woman, Judy McGrath? And that the Creative Director of MTV is a woman?

Therein lies the answer to whatever bogus "misogynist" "evil Patriarchy" argument you are trying to construct. "

Noone has said anything about misogyny or patriachies here... you may want to stop just reeling out your preconceptions on feminism and look at the facts... music channels are full of women doing highly sexual things.. this is a bad message to send to the youth of today. full stop. sexuality is a great thing but it has a time and place and that is not in my living room all day everyday. reading the majority of the comment here makes me breathe a sigh of relief, i was worried i was the only one who thought all this soft porn everywhere is a bad thing!

It's not just a case of if you don't like it don't watch it. It is the sad fact that our children are being subjected to this degrading filth every day. Especially the rise of urban music and another thing to thank good old USA for. They are getting a perverted twisted view of women and this can lead them to believe that they are always 'up for it' and are easy targets for their pent up sexual frustrations. To make one more point..We are quick to condemn some religions who make their women cover up from head to toe but their views on how they see western women is quite refreshing. Our teenage girls are the worst in the world for contracting sexual diseases and underage pregnancies and you still see that that these oversexed music videos are acceptable??

In the 80's the most "shocking" music video was Addicted to Love by Robert Palmer. The girls in that were sexy AND dressed and it's a classic piece of film ! Nobody will remember the tripe we see now in 20 years time.

If you don't like it, don't watch it. Life has changed considerably over the years. Use and accept what you find good, don't use or discard the rest. Clearly this comment relates to those who are adult and watching leggy type Music [?] shows.

Other considerations exist when it comes to the manipulation of the minds of children for instance.

Did you know that MTV is run by a woman, Judy McGrath? And that the Creative Director of MTV is a woman?

Therein lies the answer to whatever bogus "misogynist" "evil Patriarchy" argument you are trying to construct. You want to understand why MTV is so pornographic, simply look at its female leadership.

I remember how great it was to be a child in the 70's, I was lucky enough to grow up with intelligent, informative television, when allowed to watch it. Blue Peter, Vision On, Tomorrows World. With music programmes ie Top of the Pops, Tizwaz and The old grey whistle test, I do not remember scantily clad bodies or a presenter saying "in it" . I feel sorry for the youth of today, what chance have they got with all this stuff thrown at them "any" time of day. Are there any role models left ?

The depiction of women in music video isn't a new topic. See Sut Jhally's video essay Dreamworlds: Desire Sex & Power in Music Video.

Guys come on, get real!...

Firstly teed off; I know quite a few girls who go to pole dancing classes to exercise and meet friends, they all love it, and so yes, I would suggest that just maybe it is a fun & healthy thing to do as a hobby, and secondly, and let's be honest here, the girls in the music videos are not degrading women, they're degrading themselves at worse!

I must admit that the majority of the music played on channels such as "the box" and "MTV" isn't particularly to my taste, but you can't argue with the fact that it is greatly popular and so how can we question whether "it is up to much". There is definitely a demand there, and all the music companies are doing is supplying what, let's be honest, millions of people want them to.

Surely the enthuses should be on "equality", not "feminism", so who are we to question what the girls in the videos choose to do for a living. I'm sure they get paid far better than I do for it, and I can imagine that most of them will have a good time doing it too.

For me the bottom line is that they have a choice in doing what they want to, as we equally do in deciding whether or not we should watch them. I just really can't understand how people could get so angry or upset about what somebody else does for a living, we all have different values and opinions and I understand that, but we really don't have the right to judge others the way we do sometime.

Guys, if you don't like it, DON'T WATCH. There are plenty of other people who will be happy to.

I'd just like to mention "stupid girl" by Pink! which ridicules the whole bimbo phenomenon? Also, perhaps girls should read a book called "female chauvenist pigs" which looks at how the whole laddette thing has become the norm, with women wanting to be playmates, strip off, pole dance, etc, thinking that by doing these these they are being "strong females" and taking control of their "feminist rights" rather than being duped into doing things the porn industry would love women to be doing all the time - becoming objectified figures who are there to titilate and look good but nothing else. When will women learn that taking your clothes off and having sex with strangrs "because you can" is demeaning and psychologically unhealthy (it doesn't mean people love you any more) - just like it is for men who have countless, loveless, one-off sexual encounters. Every "body" is different and every person has traits that are good and bad and a person's worth should not be measured by how they look. Add to that the fact that everyone is expected to aspire to a single, narrow type of impossibly thin, impossibly perfect, surgically enhanced, blond and bland. Scrape off the slap and be a natural beauty with a brain and something to say as beauty minus brains is only attractive for a fleetingly short time.

Well, that's my rant for the day :o)

NOT all music channels are like this.

Take Magic TV/VH1 Classic. They don't show women with bikinis or naything like that

I think maybe the point is that the music isn't up to much. Formulas repeated ad nauseum, any vocal trick, beat or sound that sounds innovative the first time degrades under a garbage load of soundalikes.

So the fantasy of sex on tap, delivered by unchallenging, eager to please females sells the shoddy goods.

And you're right, it delivers the message that men can do as they please and women must look good and do as men please. We're living in a real backlash to feminism and wome are colluding with it.

It seems as if most women under the age of thirty don't actually know what what feminism is. Even while they claim to be feminists.

On a recent Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Simon Amstell asked Gabriella Cilmi what feminism meant. She said something like " I don't know... That people shouldn't say bad things about women...?"

Use it or lose it , ladies!

Thank God finally someone has spoken up about this. I fully agree. The women in these videos are pathetic for letting themselves be used in this way. I know people will comment that they are in "control" and its "what sells" so they are going with the flow. However I disagree, if you are really into the music as an artist and talented then use these credentials to move yourself forward and you can be sexy etc at the same time just keep a few clothes on (eg sophisticated/chic look) and stop allowing yourselves to be used and portraying women as these role models for young impressionable girls and boys who are growing up who think this is what its all about. I feel embarrassed watching it now, cant think what my kids will think in the future!!

I fully agree. It's exactly this kind of mindless titillation ('coz it certainly ain't about the music), which makes young women think pole-dancing is a fun, healthy thing to do as a hobby. Perhaps if the artists thought a little more creatively we'd respect their music more. Perhaps.