Girls+Gone+Wild

**Background of //Girls Gone Wild//** //Girls Gone Wild// began as a direct-to-video series in 1998, when the first film was released. The business was created by Joe Francis, an entrepreneur and founder of the production company, Mantra Films, Inc (Pitcher, 2006). The typical setup of a video has a camera crew in locations such as spring break or Mardi Gras that searches for and encourages young women to flash their bodies, strip, or perform sexual activities. Various film themes have included: Beach Babes, Sexy Sorority Sweethearts, and Top 50 Best Breasts Ever. **Freedom and Self-Expression** The female participants in //Girls Gone Wild// always have the personal choice whether to be on camera and act as such performers. They possess a certain liberty that is usually not found in their regular lives. This “what-the-hell attitude” is linked with a mindset of being in the here and now (Navarro, 2004). The belief is that what happens in this particular location will stay there. Though the women are strongly coaxed by the crew, which are usually young, attractive men, they have the right to refuse. It has been found that 7 out of 10 females are willing to at least flash the camera (Pitcher, 2006). The claim is that they are not creating the situation but just happen upon it. Some participants say that the experience is empowering, and this sense of power is strongly related to pleasure. There is a fantasy of being watched that positions women as objects of the audience’s gaze. The sense of expressing oneself provides a powerful motivation to “just have fun” in that moment. The male version, //Guys Gone Wild,// has the same idea, but the men are already half-naked and never asked to touch or even kiss each other like the women (Triplett, 2008). They are seen doing more “silly” actions such as cartwheels and the videos do not show the same desperation and desire. **Cultural Ideals** The //Girls Gone Wild// franchise has been connected with a lack of diversity in its videos. They promote that “real girls” are taped, but almost everyone is white, middle-class, and heterosexual. These defining characteristics also cater to a specific demographic of men, aged 18-34, who watch programs such as Howard Stern and ESPN. Infomercials are shown late at night on channels that seem the most appealing (Navarro, 2004). The most popular female features that can be seen include blonde, blue-eyed, weighing 100 pounds, big-breasted, and without any piercings or tattoos. Snoop Dogg, who hosted his own episode, has actually refused to be involved in more videos because there are no women of color. What Joe Francis declares as the unique aspect of //Girls Gone Wild// is the innocence and authenticity of the women. He states that viewers cannot envision themselves being with Playboy models, but these participants are just the girls next door. The phrase used was “bad-girl antics in a good-girl’s body” (Pitcher, 2006). The feminine ideals of this portrayal cause cultural standards to come into play. The producers reveal what is a proper, desirable body and spotlight a very particular type of woman. This forms both unrealistic expectations about a woman’s body and appearance and also the way in which a woman should act in a sexual setting. Men may feel as if they have the right and ownership of women, and this unhealthy attitude can ultimately lead to abuse or rape (Triplett, 2008). **A Striptease Culture** The type of “raunch” culture that has evolved from the //Girls Gone Wild// phenomenon has had a substantial effect on how deviant behaviors suddenly become very normalized. The location and context of these videos definitely play a role because they create a specific space where normal morals and values are not present. Additionally, the overall shift to the mainstreaming of pornography is showcasing the wide range of openness that our culture has achieved. Twenty years ago, this may have been viewed as porn but now has turned into reality TV and movies (Pitcher, 2006). In this culture, ordinary people are able to discuss their sex lives and act very provocatively in a pubic realm. There are little to no consequences for the women, and they are urged to utilize more nudity or girl-on-girl action. Because the videos have gained such popularity, female participants understand what is expected of them. They have become hypersexual and this very bold behavior is not seen as unusual anymore, but acts as an assumption (Navarro, 2004). //Girls Gone Wild// is officially a brand name, and Francis plans to produce clothing lines, music, and restaurants to add to the mix. Celebrity sponsorship also creates buzz, such as when Justin Timberlake wears a //GGW// hat or Brad Pitt gave the videos as a gift to his movie cast. There is an economic significance found in such examples, one that transforms this sexual pleasure into commodities (McNair, 2002). The girls only receive a T-shirt in exchange for performing in the video, while //Girls Gone Wild// gains $100 million annually.
 * Girls Gone Wild **

**Consent and Exploitation** A serious issue within such an enterprise is whether or not consent is communicated from the young women. The camera crew films the consent process and asks the age of the participant and if footage can be used. Currently, Francis claims that they require signed consent as well. Most of the time, the girls are very intoxicated from alcohol or drugs and are not completely in control of their behavior (Solove, 2006) These decisions can come back to haunt someone, but once that consent is obtained, the footage is out of their hands. There have been several cases in which a woman says the crew did not have her permission. In one example, a participant had her image displayed on the video package, advertisements, and websites, but she did not agree to such a deal. She won the case because the 1st Amendment does not give a right to companies to make an individual the spokesperson for a brand or product without his or her consent (Siprut, 2006). Mantra Films Inc. stated that they filmed a public event; however, they also claimed that the woman endorsed the videos, which she did not. The privacy rights of these women have been under debate, and it becomes a complex issue given the nature of the situation but also concerning respect to basic human priveleges. The legal news and cases that surround //Girls Gone Wild// only provide it with more attention, and it continues to have popularity with customers.

References // Girls Gone Wild: Wildest Sex //. [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.flixray.com/movie_reviews/ Girls-Gone-Wild:-Wildest-Sex.html McNair, B. (2002). //Striptease culture: Sex, media, and the democratization of desire.// New York, NY: Routledge. Navarro, M. (2004, April 4). The very long legs of ‘Girls Gone Wild.’ //The New York Times.// Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/04/style/the-very-long-legs-of-girls- gone-wild.html?src=pm // New Media Creative //. [Image]. Retrieved from http://newmediacreative.com/new-media- creative-back-in-las-vegas-for-the-2009-ces-wordcamp-vegas-affiliate-summit Pitcher, K. (2006). The staging of agency in Girls Gone Wild. //Critical Studies in Media// //Communication, 23//(3), 200-218. Siprut, J. (2006). The naked newscaster, Girls Gone Wild, and Paris Hilton: true tales of the right of privacy and the 1st Amendment. //Fordham Intellectual Property, Media &// // Entertainment Law Journal, 16 //, 35-59. Solove, D.J., Rotenberg, M. & Schwartz, P.M. (2006). //Privacy, information, and technology.// New York, NY: Aspen Publishers. Triplett, L. & Belmas, G. (2008). Show me your third-person effect: expectations about ‘those’ girls in Girls Gone Wild. //National Communication Association//, 1-31.