MTV's+Undressed

Kelley Donlan

** MTV’s Undressed ** **Overview** //Undressed// was a half hour series that aired from July 26, 1999 until September 5, 2002 at 11 PM on MTV. Every story line revolved around sexual relationships, and each episode featured three separate story lines from three separate age groups: high school, college, and post-graduate. Throughout the six seasons of //Undressed//, there were hundreds of actors and story lines, as the prototypical story line for the show lasted from three to five episodes. Season one’s statistics were: 103 characters, 30 episodes, and 23 story lines (Seymour, 2000). The series, executive produced by Roland Joffe, director of the film “The Killing Fields,” was intended as a medium for openly discussing sexuality where, ‘no aspect of sexuality would be approached as either immoral or frightening (Copeland, 2001).’ The show caused both controversy from critics, because of its portrayal of teenagers engaging in sexual relations, and accolades for its unbiased representation of gay and lesbian relationships and openness in discussing sexuality.

**Sex In The Media: The Debate Over Television** At the time that //Undressed// aired, the debate over increasing amounts of sex on television was gaining momentum. Programming such as //Buffy the Vampire Slayer// (1997-2003)//, Dawson’s Creek// (1998-2003)//,// and //Sex and the City// (1998-2004) were all fairly recently debuted and heavily featured depictions of sex. Also occurring in 1998-1999, was the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky sex scandal and Clinton’s subsequent impeachment trial. Television executives had to be careful, in order to insure the success of their programs in this era of heightened awareness of sex in the media, to avoid ostracizing either end of the political spectrum (Daniels & Littleton, 2007). The media attention surrounding President Clinton’s sexual indiscretions and the influx of new programming with sexual plot lines led to a 1999 study on the sexual content in television shows initiated by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The results were that fifty-six percent of shows on air in 1999 contained sexual content; for prime-time shows, this number was increased, to sixty-seven percent (//Sex on TV: Content and Context//, 1999). By 2001, the Kaiser study reported that the number of televisions shows that featured sexual content had risen to two-thirds (Copeland, 2001). //Undressed//, therefore, became immediately controversial, as it only featured sexual plot lines. The young age of the viewers added to this controversy; MTV reports found that forty percent of //Undressed’//s audience was seventeen or younger (Seymour, 2000). //Undressed// responded to this debate by utilizing sex as a tool to capture more attention and thus more viewers. No subject was deemed too taboo, with adultery, sibling rivalry, interracial relationships, bisexuality and gay and lesbian relationships being featured almost weekly.

**Abstinence Only vs. Prevention Education** When President George Bush took office after the 2000 elections, his administration funded abstinence only sexual education programs. This re-ignited the debate on sexual content targeted for teenagers on TV and sparked a debate on which type of sexual education program was more effective: abstinence only or prevention. Again, //Undressed// was referenced numerously on both sides the debate, with it being criticized for advocating promiscuous behaviors, and conversely praised for demonstrating sexual openness and the ability to discuss one’s sexuality. While George Bush’s administration delegated an additional $135 million to abstinence only programs in 2002, groups such as the “Advocates for Youth” argued for more comprehensive education that featured safety and discussion (Ali, 2002). //Undressed// was depicted in these debates by conservatives as inappropriately advocating promiscuity. Liberals, meanwhile, appreciated the series frank discussions on sexuality and advocated honest discussions for younger generations about sex.

Throughout its entire run, //Undressed// was praised for its unbiased and well-represented depictions of gay, lesbian, and bisexual relationships. Almost every episode featured one of these relationships and was applauded for its refreshing portrayals. “The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation” nominated //Undressed// for three GLAAD Media awards, from 2000-2003, with the series taking home the “Outstanding Daily Drama” award in 2003 (“Undressed”). Scott, Seomin, GLAAD’s Entertainment Media Director, praised the show to Entertainment Weekly for depictions of gay, lesbian, bisexual life. Seomin applauded the show for focusing on life after coming out, instead of the coming out process, as most other shows focus on: “We don’t see a teen struggling to come out [as on most shows] -- it’s already been done (Seymour, 2000).”
 * Depictions of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Relationships**



**Success** //Undressed// was considered “a minor success” and lasted for six seasons of about thirty episodes, averaging about 500,000 viewers an episode (Copeland, 2001) but receiving as high as 2.5 in the ratings. However, it was MTV’s highest rated show amongst 12-34 year olds that aired Monday-Friday during its first season (Seymour,2000). The series launched the careers of many stars, including //The O.C//.’s Adam Brody, //Superman//’s Brandon Routh, and //Mad Men//’s Christina Hendricks, who each had brief story lines on the show. It was cancelled in 2002, after six seasons, however, episodes can still be found online at http://undressedtv.com or occasionally on the television channel LOGO.

**References** Ali, L. (2002, December 9). //Choosing Virginity, A New Attitude: Fewer Teenagers Are Having Sex. As Parents And Politicians Debate the Merits of Abstinence Programs, Here’s What The Kids Have To Say//. Newsweek. Retrieved April 11, 2011 from [].

“Back in the day: Undressed.” (2008, January 29). Buzznet.com. Retrieved April 11, 2011 from [].

Copeland, L. (2001, February 12). //MTV’s Provocative ‘Undressed’: Is it Rotten to the (Soft) Core?// Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 11, 2011 from [].

Daniels, S. & Littleton, C. 2007. //Season Finale: the Unexpected Rise and Fall of the WB and UPN.// New York: Harper.

“MTV’s ‘Undressed’ - Episode 6.” (2010, April 15). Retrieved on April 11, 2011 from [].

//Sex on T.V.// (1999, February 17). PBS. Online Newshour. Retrieved April 11, 2011 from [].

//Sex on TV: Content and Context, A Biennial Report to the Kaiser Family Foundation// (1999, February). The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Retrieved April 11, 2011 from [].

Seymour, C. (2000, February 14). Naked Truth. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on April 11, 2011 from [].

“Undressed.” n.d., IMDB.com. Retrieved on April 11, 2011 from [].