Skins vs. Skins
Taking MTV to task for a botched remake of the U.K.'s groundbreaking cult hit series.
By Matty Slick-Haxx
I wasn’t expecting much when I first heard of the MTV remake of the UK series Skins. The last time MTV did something mildly entertaining was putting Daria in a set rotation—and I am still waiting for Undressed to be released on DVD! I was completely unimpressed by the premiere Monday night, and found myself staring blankly at the TV, stewing over what I had just seen.
MTV’s premiere episode was pretty much a verbatim adaptation of the original, including shots and scenery. There was one major change however. The twinky, tap-dancing, dream boat Maxxie was now Tea, a sassy, lesbian cheerleader. Wow, way to go MTV. When there was really a chance to show the country and struggling teenagers all across America what a confident, talented, and out young gay guy looks like, what do you do? Slap pom-poms in her hand and make her eat vag. Note: the fact that there are LGBT youth on a primetime show on cable is a success, yes. My biggest problem with this “edit” is how young gay men are once again shown that they don’t have a place in primetime, they aren’t worth the controversy. With the exception of the campy, non-realistic Glee, where can these young men see characters that reflect the trials and real life issues they are facing on a daily basis? What if you don’t like showtunes? What if you can’t sing? What if you aren’t like everyone else? MTV had the chance to broadcast the reality of growing up as a gay man in today’s society. Instead, they bought into what is more easily palatable to their horny adolescent audience: photogenic girl-on-girl action. They played to straight men’s stereotypically porn-fueled wet dream: the barely-legal lesbian cheerleader taking all her friends to a dyke night.
I don’t really understand why I am so upset. This are the same network that created a cultural climate in which Snookie gets paid $15,000 every time she says “pickle.” I just cannot help but be a little perturbed when, with the current rate of gay teenagers taking their own lives because of the sense of alienation our culture foists upon them, a network would look at their options and say, “Well, that just won’t fly over here. It’s not the right time.”
Well, MTV, when is the right time? How many more teens need to be popped up on anti-depressants or call 1-800-SUICIDE before the realization is made that we all matter? Even if we don’t fit into a ratings-friendly norm, we are all living breathing people and no one deserves to be pushed aside and told to wait your turn.
It will get better. It is continually getting better, but honestly, I’m sick of waiting and the entire community should be too. It needs to get a whole lot better and it needs to happen now. We don’t have time or lives to waste.
Cheers, MTV. Cheers.
