GQ's GLEE Cover Controversy

GQ is receiving mixed reviews about their November issue, which features provocative photos of GLEE cast members. The magazine is aimed at adult males, but the television show is geared toward a teenage crowd. The actresses in the questionable photos are in their twenties, but they play high school students on the show. They are shown in the magazine wearing provocative clothing and posing suggestively.

This situation may remind you of Miley Cyrus' magazine cover controversy in 2008. The 15-year-old posed for Vanity Fair wrapped in a bed sheet, appearing to be otherwise topless. While both Cyrus and the GLEE actresses appeal to a young fan base, the GLEE actresses are several years older than Cyrus and the characters they play on the show.

GQ included the photos of the actresses to sell magazines to their target audience, which is not the same as the audience for the show. The actresses are young adults, and old enough to make choices about the personal image they wish to portray. In similar incidents, it has been argued that such photos help actresses break away from their childish image and gain more adult acting roles.

Was GQ wrong for including provocative photos of the actresses because of their young fans or was the magazine just catering the photos to their target audience? Is it wrong for female actresses to express their sexuality if their fan base is mainly teenagers?

To form your own opinion, read more and see the photos here.