LOS ANGELES (August 29, 2016) – The Parents Television Council
made the following statement about this year’s MTV Video Music Awards show held Sunday night.
“We applaud the corporate sponsors of last night’s VMA program for using their influential economic leverage to ensure that this year’s
broadcast was less explicit than VMA broadcasts in recent years. We also applaud the network broadcast standards department for their quick reactions to
remove the harshest profanities,” said PTC President Tim Winter.
“However, Viacom and MTV need to make a pivotal choice about the sexualization of women: either they must decide that it is good, or they must decide
that it is bad. Sadly, last night’s program contained concerning levels of sexualization throughout the night. When you have the juxtaposition of the
U.S. women’s Olympic gymnastics team and their positive image of what’s healthy and right, contrasted with the sexualizing content that was so
pervasive on the rest of the program, MTV is sending starkly-conflicting messages about what is important. So MTV, which one is it? We call on the network
and its corporate parent, Viacom, to show more of that positive representation of women and less of the sexualizing content, both now and in the
future.”