Rated G for Guilty

Megan is the stereotypical high school cheerleader girl. Her boyfriend is the football team’s captain. Every girl in school envies her for having the perfect life, the perfect boyfriend. Except she is not who people think. In reality, she hates kissing her boyfriend because she is only attracted to girls. Her parents eventually realize to their dismay that their daughter might be lesbian. They decide to send Megan to a rehabilitation camp that converts its patients “back to heterosexuality.” Megan, thinking her parents are right, accepts to go. Ultimately, she realizes that she is simply attracted to women and there is no summer camp that would change that. The previous story was a film released in 1999 called “But I’m a Cheerleader.” This movie served as a critique not only about the perception of sexuality in society, but also about gender roles. Unfortunately, the film did not reach a wide audience because the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) initially gave it an NC-17 rating (No Children under 17 Allowed). This was a surprising decision since the movie had no violence, nudity or sexual content. In order to get an R rating, the director revealed that the MPAA asked her to cut down a scene in which two girls talk about giving oral sex to each other, thus proving that the homosexual content of the movie was the reason why it was given an NC-17 rating. Since the creation of the current film ratings, many controversies have emerged from the unfair treatment the MPAA has given to many films and their content. Simultaneously, they have been discriminating certain groups and endorsing wrong ideas to millions of moviegoers in America. The MPAA rating system must be eliminated because it delivers a faulty message to the Amer...

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...e type of content. But the Motion Picture Association of America is not being fair with its rating system, disfavoring the image of the film industry. While discriminating certain groups, like women and gays, the MPAA rating system is proving to be a severely inappropriate structure to be put responsible for the fate of movies in America. Its original mission to serve parents and children seems to have lost its purpose as it is doing the opposite of what it declares to do, sending different kinds of wrong messages to its targeted audience. Parents should have the right to decide what kind of film is right for their children without the bias ratings of this organization because at the end, parents have their own opinion on what their kids can and cannot watch. The MPAA rating system is spreading faulty messages to Americans, which is why it must be eliminated.