Miley Cyrus and Beyoncé spark film classification clampdown
The sexually charged music video antics of female singers such as Beyoncé and Britney Spears have sparked a toughening of the rules that govern the screening of films by the British Board of Film Classification.
Until now the criteria for a 12A certificate have been relatively lax but a backlash from parents has prompted the BBFC to pay ‘close attention’ to both the perceived sexualisation of girls and graphic depictions of sex.
This will make it harder for films to be certified as appropriate for children and will bring music videos under the organisations auspices for the first time, issuing them with age classifications in the same vein as standard movies.
A consultation staged by the body found that sexually charged images were ‘pervading the national psyche in an insidious way’, leaving children struggling to identify normal sexual behaviour and adults in a state of ‘shock and incredulity’.
Parents have reacted angrily to recent releases by singers such as Rhianna and Britney Spears.