A Plea to Stop Using Movie Ratings for Fic
I don't like using MPAA ratings (G, PG, R, NC-17) for fanfic. They are (1) designed for movies, not text, (2) often applied badly to fic, because the standards are so vague, and (3) used by the MPAA to discriminate against topics they finds offensive, gay sex being at the top of that list. And I don't want to support a system that says "gay sex is more obscene than het sex."
Current MPAA Ratings: http://www.mpaa.org/FlmRat_Ratings.asp
Check the contradiction in the NC-17 rating: "The rating simply signals that the content is appropriate only for an adult audience. An NC-17 rating can be based on violence, sex, aberrational behavior, drug abuse or any other element that most parents would consider too strong and therefore off-limits for viewing by their children." (Emphasis added)
Some history --
But setting aside, for the moment, the idea that any male-male eroticism should create an R-rated fic, there's the other problem: we're dealing with text, not moving pictures. Does the word "cock" automatically make an "R" rating? (If it refers to male anatomy, that is; I assume that references to "born in the year of the cock" are okay for any rating.) Does an obvious description of male genitalia make it "R" or NC-17," even if only "tame" words are used? If the genitalia being described is covered at the time, does that lessen the rating? If the fic says "Hermione rushed out of the shower naked, blushing as she passed Ron on the stairs," is that PG-13, or R? If her nipples hardened as she did so, does that bump it up a notch?
And then we have to think of violence... Passion of the Christ was rated R. This means pretty much any amount of graphically violent torture tops out at R; there's no such thing as NC-17 for violence. NC-17 only means sex.
Using the MPAA ratings means you support the idea that violence is more appropriate for children then sex. That no amount of violence is too intense or damaging for children (as long as they've got parental supervision)... but female masturbation is utterly off-limits.
And WTF does "R-rated fic" mean, anyway? A minor can read this with parental supervision? PG-parental guidance advised? Does ANYONE expect their fic to be read with parental support?
If you want to limit your fic by age, say that: People under 13 should not read this fic. Do not read if you're under 18. If, however, you prefer to stick to US legal standards (I can't speak for laws in other countries), which include no restrictions on text, and allow the reader to decide for herself (or, I suppose, himself) what to read, rate by content, not by reader: This fic has explicit sex and mild violence. This fic has graphic violence. This fic has no explicit scenes. This fic deals with possibly triggery topics; details in white text; highlight to read. This fic features the following kinks: A, B, C. This fic has erotic romance but no explicit detail. And so on.
If you're not sure how to rate your fic, I happily suggest maeglinyedi's Proposed New Ratings. (Warning: post is over three years old. But it's still hilarious.)
Comments may be left at the InsaneJournal post.
Current MPAA Ratings: http://www.mpaa.org/FlmRat_Ratings.asp
Check the contradiction in the NC-17 rating: "The rating simply signals that the content is appropriate only for an adult audience. An NC-17 rating can be based on violence, sex, aberrational behavior, drug abuse or any other element that most parents would consider too strong and therefore off-limits for viewing by their children." (Emphasis added)
- We've decide these are only for adults, even though
- We admit that some parents would allow their children to watch them.
Some history --
- 1930 - The MPAA adopts the "Production Code" (also known as the Hays Code) - a set of industry guidelines governing the production of American films: 1. No picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it. Hence the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin. 2. Correct standards of life, subject only to the requirements of drama and entertainment, shall be presented. 3. Law, natural or human, shall not be ridiculed, nor shall sympathy be created for its violation.
- 1966 - MGM becomes the first MPAA member company to violate the production code, releasing the film "Blowup" without a certificate of approval. In the same year, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf" is released by Warner Bros., featuring an unprecedented amount of profanity and sexual implication. These two films ultimately break the back of the production code, prompting Jack Valenti to begin work on a new rating system.
- 1968 - The Production Code is abandoned and the MPAA introduces a rating system. Originally, the rating system offered four ratings - G, M, R, and X.
- 1980 - In order to receive an R, William Friedkin has to cut 40 minutes from his film "Cruising," featuring Al Pacino as an undercover cop investigating gay bars in order to track a serial killer. Almost 30 percent of the original film ends up on the cutting room floor.
- 1999 - Collette Burson's "Coming Soon," a teen comedy about three girls' search for an orgasm, is rated NC-17 when the filmmaker expected a PG-13 rating, prompting questions of whether the MPAA favors depictions of male sexuality over female sexuality. In an interview with Seattle Weekly, Burson said, "Men who have issues with their sexuality, or issues with their daughters' sexuality-we're talking about men in their 40s with seventeen-year-old daughters-they're the audience that does not respond to this movie, and unfortunately many of them are in marketing." ("Not now, girls" by Bret Fetzer, 7/7/1999) http://www.seattleweekly.com/film/9927/film-fetzer.html
- 1999 - In order to receive an R instead of an NC-17, Jamie Babbit removes a scene where a fully clothed female masturbates from her film "But I'm a Cheerleader." Also in 1999, the R-rated "American Pie" is released. Even the "American Pie" trailers include scenes of a male teenager masturbating.
But setting aside, for the moment, the idea that any male-male eroticism should create an R-rated fic, there's the other problem: we're dealing with text, not moving pictures. Does the word "cock" automatically make an "R" rating? (If it refers to male anatomy, that is; I assume that references to "born in the year of the cock" are okay for any rating.) Does an obvious description of male genitalia make it "R" or NC-17," even if only "tame" words are used? If the genitalia being described is covered at the time, does that lessen the rating? If the fic says "Hermione rushed out of the shower naked, blushing as she passed Ron on the stairs," is that PG-13, or R? If her nipples hardened as she did so, does that bump it up a notch?
And then we have to think of violence... Passion of the Christ was rated R. This means pretty much any amount of graphically violent torture tops out at R; there's no such thing as NC-17 for violence. NC-17 only means sex.
Using the MPAA ratings means you support the idea that violence is more appropriate for children then sex. That no amount of violence is too intense or damaging for children (as long as they've got parental supervision)... but female masturbation is utterly off-limits.
And WTF does "R-rated fic" mean, anyway? A minor can read this with parental supervision? PG-parental guidance advised? Does ANYONE expect their fic to be read with parental support?
If you want to limit your fic by age, say that: People under 13 should not read this fic. Do not read if you're under 18. If, however, you prefer to stick to US legal standards (I can't speak for laws in other countries), which include no restrictions on text, and allow the reader to decide for herself (or, I suppose, himself) what to read, rate by content, not by reader: This fic has explicit sex and mild violence. This fic has graphic violence. This fic has no explicit scenes. This fic deals with possibly triggery topics; details in white text; highlight to read. This fic features the following kinks: A, B, C. This fic has erotic romance but no explicit detail. And so on.
If you're not sure how to rate your fic, I happily suggest maeglinyedi's Proposed New Ratings. (Warning: post is over three years old. But it's still hilarious.)
Comments may be left at the InsaneJournal post.