OMFG: Can They Really Do That?

Recent ads for the CW show Gossip Girl are one of the many things that parents are fretting over in the news lately. The ads feature two teens that look as if they could be having sex, with the text shorthand "OMFG" plastered in big letters over the image.

Anyone who is text savvy knows what OMFG stands for. A CW spokesman was on CNN stating that the text abbreviation is open to interpretation, however. It could stand for something like "Oh my freaking goodness", which he used as a pathetic example.

The CW knew what ramifications running this ad would have, and they had this excuse ready for the media. Gossip Girl is racy, as far as shows aimed at teens are concerned, and it portrays sex, drug use, and teens drinking alcohol. All of these actions are things that teens do, but the show makes them seem a little more glamorous. The racy ads fit right in with the show's storylines, and it has served its purpose beautifully.

It's not any different than Superbowl ads or recent ads like the one for Clearasil where a boy kind of hits on his friend's mother. Advertisers know the power of shock value, and they use it. They don't care what parents think of the ads, and even if they pulled them all now, they've already accomplished what they've wanted to accomplish: people are talking about their show.

It's no different than the "shock value" stunts that celebrities pull to get a little boost in the media. Emma Watson just turned eighteen, and she's already used the crotch flash to get some attention. (At least she was wearing panties; they were just see-through). And Miley Ray Cyrus has gotten attention for appearing "topless" in a photo shoot for Vanity Fair. (Though Vanity Fair will probably benefit a lot more from the attention than she will. You know they pushed her into doing the shoot.) Anyway, celebrities pulling stunts like this are very similar to the raunchy ad campaigns: it may stir up controversy, but it works.