While the FCC has spent the last year trying to cut down on the number of boobs you and I see through the mass media, a new cultural phenomena has been promising us more soft-core thrills. I'm talking, of course, about the "Unrated" DVD.
Every comedy that follows that tried and true formula of the 1980s, splicing in one shot of some boobs, is now released on DVD in a special "Unrated" version that shows upwards of two shots of boobs. Old School, Soul Plane, The Girl Next Door - these are just a few of of the films offering viewers the chance to see that extra bit of skin that wasn't visible in the theater.
These DVDs also imply some sort of artistic rebellion. "Unrated" suggests that this was the version THE MAN didn't want you to see. The irony is that most of these "unrated" cuts wouldn't have pushed the films into NC-17 territory anyway. They were probably released the way they were to give the movie the proper pace. But now the producers have picked up every tit from the cutting room floor and spliced it back into the movie. Sure, it probably hurts the watchability of the film as a whole, but many red-blooded Americans still opt for the bonus nudity. (It should also be noted that the watchability of many of these films is in doubt at any rating.)
Tittilation and repression are the Yin and Yang of our cultural psyche. The average American might not rent a XXX video, but they will buy a slightly dirtier version of Road Trip. It appeals to the same part of the male brain that watches Women's Beach Volleyball. These small, often pathetic indulgences give us a cheap thrill without the nagging guilt of all-out perversion.
So while the phenomena of the Unrated DVD doesn't really illustrate anything new, it is another example of a rather prudish cultural hypocrisy. We want fewer boobs during the Super Bowl but more during high-concept comedies. Don't believe me? Consider that the Amazon sales rank for the Unrated version of Old School is 589. The R-rated version - 7,766.
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