Virgin Territory debuts on MTV on July 16th at 11/10 Central time. Since MTV’s decision to stray from its musical roots, reality shows are not an uncommon sight. With shows such as 16 and Pregnant, The Real World, and Buckwild, a show about virgins is the last thing you would expect to see.
According to MTV ‘s web site, Virgin Territory is described as:
“Virgin Territory follows the lives of fifteen young adults, all of whom are trying to maneuver the often tricky world of virginity. Messy love lives, awkward parental sex talks, sexually active friends, and the pressure to give in to their temptations – all can make for a very tumultuous journey for these abstinent adolescents. Each hour long episode explores four different v-card-carrying cast members from all walks of life. Some of them are hanging on to their virginity and others are desperately trying to lose it.”
According to MTV ‘s Executive Vice President of Series Development and Head of West Coast Unscripted, Lauren Dolgen, the show is not meant to be a farce on virginity and those that choose, or have been chosen for, the virgin lifestyle. Instead, it is meant to bring light to the situation and coerce oppeness and communication about the virgin lifestyle.
“MTV has a legacy of documenting the lives of young adults and openly talking about sex with thought-provoking programming such as ‘True Life,’ ’16 and Pregnant’ and ‘Teen Mom’. Through our ongoing partnership with the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, MTV will continue this tradition by elevating the discussion of responsible sexual health to include the topic of virginity in a way that our audience might find surprising.”
Despite the positive message that MTV is hoping to portray in the series, there are those that worry that Virgin Territory will lose the message in context from the debut episode. The Parent’s Television Council feels that more harm that positivity will come from Virgin Territories as the hunt to lose one’s virginity overshadows the beauty and purity of holding virginity close. Melissa Henson, the Director of The Parent’s Television Council’s Grassroots Education and Activism says:
“Based on the way it’s being advertised — and let’s face it based on MTV’s history with their programming — we’re not anticipating that they are going to treat the subject [of virginity] respectfully,”
Time will tell how the public sees Virgin Territory and how MTV slices and dices the editing portion. Tune in on July 16th on MTV to find out.
Photo Courtesy: MTV
