STATEMENT: Westworld Creator Says Show is Not Too Pornographic; NCOSE Disagrees

NCOSE Press Statement logo

Statement by Dawn Hawkins, Executive Director of NCOSE

Washington, DC – The latest episode of HBO’s Westworld portrayed graphic sex scenes and nudity. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) calls on Westworld creators to stop mainstreaming pornography as entertainment.

“I think all of us have a modicum of taste that keeps us from taking it too far into the pornographic world,” co-executive producer and supervising director Richard J. Lewis told The Hollywood Reporter, while also adding that they “wanted to create the best sex orgy you can imagine.”

“By Richard Lewis’ own admission, Westworld is injecting pornography into mainstream entertainment,” said Dawn Hawkins, Executive Director of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, “The latest episode was replete with gratuitous depictions of female nudity, and included an orgy depicting several explicit sex acts, as well as a scene focusing on exposed male genitalia. I would love to hear Richard Lewis explain to me how these scenes reflect a ‘modicum of taste.’ No plot necessitates this level of explicit depictions of sex acts and nudity. In fact, one wonders if HBO producers are capable of creating plots that don’t depend on pornography for shock value.”

“What the creators of Westworld don’t understand, is that graphic sexual scenes are not artful or compelling. Instead they are toxic fodder for our societal crisis of using people—especially women—as sexual objects, and minimizing the sexual trauma or violence that can result,” Hawkins continued. “The creators of Westworld and executives at HBO need to start focusing on plotlines instead of prurient and pornographic scenes that objectify women and men.”

Due to its history of producing and distributing sexually exploitative programming, including Westworld and Game of Thrones, HBO is a member of the 2016 Dirty Dozen List. You can learn more here: https://endsexualexploitation.org/hbo/

The Numbers

300+

NCOSE leads the Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation with over 300 member organizations.

100+

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation has had over 100 policy victories since 2010. Each victory promotes human dignity above exploitation.

93

NCOSE’s activism campaigns and victories have made headlines around the globe. Averaging 93 mentions per week by media outlets and shows such as Today, CNN, The New York Times, BBC News, USA Today, Fox News and more.

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