By far the most well-known rating systems are those associated with the
motion picture industry. Many different countries have their own system—around
16 different varieties of the rating system can be found. For the main, these
systems are all based on age-appropriateness. For this article, we’ll review
the rating system developed by the Motion Picture Association of America
(MPAA).
The MPAA has used a rating system since 1968. In comparison, the United
States joined the movie rating scene late.
Most other countries had already adopted some form of a rating system.
Originally, the MPAA system utilized four ratings:
G—for “General Audiences”
which included children
M—“Mature” audiences
R—“Restricted,” meaning the
film was meant for those 17 and above
X—meant to maintain the
audience at a minimum age of 18 and older.
The rating “M” brought about some confusion with parents and was changed to
“GP” for General audience, Parental guidance suggested, and was later changed
to PG (Parental Guidance suggested).
Since that time, the rating system has grown and changed. One notable
example is the “X” rating. Under the original rating system, Academy Award
winning movies like “Midnight Cowboy” and “Clockwork Orange” were rated X. When
the adult film industry began applying this rating to their films, the MPAA
rating system obviously had to adjust.