'Skins' Ratings Fall, Cast Goes to Elle (Watch a Behind the Scenes Video from the Elle Lingerie Shoot)

While MTV’s “Skins” has succeeded at generating loads of controversy and plenty of buzz, what it apparently hasn’t been able to do is drive the sustained viewership the network may have expected.

According to Fox 411, “not quite a million people tuned in to watch the fifth episode of MTV’s controversial teen drama ‘Skins’ last Monday night, a major drop from the 3.2-plus million people who watched the premiere on January 19.“

The show’s racy teen sexuality and other challenging subject matter have caused Schick, Taco Bell, L'Oreal and Subway to flee as ad sponsors, and you have to wonder if the controversy is causing the show’s audience to do the same.

"Skins" Goes to Elle

As if to further inflame the debate, several of the show’s actors - ranging in ages from 15-19 - recently appeared in an Elle Magazine spread wearing lingerie.

The section, entitled “After-School Special,” shows the cast members wearing lingerie, then later adding additional layers to dress up the look and make it more versatile.

The new photos have predictably inspired the ire of the Parent’s Television Council, and the group’s spokesperson Melissa Henson told the New York Daily News that “even though the poses are less provocative, the fact that they have these underage girls wearing lingerie is troubling. It does contribute to the problem we're seeing increasingly - sexualizing young girls."

Elle Magazine reps pointed out that the spread was less racy than anything on the show, and that parents were in attendance for the entire shoot.

MTV has committed to running the series through its entire ten-show run, regardless of controversy or ratings decline, though you have to wonder if it will be able to match the staying power of its British counterpart, which has lasted for five seasons and is slated for a sixth.

Watch a Behind the Scenes Video from the "Skins" Elle Shoot: