The Super Bowl is over, and since Janet Jackson's unintentional exposure last year, I've been thinking about the hypocrisy of American media and American morals. In nearly every account I read, it was Janet Jackson "exposing herself." Has it occurred to anyone else besides myself that Ms. Jackson had her garment ripped open by Justin Timberlake? It's not as if she grabbed her lapels and ripped loose. But Mr. Timberlake was an afterthought; it was all Ms. Jackson's fault. Which is bullshit.
Why does the Federal Communications Commission throw a fit over a bare boob, while MTV, entertainment awards shows, commercials, sitcoms, dramas and reality shows sport half-naked bimbos? Why is it when a movie cautions potential viewers that nudity is involved, it's always female nudity? Because men run the entertainment business, and it's okay to show half-naked women, but not half-naked men.
Thanks to MTV, our entertainers must look good as well as sound good. Cass Elliot of the Mamas and the Papas would not have made it today. I'm sure there are several thousand women out there with incredible voices, but we'll never hear of them because they were either hit with the ugly stick, have a weight problem, or saddled with both.
Reality shows are patronizing as well. "Average Joe" pits several average-looking guys against each other trying to win the heart of a bimbo. You will never see "Average Jane," featuring average women angling for the attention of a hot guy. Wouldn't sell. Or so they claim.
As a result, everyone in the tabloids looks alike. The women especially look alike. Same facial features, same hair, same skin tone, except for a select few. Entertainment has gone generic.
It's no wonder average people are hopping on the plastic surgery/weight loss bandwagon. The message the media presents is, "if you don't look perfect, you're screwed." And "perfect" means adhering to guidelines that some people are naturally born with, like being naturally slim, having high cheekbones, etc. The pressure to look good is so overwhelming, it's enough to make people think, "why the hell bother?"
I'm guilty of that myself. For years, I've never felt attractive. I put on makeup and do my hair, but some days it's a half-hearted effort. For a while, I didn't bother to do either, and of course, no one noticed. The magazine models look slightly more ethnic these days, but of course, the emphasis is on "slightly." The "voluptuous" models are ones that top out at size 12. And in the media, that's still considered "fat," so even if I get down to that size, I'd still be considered overweight. So if your personal best isn't good enough, why even bother?
And so I reject television and its hypocrisy. All the boobs in the world showing up on American television won't interest or disgust me at all, because I don't watch enough of TV to let it bother me. I saw Janet's boob job on TV newscasts instead of live. And I was like, "so?"
It's the same thing with commercials for birth control. I see far more commercials for The Pill than of The Rubber. Men's penises (peni?) are taboo on TV it seems, but Vagisil and Ortho-Tricyclen commercials abound. Media tap dances around the subject of birth control, even while every women's magazine on the racks talks about how to "Spice Up Your Lovemaking." Can the American media realize that people fuck and accept that? Can the advertisers be a little more persistent in the importance of birth control? Again, MTV and soap operas and commercials either hint about people getting it on, or flat out show as much as the censors will allow them to get away with. That's "okay," but God Forbid they show a condom commercial. Viagra commercials abound, but actually coming out and saying, "this is what you need to do to prevent getting pregnant," is a no-no. This hypocritical prudery is tiresome. I have plenty of hang-ups, but Americans are way too uptight despite the media claiming otherwise. It's okay to have sex, but not to prevent it. It's okay to dress provocatively, but just make sure nothing falls out. This stupidity rages on, simply because we have problems in our society, and indeed around the world, that the U.S. is too chickenshit to acknowledge. Anyone who thinks the greatest threat to our society is an exposed tit is a moron. Janet's boob was just something else to focus on that wasn't nearly as depressing as a struggling economy, unemployment, health care costs and the war in Iraq. And, as usual, the American people bought it.