Female emancipation never looked so bad
August 5, 2010
©AGJ
You’re circling the drain
Take back the message
Yeah, it takes work
Focus and vigilance
The lowest common denominator takes seconds to achieve
Overriding decades of work
You’re discouraged?
OK! Let’s work with that
No, you say
And throw a party
To make you feel better
The theme?
Your own degradation
You invite your friends
Go Wooo!
Flash the boys
You love that they love it
Well, some of them do …
You ignore the rest
And get more provocative on your Facebook news feed
See how many comments you can get
What’s that?
I can’t hear you. You’re whispering
You feel stung by the aggressive feedback?
A little confused?
Well, here’s how we handled bewilderment
Back in the eighties
I’m talking, but you’re texting
OK, you say, tell me how it’s different today
It’s a global stage
Your mistakes are stored
But the basic dynamic hasn’t moved an inch
Waddya mean?
I get caught-up in the web-like complexities of the male/female dance
Shit
I’ve lost you
Your phone rings
You leave the room
And up the ante
Installing a webcam in your bedroom
Misting up the lens with your open mouth
Flashing. Again
Who taught you this?
Not Naomi
Not Gloria
Not Betty
The Hollywood sleazebags, I guess
Those cigar chompers who put the highest premium on your fuckability
“Would you do her?”
If that’s a yes around the casting table
You get the call
Mom, I got the part!
You don’t tell her what’s involved
You take the money
Fill the hole inside yourself with more purses
More shoes
Lots of stuff
Ignore the sacred whisper
On your own terms, it says
Yeah right, you sneer,
Turning out the light, and spooning your pillow.
*For more on this “hot” topic, see this week’s cover story in Maclean’s, “Outraged moms, trashy daughters,” by Anne Kingston.
Hi Alison, the Maclean's article is now available online: http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/08/10/outraged-moms-…
I agree that it is a bit depressing to think about the media messages being absorbed by teens today (not to mention that it makes me feel really old!). Of course, we all look back at our teen years with hazy lenses; I don't doubt or deny that I was exposed to sexualized music, movies, and shows but what was once considered to be "pushing the envelope" is shrugged off by most teens today. However, I have a feeling that the newer generation will breed its own "riot grrls" who are fed up with the current messages aimed at young girls.
“I know this a generational thing, she says, leaning on her cane. But, I think those Mary Quant mini dresses from the sixties (shocking at the time) were pretty darn kicky! Many of the gals who wore them (including Gloria Steinem (below), Marlo Thomas and, even, Hillary Clinton) looked and acted smart and sassy in them, accomplishing important things despite their trendy wardrobes. Oh, and back then, women didn’t greet each other with “Yo bitch!” But because I’m human, I’m also torn. Should Gloria (below) be organizing a rally for women’s rights AND showing her whites? Does one cancel the other out? Fast forward: I doubt time will make the antics of the sparkly “Hot Skank” T-shirt set look or seem better than they are. Exhibitionism in and of itself is such a dead-end for women, although try telling that to a young gal who thinks her sex appeal is her only ticket. Looks ARE power. That won’t change, and it shouldn’t. It’s how you wield it (and come to terms with it) that matter. Obviously, this is a very North American and very privileged take on women’s autonomy, but it’s all I know. I’ve never lived in Afghanistan or been pressured to drop a sheet over my head because my looks and very existence were thought to be a major distraction, at best, or subversive, at worst. In the end, maybe the deepest part of human nature makes us all (women and men) go crazy over the effect of women’s attributes. I still say this will go down as a dip (no, a free fall) in women’s history. As always, LOVE your input, Emily!”