Unless you have been living under a rock, you have heard about Britney Spears' latest publicity-seeking habit of forgetting to put on underwear. Several times over the last week, Spears has been photographed by the paparazzi wearing short-short skirts, entering and exiting automobiles, with her naughty bits hanging out. Her antics has created a hell storm of controversy: female and male fans have proclaimed to "be done with her", mothers are worried about her status as a role-model for their daughters, and most recently, a gynecologist wrote an article expressing concern that Britney's unclothed vaginal discharge may be unhygienic to those around her.
But wait, it gets even better: last night I read a commentary published on
Animated Shorts, which expressed outrage at the public outrage. Specifically, this author states:
They want her to put her underpants back on! When did this dangerous genetic mutation creep into the human race? Will we enjoy the benefits of a next generation if we’re all turned off by a woman’s sex?
The author is blaming the world's disgust at Ms. Spears' lack of underwear on general repulsion of female genitalia, a typical feminist war-cry. Now don't get me wrong: I will be the first to whip off my bra and burn it the moment I get a whiff of sexism. However, this author implies that I am anti-female because I want the girl to put her knickers back on.
I am all for celebrating the female vulva. I have a copy of the Vulva Coloring book, which I obtained for a course in college. I am a huge believer in women celebrating the differences and uniqueness of their individual body types - and that includes what is between their legs. I (obviously) have no issues with pornography and believe that sexuality should be celebrated.
I do not, however, believe that is an appropriate attitude to take at all situations. I do not believe in viewing pornography with my seven-year-old stepdaughter. Nor do I believe in discussing the merits of sexual novelty items with my grandmother. In short: there is an appropriate time and place for everything. There is nothing wrong with Britney Spears celebrating her sexuality, however, for her to do so in public by willfully and continuously exposing herself is obscene, illegal, inappropriate..and anti-feministic.
Yes, I said anti-feministic. Like it or love it, Britney Spears is one of the most powerful economic forces in this country. She does photo shoots and the magazine sells. She does interviews, the country watches. She records records (as bad as they typically are), and the public buys them. In short, she is a woman with power. And to condone her exposing her genitalia in order to gain cheap publicity does nothing but reduce her to prostitute status. Worse, actually: prostitutes are paid for taking off their clothes whereas Britney is exposing herself for free. How exactly is that fall into the feminist ideology?
In sum, I have to respectfully disagree that the world's reaction to Ms. Spears' antics have anything to do with general repulsion towards female genitalia and, hence, an anti-female viewpoint. It is not her naughty bits which are offensive, but the manner in which she has chosen to expose them. Common sense seems to prevail in this case: context is king, er, queen. It is too bad, however, when those so engrossed in their particular cause that they end up portraying their cause in an even more negative light.
