I have been meaning to write this post for a long time. The delay has been a result of an internal debate over whether to turn this into a full blown essay. With starting a new job and the holiday weekend, I discarded that idea in favor of a short rant.
Lately I have seen so many celebrity women say that it is fine that they dress like skanks because they are "claiming their sexuality." The most recent one that really got under my skin was when Helen Mirren praised Miley Cyrus saying that she is thrilled that "young girls are claiming their sexuality for themselves." Christina Aguilera also defends her song "Woohoo," (which in case you didn't know is a code word for her vagina) by saying that she owns who she is and owns her sexuality.
So I guess I don't own my sexuality because I don't expose every inch of my body, claim to sleep around and sing about my vajayjay to the world? I mean come on, this is absurd. Am I not a strong woman because I keep my clothes on? Is this really the message we want to send to young girls? That you don't really know who you are sexually unless you are either (1) promiscuous or (2) look like a stripper/hooker?
Why can't owning your sexuality mean saving it for the right person? Why can't we know that we are strong and don't have to act like sluts? For example, I have always been a confident person with pretty good self-esteem, therefore, I never felt like I had to have a man or that I needed to "dress to impress" a man. I think me knowing that I would attract the right person by looking like a decent person is more powerful than looking like a straight up ho.
I'm so mad that I cannot even get my arguments out straight. Hopefully you get what I'm talking about though. Do you think this makes sense? Do you draw strength as a woman from wearing only a bra and underwear to a baseball game like Lady GaGa did (another person Helen Mirren praises)? I am fine with self-expression, but is the only way to express yourself as a sexually liberated and satisfied person to look like that? I'm concerned, as a feminist myself, that the new picture of what a feminist looks like is a girl without clothes on. Ugh, I just don't get it!
Makes sense and yes, alarming! Especially, with 2 little girls that are going to grow up to see this display of "feminism." Hopefully, my girls won't see these celebrity women as role models. Their whole "claiming sexuality for themselves" thing is absurd. If it is really for yourself, then why is on display for the world to view? Justification is what it is, and I don't really need to see it.
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