News Flash! Women Have Breasts!
Posted by: tony on 09/20/2006 10:51 AM
Updated by: tony on 09/20/2006 10:55 AM
|
Expires: 10/21/2006 12:00 AM
|
Ann Althouse reports that a number of bloggers had lunch with Bill Clinton. That in itself is not a crime. To many in liberal circles, Bill has rock star quality, and everyone knows most rock stars have their grouples.
Ann takes a different tack with this and decides to take a pot shot at how a particular blogger was dressed.
The first commenter, Goesh, picks up on my prompt -- "Let's just array these bloggers... randomly" -- and wisecracks: "Who is the Intern directly in front of him with the black hair?
The "intern" (guffaw, guffaw) turned out to be Jessica Valenti from Feministing. I have visited there before, and most of what I read there is neo-feminist claptrap, but this sort of attack on Jessica's looks is just well... so 5th grade.
The divine Ms. Althouse writes:
Eventually, Jessica from a blog called Feministing, shows up and says: "The, um, 'intern' is me. It's so nice to see women being judged by more than their looks. Oh, wait..."
Snarky but somewhat conciliatory, I say: "Well, Jessica, you do appear to be 'posing.' Maybe it's just an accident."
Jessica Feministing returns and says:
It's a picture; people pose. And I'm not sure I understand your logic anyway. If I "pose" for a picture (as opposed to sulking and hunching over?) then I deserve to be judged for my looks? I don't see anyone talking *bleep* about the other bloggers smiling pretty for the camera.
Provoked, I decide to actually give her a small dose of the kind of judgment for brains she seems to demanding:
Jessica: I'm not judging you by your looks. (Don't flatter yourself.) I'm judging you by your apparent behavior. It's not about the smiling, but the three-quarter pose and related posturing, the sort of thing people razz Katherine Harris about. I really don't know why people who care about feminism don't have any edge against Clinton for the harm he did to the cause of taking sexual harrassment seriously, and posing in front of him like that irks me, as a feminist. So don't assume you're the one representing feminist values here. Whatever you call your blog....
Well, news flash! Jessica is a woman, and a somewhat attractive woman. By today's standards, she's dressed like a nun, and *GASP* she has breasts!
I can appreciate the female form, and there's nothing wrong with an intelligent woman also being pretty. That picture does not look sexually suggestive to me (though I'd worry, where she was standing, about the President grabbing her ass :)).
From some of the dicussions following this on Feministing, I have come to the impression that the prevailing attitude is that women can dress like streetwalkers, and if they are "objectivized", it's the man's problem.
Well, there is a difference between "objectivization" and a healthy appreciation for the beauty of the female face and form. Men are visual. Most red-blooded, heterosexual men who are warmer than room temperature enjoy looking at beautiful women.
Objectivization can only happen when a woman allows herself to be objectivized.
So Jessica, stand proud. You're a good looking woman. Enjoy the appreciative looks the men give you (ogling is a no-no, though). Oh, and Ms. Althouse... Grow up.
(Jessica responds here.)
|
