I can accept the fact that we are a self-righteous, narrow-minded group that loves to loathe that which challenges the Puritan ideal we have created in our head. It’s the hypocrisy accessorizing it that I can’t stand.
People have come up with many reasons to complain about the flash of Janet Jackson’s breast at the halftime show of this year’s Super bowl. (And even more have come up with ways to blame someone else). Apparently, Janet Jackson’s breast is something to get into an uproar about. There was the commonly used “What about the Children?” argument, the “This isn’t cable!” argument, the “I’m being blinded from the glare of her metallic pasty” argument, and the “obscenity doesn’t belong on TV” argument. I will set aside my own “who gives a shit” argument briefly, but only to derail the others.
The children argument amuses me because those same children are being encouraged to watch excessive violence while also being subjected to sexual exploitation: both being thrown at them and celebrated on a daily basis, anyway. They also, if they are like every other child in the country, have access to television and the Internet without supervision. So, nine times out of ten, they have already seen fake boobs, and they don’t differ much. Lets not even touch on the possibility of them being in public school.
But, what about the fact that these children look up to people like Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake? Perhaps, and this is just a wild guess, this is a wake up call- there is something wrong with a society whose role models are pop stars and sports figures.
And they are right, this isn’t cable. That’s why the actual areola of the breast was not shown. Sometimes, I have to wonder if the actual breast was shown if people would be so pissed off. Does this all stem from the disappointment of NOT seeing Janet’s tits?
So, this isn’t cable. But, that minor detail didn’t stop the same program a few years ago from showing a commercial involving two scantily clad women getting into a “catfight”, ripping off each other’s clothes, and (woops) continuing to wrestle in a conveniently located urban fountain all in the name of “taste’s great” or “less filling”, all to the amusement to two young men sitting at a table watching. So, if we are so concerned about the morality and content of what is shown during the Super bowl, why are we displaying one of the most exploitive and celebrated commercials that does little more than introduce silicone to anyone who hasn’t already had the pleasure? Is it because this is an ad campaign? Or is it because this form of violent sexuality is acceptable?
And what about the even more revealing Swimsuit Issue we are forced to stare at in our grocery store aisles? And (insert female pop star here) half naked on the cover of any “music” magazine. Do your children not see this? If we really want to face the problem of overt sexuality..more aptly the commerce of the female body, let’s face what we produce, indulge, and purchase all in the illusion of harmless entertainment every day. Otherwise, please define where the harm begins and where it ends.
So, lets’s consider our children and our morality, but only in the sense that we are prepared to face it head on. Neither are what we like to think they are. You want to know why there was an exploitive sexually violent halftime show during the super bowl (that was not surprisingly put together by MTV)? Because we, and our complacency, paved the fucking way. So, let’s not bitch when the reality of what we have created shows up in our living room involving our virgin/whore pop stars. Let’s face the real demons, not those who try to grab a horn in the only way understood.