Attitudes about the Girls Next Door
November 6, 2009
by Optixmom
|The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
I wanted to start a dialogue regarding a show that represents a media empire: The Girls Next Door. I have to admit, I was a fan (“was” is the operative word). I watched that show often and used it as an opportunity to learn about a perspective that I knew very little about.
Holly Madison, Bridget Marquardt, and Kendra Wilkinson intrigued me because I failed to understand what lure there was to sharing a mate (even one who had gazillions of dollars) and posing naked for a magazine. These ladies (and yes, they are ladies IMO) were fascinating to me because I never viewed them in a negative light. They made a choice regarding how they were living their lives that was legal and they built a cult-like following for themselves and energized an already popular company, Playboy Enterprises Inc.
Where the controversy lies is in regard to the way that they use their bodies that others deem inappropriate and that they are potentially setting examples for young women that are demeaning; and in many cases comparable beauty is unobtainable. Their “beauty” is a combination of natural looks, silicone, and pearly-white smiles.
I like Holly, Bridget, and Kendra; all three have talents beyond just their “Hollywood” good looks (Kendra became certified as a masseuse, Holly is gifted in image layout and set design, and Bridget earned her masters degree in communication.) I don’t watch the program any longer because I have no connection to the new women who are currently living in the Playboy Mansion. Believe it or not, these three had a chemistry and charisma on the television that is not matched (again my opinion).
It is not for me to judge Holly, Bridget, and Kendra on their choices but I have to add that just because they are beautiful by Hollywood’s standards and popular on TV and on the internet does not mean that a man would not take advantage of them sexually if given the opportunity.
Being a Playboy Playmate does not give you a pass on destructive male behavior. There have been accounts of Playmates paying the ultimate price at the hands of violent men; see Dorothy Stratten and Jasmine Fiore. Playboy models such as Joanna Krupa claim that being chosen to have a pictorial in Playboy is empowering to women. Krupa stated:
“There are several great reasons why female celebs line up to shoot Playboy: finally a woman gets paid more than a man for comparable work, she gets to set the rules, gets to be in a real team work with other women, as many key positions at Playboy are in fact held by women!” Krupa adds. “She brings in her creative ideas, gets involved in the photo selection and ends up with something she co-created through and through.”
One thing that Krupta fails to understand is that there are men out there who would harm them because they only see them as property. The number of men that are of this opinion is not limited to a few outliers. Holly, Bridget, Kendra, and Joanna are as vulnerable to being forced by a man to have sex as any other woman or girl is in our country. They can glamorize their choices as much as they want, but the bottom line is beauty and sexual empowerment does not translate into not being a potential victim to a violent crime at the hands of a man. I don’t doubt for a minute that Hugh Hefner wants all of his models to be safe and never be victims of rape or violence at the hands of his readership or viewership. But the reality is that they could be, there are no guarantees. Hollywood Beauty does not buy you safety. Just ask Rihanna.
The problem with using something to make money that is usually viewed as a way to show love is that you eventually think that is all you are. I would be interested in learning how many of those girls were sexually abused and learned to use their bodies as objects of desire and fantasy rather than learning to use them when they are shown love and respect. I know that the sexual abuse I suffered at the hands of my ex-husband has made it very difficult to do in a meaningful relationship.
I am not accusing anyone of course, and obviously, they wouldn’t all have been abused, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all to learn that there is a higher percentage there than in the general population.
“… just because they are beautiful by Hollywood’s
standards and popular on TV and on the internet does not mean that a
man would not take advantage of them sexually if given the opportunity.”
In other news, water is wet.
Anyone who still thinks that men “like” beautiful women must never actually hear real, live men talk about such women.
Playboy Online wanted to do an interview with my daughter, who’s a musician. I’m sure they were as interested in her beauty as her music but when they wanted to know her measurements, she told them that had nothing to do with her music and ended the interview. I was so damn proud of her!
Disgusting. Sad. Dumb.
These are the three words that immediately spring to mind upon reading this filth. Oh, and don’t forget Dumb. Oh, wait, I already said that.
PLAYBOY is to women what chains were to the black man and until women accept this we are doomed to be, as Yoko Ono put it so many years ago, the “nigger of the world.” And unlike the black man, women seem to just love those chains.
Without getting into the nitty gritty of PLAYBOY, like how they promote child rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment, let me just leave you with this statement: Powerful women do not open their legs and show their vaginas to the world. And neither do powerful men show their penises. Letting the world see you naked and being used as a masturbatory tool is not a power position, it just makes you covered with cum. If women want to change the power paradigm and start having power they will need to keep they clothes on and their legs closed. Until then you will just be something bought, used, and thrown away.
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