Faux Feminism

Celebs –male and female- that have heavy use of sexuality in their work, such as singers Rihanna and Miley Cyrus are a cultural norm. They along with other well known personages that make a wage from the business of female sexiness e.g. gentleman’s club owner Peter Stringfellow are posed an ubiquitous question by interviewers, supporters and detractors alike. ‘How, in this era of the highlighting of women’s equality do they justify use of the feminine form for their gains?’ The responses to defend themselves return with similitude. They generally say that far from being demeaning, such sexual exposure of females is actually ‘empowering’ to them. This word is always used ‘empowering.’ What these sexuality-selling celeb-ites actually mean is this, ‘Thank my personal deity we are no longer in the Victorian age of women being trussed up tight in neck high garb....everyone being socially and sexually repressed...and there being no way of me living my life having this much fun!’ -Understandable. But please don’t white-wash a sepulchre by calling your style of work ‘empowering.’ If that is power at all, it is very sad as it seems to be the only significant power today's women have. Also, in this epoch where judging, scrutinising, analysing, ‘fixing,’ exposing, objectifying and merchandising the woman’s body is the norm, industries which comply with this –whether admitting it or not- are not well placed to claim integrity.Frankly, 'empowerment' is not their aim. Further, the exponentially growing porn industry, other ‘exotic’ entertainments and the media beast in general are all threads in a tightly spun web of women’s dehumanisation. This sticky web leaves them feeling obsessively body conscious and caged in. One such as the beautiful Beyoncé can suggestively writhe in sequinned braziers and bum shorts if she wants. The legions of fans love her for it. The icon can sing about and act out being a bold and brazen female as she and the record company have agreed. Bey can also join Miley, Madonna and other similar performers in claiming she and her work are a new feminism. It’s a good sound-bite to stoke up the young female fans who are looking for esteem and real empowerment from somewhere. However, it has no substance as, or congruence with the message of feminist writers. Those such as Germaine Greer have long sought the release of women from the obligation to be merely subjects of lust, control and consumption. Sasha Fierce sings that girls ‘Run the World,’ and thus claims she promotes the value of women. However, these points are not reality. Men almost entirely run the way things are; they run the record companies, production companies, direct the videos, own the porn giants, the newspapers and magazine corporations, the most powerful strings to the Media beast -which controls all of us. Bey, Miley, Rihanna et al are simply its products, swimming along with this terrible tide. ............................................................................................................................................................... “Yet if a woman never lets herself go, how will she ever know how far she might have got? If she never takes off her high-heeled shoes, how will she ever know how far she could walk or how fast she could run?” -Germaine Greer ..................................................................................................................................................... The excellent woman is hard to come by and precious. She trades, is skilful, cares for others and honours God. Beauty is vain. She lets her work do the talking. _Prov 1 paraphrased