I recently read a piece in Bust about this topic, so I make no claims to any new intellectual discussion about this, but it got me thinking about things I've said myself about the nature of fame.
Not long ago, I wrote about why Taylor Swift scares me. For those to lazy to click that link, in a nutshell, I argued that by ignoring the topic of her sexuality and sex in general while singing about men on white horses and other virginity-laden trappings, she misleads her fans for whom she's clearly an enormous role model.
But that phrase "role model" is somewhat problematic. Because it's pretty rare to find famous young men who come under fire for their actions as "role models" as often as it happens to women. Bust compared Miley and Justin Bieber. While Miley has to apologize for her actions (posing sorta naked for Vogue, singing a sorta sexual song with Bret Michaels, pole dancing at some awards show, etc), Justin hasn't really come under that sort of fire. In part, it seems like his mom is a leeetle more controlling than Miley's pops (apparently Bieber has a strict curfew and gets his laptop taken away at 10PM), thus keeping him from doing anything "questionable."
On the other hand, I'm hard-pressed to think of anything branded "morally questionable" for famous young men. Their misbehavior isn't considered news in the way that that of female train wrecks is. Paparazzi live to get an upskirt shot of some drunken star wearing no panties, but no equivalent exists for male stars. The tabloids are covered with stories about women in danger, ranging from drug abuse to eating disorders to sexual exploits. But rarely, except in a case where women of supposed poor moral fiber are involved (Tiger Woods, anyone?), are the details of men's personal lives scrutinized in the same voracious manner. Thanks to the attitude that boys-will-be-boys and the idea that their sex lives aren't grounds for deducing clues about their morality, fame is just another gendered arena for judging women under harsher criteria than men.
So, Taylor, my apologies, for judging you in the same way everyone else does.
Much love,
The Sheriff
PS-I'm back at Smith for good now (well, just for the year since I'm a senior...eep!), so blogging with be more regular, I promise!
Athletes and rappers are considered role models for male youths these days, and a lot of them get criticism for their affairs, drug and alcohol use, illegal possession of firearms, and other various illegal activities. Chris Brown, Michael Vick, and Mark McGwire all came under a lot of heat because they're considered heroes by millions of boys.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, many musicians that are considered corrupting influence on todays youth, both male and female, and there have been countless boycotts against their music. Going back to the Beatles and Elvis and then Alice Cooper, Kiss, Marilyn Manson, Ozzy Osbourne, and Snoop Dogg and Eminem, to name just a few. Pop singers like Bieber and the Jonas brothers are considered less influential on teen boys than Cyrus and Swift are on teen girls, so they get a lot less heat.
This is true, Tom. But out of the people you've named, only Chris Brown was criticized for anything even remotely related to his sex life, which is what I'm talking about. The promiscuity of professional athletes is legendary (Wilt Chamberlain claims to have slept with over 10,000 women, for one), but is rarely chalked up as cause for concern regarding their influence over young boys.
ReplyDelete--The Sheriff