Media suggests women need sex appeal to succeed

  Brenden Nemeth-Brown Nemeth-Brown is an
economics and political science student who enjoys long walks on
the beach. E-mail him at [email protected].
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Stuck in traffic over this glorious but ever-so-short break, I
found myself confounded. I was at the corner of Broadway and
Columbus Streets in San Francisco, absent-mindedly gazing at the
hordes of men walking into the many strip clubs that occupy the
North Beach area. This in itself, I can assure you, did not
surprise me. It was instead an advertisement for
“Charlie’s Angels,” with Cameron Diaz coyly
beckoning me, that caught my attention. Not that I thought I had a
chance or anything, but I was amused that a movie about
independent, strong women would be advertised in an area of town
where women are routinely subjected to crude and lewd acts. With a
second analysis of the situation, however, it made perfect
sense.

The fact that women have needed to sell sex to succeed is not a
novel concept. What is novel is that women are the ones who are
perpetuating this self-destructive cycle. “Charlie’s
Angels” was a project that Drew Barrymore had wanted to work
on for years. She finally got her wish and even co-produced the
movie. While I applaud the idea to praise strong female characters,
I am just as saddened to realize it cannot be done without selling
sex. Most men I know who saw the movie did so because either their
girlfriends wanted them to go, or they wanted to ogle Cameron Diaz,
Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu.

It seems that Barrymore’s original attempt had been
thwarted by a basic social construction: the inability for women to
succeed without titillating men. This movie was only going to be
made if the stars themselves were bombshells and could appeal to a
mass audience. Hence, any attempt to portray women in a positive
light came up empty, as the nobler message of female independence
was diluted in a heavy solution of leather pants, tube tops and
make-up.

On the flip side of the issue, there are the few overweight
women who have succeeded in the media. Roseanne characterizes this
minority group adequately, as she is the single overweight female
that the media would have us believe exists. We excuse Roseanne for
her crude behavior because she usually has interesting social
commentary to impart. Her weight adds heavily to her “take me
as I am” demeanor. This is a feat that an attractive woman
would have trouble pulling off.

  Illustration by CASEY CROWE/Daily Bruin Also, when she
tackles issues of her weight and mocks it, it is our way, as a
society, of laughing at a problem with which we genuinely
empathize. Many times we are sensitive to others’ weights,
and have no way to deal with it except to laugh at it. Making it a
joke eases the pain that many have to face on a daily basis.

But this is where the line is drawn. If one were to rely on mass
media for an accurate picture of the female species, we would have
amazingly good-looking women and the occasionally overweight, but
nonetheless quality individual. This obviously ignores the gross
majority of women out there. Most women are of average looks,
average build and average ability.

Although I cannot say from complete experience what the average
woman feels, I do believe that it is possible for a man to
empathize with a woman’s plight. Hollywood does not help this
cause, as women are routinely portrayed as sexual objects for the
taking. If I were not raised by such a fiercely independent mother,
I feel that I would have lapsed into a subtle misogynistic
mind-set. Her worries, insecurities and resentment have played a
large part in my personal development.

Most women I know are extremely insecure with their looks and
weight, in a way that most men never are. This is not to say men
don’t feel these same emotions, but we have always been able
to fall back on a patriarchal society that shields us from the
intense scrutiny of the opposite sex.

Men are lucky enough to be judged on their talent alone. Do you
think if Drew Carey were a woman he’d be able to get a job? I
love Jerry Seinfeld, but he once had to scrounge around the local
playground with a lollipop in hand to get a date.

There is a prevalent myth alive today that tells us that women
have finally reached parity with men. Men and women occupy equal
percentages of college populations, both can vote, and both can
enter the same professional or military fields. Can you honestly
say, however, that women stand on equal footing with men? Hollywood
makes it abundantly clear that unless you can fit into a 36-24-36
caricature, you will fail.

For a long time I never viewed women on the same levels that I
viewed men. One of the most prevalent unspoken fears among men is
that their wives may make more money than they do. It seems silly,
since it all falls in a communal jar anyway, but men feel
emasculated by women who have some type of power over them. No
matter if it is financial or psychological power, the idea of being
overmatched by a woman is unbearable to most men. This is primarily
due to man’s cultural role as protector and benefactor. If he
is unable to reign over his own family and personal relationships,
then he feels like he is less than a man.

With all this said, I don’t want you to think I’m
taking petty shots at Drew Barrymore or men in general. I feel
there has been a collective miscommunication on the parts of both
sexes to come to an accurate, common middle ground. There need to
be more attempts to bring a true parity between men and women, but
one must be careful of the social constructions that may impede
equality. Having your heart in the right place is a good start, but
unless you are willing to question the status quo, your voice will
forever sink back into the desolate, merciless sea which is
mainstream America.

I can only wonder what an actress is thinking when she is
climbing into two black leather pant legs, a revealingly tight
t-shirt and high heeled shoes that make her wobble. Sure, Cameron
Diaz may be able to dropkick a grown man, but when the lights go
off and everyone goes home and she’s alone on the set, do you
think she’s going to be feeling emancipated? She’ll
probably only feel the pain of taking off those high-heeled shoes.
As she sits there, eyes gazing into the distance, she’ll
wonder if her sex appeal is the only reason she has a job. Then
she’ll remember to rub her feet and throw off, like her
shoes, any of those silly thoughts.