Butt What About The Booty?
courtesy of simple-data.blogspot.com
Does all of the talk about Kim K. and J-Lo’s booties and the body images and types by race serve any purpose other than objectifying women? Yes, there are various body shapes and sizes. There are also different types of hair, eyes, and lips, but so what. I realize that over the years a female ideal has been built around a tall, Caucasian, blonde that’s a size two. That’s not fair to other ladies of color. But somewhere along the way to appreciating the differences we’ve taken a left turn into a ditch called objectification.
In an age where people are more connected than ever through a myriad of devices, why are we so disconnected in understanding each other?
I watched a morning news segment recently that featured three young guys interviewed about their preferences in women’s asses like they were flavors of ice cream. The two female hosts kicked things off by asking the white guy if black and Hispanic men like big butts. The interviewers amped things up further by asking if big asses intimidate white guys. Riveting stuff, indeed.
Hey, I like a nice ass as much as the next guy but shouldn’t our priorities focus on ways of bridging the communication chasm between men and women; not butt sizes and shapes? Are women differentiated now like cuts of meat?
To be sure not to leave any race out of this objectification exercise, one of the hosts asked the fellas about Asian butts. After an agreement that Asian women are to be judged by how pretty their faces are, the white guy gave his thumbs up on Asian girls with pretty faces and…a bubbly little booty. Whoo Hoo! After three minutes of this enlightening banter the guys took things down another notch by communicating their preferences via hand gestures like slapping an imaginary butt giddy-up style and bouncing up and down on the couch. Of course the hosts invited the young men to return soon.
Is the media being responsible?
This is a topic that has been bantered about for ages but is it the right question? As I watched this drivel I was thinking that it’s all in good fun and intended to be entertainment. But then one of the female hosts says, “You know, if you have dipped it in a different flavor you may go back for more. Right?” This from a woman. I’m wondering if I’m a prude or if women are doing themselves a disservice by positioning themselves like cuts of meat or flavors of ice cream. If you had a teenage daughter watching, she’s probably looking over her shoulder at the mirror wondering how her can matches up. That’s the world we live in.
It’s really up to us
Wouldn’t it make sense to extol young men into seeking other qualities in young women than the size and shape of their body parts? This Guy’s Guy thinks so. You may disagree and are certainly entitled to your own opinion, but at least it would be refreshing to have an alternative for a higher level of discourse that can be just as entertaining and fun, maybe even more so. In a time when technology allows for everyone to have a voice and directly connect with whomever they want via multiple, free platforms of expression, shouldn’t we collectively make it count? It’s time to raise the bar.
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How do you think the discussion of bodies and body image should be framed?
