Letters to the Editor
-
deface?
ummmm.... since when is shaving one's head or getting a tattoo considered "defacement" of one's body? granted, she may have not been in the best frame of mind to choose these actions, and may have regretted the choice after the fact, but it is unfair to point at the two actions as "defacement" in and of themselves.
frankly, i was surprised to read such a knee-jerk reaction to aesthetic choices that have only become more and more mainstream among women. i've shaved my head and i've sat for 50 hours of tattooing. both choices were adornments of celebration, not desperation.
by no means could a shorn head or a tattoo be "defacement" but to the most close-minded of people. unless you're also opposed to boob jobs, hair coloring, ear piercing, body sculpting support hose, makeup... ok, you get the idea.
-
What did you expect? Singer /songwriter Britney?
Now if she'd come out with a guitar and sang some new songs she wrote while in rehab, that would be mindblowing. I don't think she has it in her for any sort of creative reinvention of her artistic product. All she knows how to do is shake her ass and dance while speaking those weird processed "vocals". She doesn't "sing". Even when it actually is her live voice, unlike this House of Blues gig was, supposedly. $125 for a 20 minute lip-synched performance? Maybe she was hoping to prompt a confrontation with the audience?
What a let down. I was really entertained with the notion that she might comeback as some challenging confrontational artist and shock everyone. But no, back to the same ole, same ole.
And I'm with the previous poster on tattoos and head shaving. Cutting yourself, burning yourself, etc is defacing your body.
-
Excuse me...
...but just WTF is this?
The writers on Broadsheet have indulged themselves in gossip before, but this crosses the line. Since when is this a trashy celebrity column? What's the matter, have you all gotten bored with the demise of The Fix?
Please leave off with the Stupid Celebrity Antics and confine yourselves to reporting actual women's news, ok?
-
But here at Salon, Stupid Celebrity Antics ARE Women's News
Dear Serai1:
Thank you for your comments, especially:
"Please leave off with the Stupid Celebrity Antics and confine yourselves to reporting actual women's news, ok?"
After reading your comments, I see now how Salon could "kill two birds with one stone," and get "credit" for getting rid of the The Fix because it wasn't serious enough, while at the same time, keeping The Fix...in slightly modified form in Broadsheet.
Those silly "broads" won't notice! We're too busy buying feel-good lipstick and switching birth control methods to notice!
Brilliant!
And yet so dumb!
-
Whoa, whoa, wait...
OK...deface? Because she decided to bond with some clippers? Get a tatt or two?
And, while we're at it, what's with the, "Oh, NOES! She did a sexy stripper act! Oh, GOD! What will happen? What a disgusting, scandalous woman!"
Salon, puh-lease!
-
It strikes ME as sad...
...that this is being posted on Broadsheet. THIS is why The Fix needs to come back. Even smart journalists don't know the difference between tabloid news and real news anymore.
-
This is news ? What about CA NOW ?
It's funny how Broadsheet is strangely silent on the latest misandry from California NOW =>
http://www.canow.org/documents/baldwinpr.pdf
-
Well, what did y'all expect? Wasn't it Tracy Clark-flory who called her own daughter a hoochie mama?
OR was it Carol Lloyd. I'd hate to be wrong on this one, but if it was Clark-Flory, why is anyone shocked that she's so obsessed with sexy sexy Britney and her hoochie mama ways?
-
Role models for America's young women.
I am certainly glad that this important role model for young women has returned to fulfilling her obligation to society and feminism and I look forward to more important news articles like this which lead to the betterment of women everywhere and highlighting the leadership roles available to women in our wondrous land today as a result of the tireless efforts of those in the entertainment industry to enlighten and educate our noble peoples.
-
Easy, kids...
...Clark-Flory is reporting the media and blog response to Britney's return to "business as usual".
If it's correct that the media heralded this performance as a comeback, then it's worth noting the public relief over the return of Britney, the symbol, from Britney the flesh and blood basket-case.
Since when is a column that points out the public self-regulation of symbols of women not appropriate for Broadsheet?
-
Definitely critical
Thanks for this critical feminist update on the Britney Spears issue, Tracy.
Keep us informed of any further developments in this key story, central to the feminist struggle.
-
defacement
-- aureliana wrote:
...by no means could a shorn head or a tattoo be "defacement" but to the most close-minded of people. unless you're also opposed to boob jobs, hair coloring, ear piercing, body sculpting support hose, makeup
I believe that it is fair to classify all tattoos, and certain types of piercings and plastic surgery as body defacement. My criterion is fairly straightforward -- if the modification alters the body's appearance in a permanent way for merely cosmetic purposes, it is probably a form of defacement.
I say "certain" types of piercings to differentiate between common ear piercing, which is generally reversible without scarring, and some of the more exotic piercings, which are more likely to lead to infection and scarring. Likewise, I would draw a distinction between reconstructive plastic surgery and purely aesthetic plastic surgery.
As for hair coloring, body sculpting support hose, and makeup, this is a bit of a strawman argument, as no one would classify such obviously temporary measures as body defacement. In fact, the latter two items are external enhancement that are not even incorporated into the body during use (okay, some makeup is absorbed by the skin, but it all comes off with soap).
None of this is meant as a value judgment. I do not believe that body modification should be proscribed in any way -- if a woman wants to get breast implants to change her bra size from a 36A to a 40DD, it is no one's business but her own. I just think we should call things by their proper name. Perhaps the problem is that the word "defacement" carries a negative value judgment all by itself, and we should stick to the term "body modification."
As an aside, it is my non-scientific belief that most men would be opposed to their female partners obtaining breast implants. While men often find large-breasted women to be sexually arousing in a visual sense, most would be turned off by the tactile differences associated with implants.