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• Monday, November 17, 2008 10:15 PM

  Well yes... body image is important but... butt....

  In the immortal words of Rebecca Traister, "But with progress comes inevitable regress, and in our stouthearted dash to fit this family into a comfortably familiar tableau, we have fallen back into other, far too familiar, cultural traps: you know, like forgetting everything we've learned in recent decades about female achievement and identity."

  I'm actually stunned to the point of drooling over the devolution of Salon. Camille Paglia! Lolcats! The First Lady's Butt! All in one week!

  Wow.

  Here I was, all excited about the next First Lady's intellectual and professional achievements. Moments ago, I was looking at the "Ebony" cover entitled, "America's Next First Couple" with tears in my eyes... sentimental and patriotic tears provoked by the knowledge of how much pain and struggle led up to that headline.

  And then I clicked over to Salon, where Page One is a learned discussion of the First Lady's butt.

  OK. So body image is important. I get that. Didn't Oprah and Queen Latifah sort of... handle that?

  I've been a Salon subscriber from Day One too. And I'm not about to cancel my subscription. This is like watching a train wreck. I should turn away...but I can't. Call me a rubbernecker but I want to know what's next.

  So far, it's looking like it's rolling downhill to a cheesy "reality"show. "America's Top Salon Reader!"

  What's next? A Page One Tuna Casserole recipe?

  —KimR Read KimR's other letters
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