A Beast in the Streets

Amber Rose, what exactly are you saying in this outfit? I’m too cool to care that I look like a comic book character? Or I’m so sexy I can shave my head and wear this God-awful outfit for the paparazzi to snap my pic? This is what you wear while out to lunch? Don’t they have children in California? I am so over these fame-seeking freaks and foul-mouthed hip hop artists. I am over the, “how naked can we get on the red carpet without actually being naked. “ This isn’t women empowerment but objectification and narcissistic behavior. Why not just walk the red carpet in heels and your birthday suit. Geez, “ladies,” put on some clothes for heaven’s sake.

What I find so disturbing about this trend is that I don’t see it disappearing. With each boundary that is pushed, each modicum of decency discarded, we fall further down the rabbit hole of a society that does not value modesty and self-respect. Pandora is out of her box and she has no clothes.

jennifer-lopez-naked-dress

We are dangerously close to becoming a society void of any shock value. Every behavior is acceptable, even if it offends the decency of others. I often wonder if those who militantly adhere to the ideal of personal relevance ever think about where this path will actually lead us. Are we prepared to live in a world where, “to one’s own self be true,” is really just an excuse for bad behavior and poor decision-making skills? Does being authentic mean we have no regard for those around us?

Amber looks like just the average beast in the streets to me.  Any femininity she possesses is completed dwarfed by her poor choices. And what of her masculine hair style and shoes? It seems that gender bending and androgynous messages are swirling around the fashion and entertainment industries in tandem with the oversexed entertainment industry.

Just days ago, the Daily Mail published an article entitled, “Death of the Waist…,” decrying the androgynous figures of stars such as Cameron Diaz. I am certainly a fan of fitness and would be the first to say that not every woman has a natural hourglass figure, but I too, have noticed that the new “perfect” body depicted in the media is slender, straight up and down, and resembles a male torso with no waist and small breasts.

Cameron

But femininity has less to do with the shape of a woman than how she dresses and carries herself.  Growing up, I was always taught that a little mystery makes a woman more alluring. And if you know anything about how pornography affects the brain or perhaps your own fantasy sex life attests, you would have to concur that it is the imagination that makes a woman (or a man) desirable.

Near nakedness is still cheap. Anyone can go around half dressed, but to be attractive, sexy, and confident, now that takes skill.  Inevitably the bloom will be off the rose and if Madonna is any indication, these near-naked stars won’t cope very well. Appearing in bondage regalia when you are pushing 60 is just, well, sad and pathetic.

As Coco Chanel once said, “A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous. In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different. The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.“ So although I applaud Amber Rose’s attempt to be different, looking like a rebellious over–the-hill teenager in a bad porno flick isn’t all that original today. We can do better.

Amber-Beast