The majority of people in this class probably know about Kate Gosselin and her recent rise to fame. Kate, her husband Jon, and their eight children were featured on the reality television show called “Jon and Kate Plus 8” that aired from 2007 to 2009 on TLC. For those that do not know, this program featured Jon and Kate and their adventures in raising eight young children, a set of twins and sextuplets. The show was actually one of the highest rated programs that aired on TLC. Like any good thing and any sudden rise to fame, the family fell apart from all the pressures the media had put on an already stressful family situation. Since the show was very popular and the Jon was seen as the enemy, it was easy for the public to take a liking to Kate and she continued her rise to fame. Frequently making appearances on talk shows, news outlets, and often hounded by the paparazzi, she soon became a household. My sister is a huge fan of the series, and has every episode, so needless to say I am somewhat familiar with the life of Kate Gosselin, I am not denying ever seeing the show, but I am informed of her status quite frequently. I heard about Kate’s new haircut and make-up, and I heard about her participation on “Dancing with the Stars.” It has become a trend in Hollywood that when one reasonably attractive person becomes famous; the public cannot wait to see naked pictures or some explicit video of this person, it is what the public thrives on so they can criticize and judge but, more importantly, so that they have something to talk about. Quickly after gaining her fame and divorcing Jon, rumors circulated that Kate Gosselin would shoot a pictorial in a nude magazine with none other than Hugh Hefner.
I was not immediately aware that Kate was going to do a pictorial in “Playboy” but, while browsing the web, I stumbled upon this article on CNN, the most popular of the day by a large margin, entitled “Playboy rejects Kate Gosselin.” When I saw this headline, it raised all kinds of questions and I was honestly a little confused and taken back by such an idea. The article is very, very short; it is not more than five sentences that says Hefner was asked if there was a possibility of Gosselin posing for Playboy to which he responded, “No! No!” and he does not even know why she is on “Dancing with the Stars.” Furthermore, he exclaimed, “I don’t think she’s a celebrity.” Then the article goes to list other celebrities that were not so kindly rejected by the men’s magazine. I argue that this is the right decision, a decision that should not have had to have been made or even contemplated, not by any feminist rules of thought but just on sheer morals, that Kate Gosselin should by no means pose naked for photos that are intended to be released to the public
One of the very first pieces of literature that we have read for this class and one that I like to refer to is “Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture” by Ariel Levy. Levy is not necessarily in favor of this new “raunch culture,” but this issue pertains to some of the individuals that she interviewed in her book, Levy interviewed women that would encourage Kate to pose and show off her body for the world to see because in their opinion, it would be liberating and empowering. Contrary to these interviewees’ thoughts, I believe that if Kate were to pose for “Playboy” it would only demoralize her public image as a respectable woman and mother and she would undoubtedly feel ashamed of herself later. Furthermore, it could even cause her some psychological trauma as Aisha Hakim-Dyce expresses in her piece “Reality Check.” In Hakin-Dyce’s article, she entertains the idea of becoming a ‘go-go’ dancer but never goes through it with calming that “more than a year later, [she] still grapple[s] with the issues raised by [the] experience,” (238). Now, while Kate’s opinion is not discussed in the article, the issue of posing would undoubtedly be controversial in Kate’s mind, if not complete dismissed because of her status as a mom and is very vocal about her religious beliefs.
The reason for this post is to show that no celebrity or average person goes without the pressure of doing something that they do not want to do. After all, isn’t that what women’s studies is all about, people telling other people to act certain ways and how to live their lives? I do not see much room for debate why Kate should try to exploit her body for money for fame because she clearly already has both. I may be slightly contradicting myself for the statement above, but all she needs to do now is to not get too caught up in her fame and remember the most important thing: her family.
I don't think Hefner rejected Gosselin because he was looking out for the well-being of her children, but rather, because he didn't think she was hot enough to sell magazines. While I can't say for sure, I have a feeling plenty of mother's have graced the pages of Playboy. Gosselin gets more attention than she deserves as it is, but it's kind of disturbing to think that a man as old and wrinkly as Hefner gets to decide what's sexy. Luckily for Gosselin, she won't lose the respect of her 8 children once they are old enough to know what Playboy is thanks to Hefner's "standards."
ReplyDeleteWe have definitely established in this class that posing naked for playboy and playing into raunch culture is not really a feminist issue. While it is great we can “do whatever we want to do” playboy and other raunch culture outlets are really just part of the patriarchal system. It is even clearer that playboy is part of the patriarchal culture as Hefner has the right to reject Gosselin and as Missy states a right decide what is sexy. He is clearly not worried about the wellbeing of her children, as certainly mothers have posed naked in playboy before. While Kate may have made this choice anyway, why do we give Hefner the authority to choose before her?
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point, Sam. Regardless of Heffner's reasons for rejecting Gosselin in his magazine, I think it's important to look at the patriarchal structure that Playboy and its raunch culture advocates support. Even if Kate did want to pose for Playboy, but was rejected, what does this say about the kind of media coverage she and other female 'celebs' desire? Andrew states that once women reach a certain level of fame, they usually pose naked. Does this sound completely skewed to anyone else? In some cases, it often happens that young women pose naked to increase their fame even more. Their longing to expand their fame to such a degree, at the hands of men and the response they would elicit from the general public, definitely represents a problem, for women who feel they have to gain prestige, or even have to assert their own sexiness, all within the limits of the current patriarchal system.
ReplyDeleteI agree with my classmates before me: that posing for playboy is just another way of buying into the patriarcal system. I think that it is sad that despite previous success, women feel they need to conform to an ideal of sexiness in order to truly feel accomplished. This is especially ironic in the case of Kate Gosselin, whose fame spurred from her family experience. Still, I agree with Missy, what is perhaps even more disturbing is that it is ultimately Hugh Heffner, who gets to decide what is sexy. By rejecting her from Playboy, and having his decision plastered throughout the media, he supports the unrealistic ideals forced on women.
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