Stars about the exploitation of female sexuality
From the whimsical and extravagant behavior of Miley Cyrus finally something really significant came out: looking at her escapades, senior colleagues publicly raised the sore question about the exploitation of the female body by the music industry. Speakers included Sinead O'Connor, Amanda Palmer, Xie Furler and Shirley Manson. We restored the chronology of events and publish the most significant theses of the open letters of the singers to each other and the public.
A couple of weeks ago, in an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, Miley admitted that the idea of the Wrecking Ball clip was inspired by the significant video of Sinead O'Connor "Nothing Compares 2U", up to the image of the Irish singer herself. In response, Sinead published on her website an open letter to Miley, where she warned the young singer about the possible disastrous consequences of her behavior:
Sinead O'Connor
The music business doesn't care about you or any of us. They will make you a prostitute and make you think that you yourself wanted to. And when you lie in a rehab, they will sunbathe on their yachts in Antigua, which they bought, selling your body ... The real emancipation of yourself as women can be refusal to exploit your body or your sexuality, on which men profit ... We like it or No, we women musicians are role models, so we have to be very careful about what message we send to other women.
The letter, of course, caused polar reactions - from Sinead's reproaches for unwelcome and excessive patronage to stormy applause. In response, Miley appeared in her new role as a small troll, tweeting the evidence of last year’s Sinead’s nervous breakdown with an obvious hint - the Irish is not in her senses, I don’t give a fuck. Along the way, Miley had time to throw a ball of dirt into actress Amanda Bynes, who had just been laid into a rehab by a recent nervous breakdown. However, clashes involving lawyers and human rights organizations that followed (or are about to follow) are far less interesting than the ensuing open discussion about the topic of sex play in the industry.
Sinead's letter provoked a more sensible reaction among older pop stars. The former front-ruler of Dresden Dolls Amanda Palmer spoke out in the most detailed and tolerant way. Amanda turned to Sinead as an idol, whose records she listened to in the early 90s on the way to school. She writes that being a female musician is a hell of a complicated matter, especially when your identity is shaped under the yoke of public attention, as happened with Miley Cyrus. At the same time, the singer defends the right of women to express themselves in any way.
Amanda Palmer
Our male colleagues have a much wider field of play ... Women are criticized either because they look sexy, or because they do not play by the rules ... Strange, but usually women are scolded by other women.
Miley, as I understand it, is responsible for his show. She herself writes the script and signs the checks ... Sex is for sale. We all know that. Miley knows this better than us: driving around naked on a battlefield in terms of views is much more effective than driving around dressed. But it does not follow from this that Miley follows someone else’s script. In fact, Miley is desperately trying to write his own, trying to be taken seriously ...
I want to live in a world where Miley (or any other female musician) can do twerk at 20, appear in translucent latex at 47 and pose half-naked at 57, and to applaud her for how comfortable she feels in her own body ... Women need more freedom to say what they want, express what they want, and at the same time earn respect for their courage, not criticism for putting themselves in a dangerous position.
Amanda Palmer was supported by the pop star of the 2000s and the voice of Zero 7 by Australian Cee Furler, who openly declares her own bisexuality and equality of men and women. She publishes a tweet, which Shirley Manson would later refer to:
Cee Furler
I truly believe that to be a feminist is to support and not condemn other women, recognizing their right to express themselves as they please.
Shirley Manson - at the moment the last, openly speaking on a hot topic. In her open letter on Facebook, vocalist Garbage admitted that she always sinned with maximalism, dividing everything into black and white, but in this situation agrees with all the parties and is confused:
Shirley manson
When I watched Miley's performance at the MTV Video Awards, I didn’t see anything I couldn’t do in my 20s. When you are 20, it is assumed that you are behaving in this way. This is your job! And then, after reading the letter from Sinead to Miley, I was so keen on her position that I rassherila it on facebook Garbage. The music industry is REALLY woven from dirty intentions and selfish interests.
After reading Amanda’s answer, I wondered: if we approve of the conscious exploitation of our sexuality by women, how would we react if male performers began to allow themselves the same thing? Do we really want to see naked Harry Styles in the image of the Cupid-winner Caravaggio on the cover of Vanity Fair? And Drake, with an invitingly sticking tongue that touches himself "there", on the cover of Rolling Stone? Maybe not such a bad idea, albeit slightly idiotic? And if the moment comes when such behavior becomes the norm among famous men, then at what point will we decide that this is the same?
It is worth noting that these questions Shirley asked, as she points out in the text, "lying in the bath." It is worthwhile to talk separately about what pictures this remark draws in the reader’s imagination and how deeply the sex exploitation has taken root in us.
The photo: Kirk Stauffer / Wikimedia Commons Photo via Shutterstock