Tuesday, September 21, 2010

In a nutshell: the problem with Jezebel

Do I read it and enjoy it? Sure. But a certain aspect of the site could use some tweaking. Without dipping into their archives, from what is, as I type, on the site's front page. We have...

-A post about oh noes Photoshop. Click on the post to find images of models in bikinis and their measurements. But the Kate-Moss-in-her-underpants is justified because it's to make a broader point about The Media and so forth. (Sorry you had to see that, Battery Park City library-goers.)

-A gallery of pretty photos of pretty runway models prettily walking down the runway. No critical commentary about their weight, height, or youth. Just a celebration of that-which-is-easy-on-the-eyes.

-An indignant entry into the ongoing saga of Gabourey Sidibe's Elle cover. Was her skin lightened, or was it just that that's what flashes do? Should the stylists be accused of racism on account of how her hair turned out (not good seems to be the consensus, but I'm not seeing the problem), or are the real racists those who think her hair is a mess? The same-old same-old discussion ensues, in which anyone who does not declare this actress the very epitome of female physical perfection (even though she gained fame in a role she won in part because she doesn't fit conventional ideals) is insufficiently sensitive to large or dark-skinned women. What what? Might there be something patronizing about the "Gabby is gorgeous" chorus? Not a chance.

-Oh, and at a movie premiere, "Carey Mulligan looked absolutely adorable." Aw.

2 comments:

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  2. How did I ever overlook this Photoshop thing? Look who the spokesperson for Total Marketing Honesty is! World so small it's getting hard to breathe.

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