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May 20, 2006
Greatest non-sequitur ever
Cathy Seipp -- her memory jogged by the . . . not-ready-for-primetime U.S.C. professor who has posted nude self-portraits on the web -- writes of her memories of gym class.
My personal problem with those pictures is they bring back bad memories of junior high gym, when I encountered for the first time that particular floppy style and was so alarmed I wrote about it in detail for a "What I Don't Like About School" assignment for Health class.
What I didn't realize then is this is just a common genetic variation, apparent even in teenage girls in suburban Orange County, and not confined (as I'd previously assumed) to nursing tribeswomen in National Geographic specials.
Well, to each his own, and I hear some men actually like that floppy giant nipple thing. But I'd never seen it before, and was so shocked that my paper -- which had vivid descriptions of damp floppy breasts and moist flabby buttocks shoving themselves around the smelly locker area -- got me called into the counselor's office.
It took her a while to get to the point, but finally she said, "You're not thinking of committing suicide are you?"
"Why would I want to do that?"
"Well...you don't seem to like your body very much."
"I like my body just fine! My paper was about how I don't like their bodies." (This is still my problem with gyms, by the way. And also still my problem with readers who refuse to pay attention.)
The counselor seemed annoyed by that and sent me back to class, but did not (as I'd actually hoped for a few minutes) decide I was too delicate for P.E. and write me an excuse. People were less sensitive then. Probably now I could have convinced them I had a disability called floppybreastaphobia or something.
The man-hating U.S.C. prof is a piece of work. Cardinal Martini, the student who first brought her to national attention, has collected his posts about her in one covenient link.
Posted by Mike Lief at May 20, 2006 12:04 AM
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Comments
I thought she was man-hating too, until I read her site. She seems like a typical intelligent, extravagant, self-absorbed academe. I agree, her press coverage makes her seem like an Ivy League P.T. Barnum. But I'll say this. When you mix the topics of sexuality and rape and throw it at the public you're liable to confuse people that rape is romantic or urgent.
This professor's magic bag seems to consist of an upcoming book in which she writes of her unmutilated breasts. She promotes the idea of women getting implants, just not for herself, and now she's come full circle with loving her body as is. ...This idea as a thesis seems archaic but considering the amount of body image problems we see today, she may be on to something.
Apparently, the goal of the nude photos is to 'publicly claim' her sexuality. I think when you claim your breasts in public, you hand over group ownership to an endless amount of gawkers. She needs this, though... and it's not a bad thing. Because soon her book will be on sale.
Now on to her beliefs.
((( Blaine argues vociferously in favor of her right to a public online life. "My website is not a professional venue of mine; it's not linked to my teaching at USC. I've never assigned my site to students. I've never told them to go look and find images of me. It's not been brought into my teaching at all," she states. )))
The Internet is currently defining what is and is not acceptable in terms of freedom and personal expression. The First Amendment doesn't cover the number of recent firings and suspensions. Michael Hiltzik at the LA Times, various newscasters around the country, a blogger in the South... so many stories out there where personal blogs have collided with the need to earn a living.
Also, what she's doing isn't illegal (it's opportunistic) but it's interesting that as soon as someone finds kiddie pix on someone's home computer, it very much matters what they do for a living. And the people who did lose their jobs for expressing opinions weren't even doing anything illegal. (M. Hiltzik is the exception, at least based on ethics alone. He took on fake names at numerous sites to promote his own work and disparage anyone who disagreed with his ideas.)
I think most decent men and women would be responsible enough to oppose rape. And her inflammatory remark is noble if vain, in our current sexually-charged society. The teen singers today, the magazine covers at the checkout line... all soft-core porn. A recent ad for Nip/Tuck, which the Professor rightly includes in her analysis of dead women in advertising, actually shows an erotic display of a woman on a surgeon's table, almost nude, surrounded by the two lead doctors with her hips thrusting upward in a highly suggestive manner. It's in pretty poor taste, even by cable standards.
But discussing body image, personal sexuality and violent crimes on one platform is a pretty mixed bag... even if her Web site and Flickr account were set up for different purposes.
Posted by: Vermont Neighbor at May 20, 2006 06:19 PM
I'm not sure I agree with your generous assessment of Blaine and her beliefs, but your other points are well taken.
Posted by: Mike Lief at May 20, 2006 09:48 PM
Well, my assessment shouldn't be too generous because I go back and forth on this! She has a career but clearly she's sensationalistic and that's a turnoff in anyone.
Maybe asking that all men take responsibility for today's current attitude toward rape is a noble cause. Maybe putting her bare breasts on the Internet is her way of desexualizing taboo symbols.
As an authority figure and college professor, it's an interesting angle. But ultimately, the public decides who actually possesses sexual power. Looks and confidence are important. But how can someone take back their sexuality when it's on such a public forum. In that scenario, sorry to say, she never had sexuality to begin with. Her need to publicly claim her sexuality... depends on the public's assessment of her sexuality. As it does for all of us.
Besides, her working of two different themes, rape and sexuality, is dangerous and misleading. IMO.
Posted by: Vermont Neighbor at May 23, 2006 12:49 AM