This is a monumentally silly article from Simon Doonan over at Slate. The fact that he repeatedly uses the phrase “audacious women with impressive racks” (oh, and then likens them to cupcakes) says it all.
Ta-Nehisi Coates had a pretty accurate reaction to the piece on Twitter, and as such, this whiny column doesn’t deserve a line-by-line takedown. Suffice it to say that Mr. Doonan has focused on exceptions to the rule and turned them into a wistful account of the way things never were.
Like I’ve said before, Kim Kardashian isn’t being worshiped. Yes, she’s getting paid handsomely, but she’s part of an insidious media narrative that paints an ugly picture of women – one that Doonan himself advances by focusing solely on the “superficial vamps and tramps and bimbos.” I can’t say I’m thrilled with the Kardashians’ complicity in this narrative, but I’m sure as hell not going to pile on with the name-calling. I’ll simply make different choices in my media consumption. If enough of us do so, maybe industry gatekeepers will take the hint and start offering better fare.
