After “boycotting” the BCS National Championship not too long ago, incorrigible and self-proclaimed feminist blogger “Maya” takes to the internet to express her disgust that there are actually pretty people in the world, and that other people point this out in a way that does not meet her approval. FOR SHAME! Maya was most recently disgusted by Brent Musberger’s comments about AJ McCarron’s girlfriend, Katherine Webb:
This is some pretty standard objectification. So common–especially in the sports world–it’s almost not worth commenting on. Except that we’ve had occasion to illustrate posts with a photo of a girl holding a sign saying “I am more important than football” not once but twice this week.
So, now seems like a good time to point out that this bullshit is part of the rape culture that directly enables assaults like those in Steubenville and Notre Dame. As Travis Waldron writes, “It’s a culture that views women as nothing more than chattel, a commodity to be won by the best player even if she isn’t a willing participant. It fosters a sense of entitlement to women and their bodies that only ingrains the rape and violence culture deeper into the game.
I’m not sure if I’m more annoyed or confused.
On one hand, how incredibly cliché of Maya! She writes for a blog called “feministing” (annoying) so of course she’ll relate everything back to the demons of a materialistic, patriarchal society that she claims promotes sexism and rape (again, annoying). On the other hand, she seems to be forgetting one very crucial fact that is kind of the centerpiece of feminism: Katherine Webb has a mind of her fucking own!!!
Did she look like she was chained to her seat and forced to cheer her boyfriend on while the nice announcer men told her she was pretty? NO! As a pretty successful beauty queen Katherine Webb is used to the spotlight and willingly allows her looks to be judged. This was also unlikely the first time she has been shown on TV as AJ McCarron’s girlfriend, since those shots/story lines are incredibly common in sports. Katherine Webb basically knew she was going to be on camera.
Katherine Webb is gorgeous, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t choose to be with her boyfriend, or that she is a prize that her boyfriend has won and now owns.
Apparently I need to spell out a few things for Maya: Webb is beautiful, Miss Fucking Alabama, and probably not dumb as a rock. Translation: she can literally have any guy she wants. Emphasis on she wants.
Nobody forced her into the position she is in and she’s not the damsel in distress Maya makes her out to be. In fact, any girl that gives a shit about college sports would kill to be dating the quarterback of their state’s biggest athletic department. Ever stop and think that despite a girl being pretty, she may still be able to make her own decisions? AJ McCarron is an incredibly talented individual, and handsome to boot. Couldn’t that be why Katherine Webb is dating him? Just because the beauty queen/quarterback storyline is cliche doesn’t mean these people aren’t attracted to each other’s talents and personalities (as well as the fact that they’re both gorgeous).
But even if that weren’t true, and we really wanted to get to the core of feminism, isn’t Webb empowering herself in a way? For a beauty queen, dating a quarterback is an objectively smart, savvy move. She is clearly, at least for the time being, seeking a career of sorts in the spotlight, and her appearance in the BCS National Championship game broadcast increased her profile by about 100000000%. Seems like a quality career move.
Webb is a thoughtful woman who can think for herself, and it’s very sad that the writer of this column ignores this fact just because she’s beautiful, and because old man Musburger decided to try and be funny (and he kind of was, don’t take everything so seriously Maya!).
But coming back around to the fact that these two are dating because they are probably actually interested in each other. Again, AJ McCarron is extremely talented, and as a life partner would offer her more status and wealth than she would’ve achieved in her beauty queen career trajectory otherwise (making appearances at boat and tractor shows). So that along with his obvious physical attributes should fully explain why she is his girlfriend.
Are the things that McCarron has to offer on the superficial side? Well, duh! But she’s a fucking beauty queen and model. Superficial things may not matter to Miss Maya, but these are things that matter to Webb. Can you really fault a girl for choosing a boyfriend that encapsulates many of the things that are important to her in life? And can you fault McCarron from jumping on the opportunity to date arguably the most beautiful woman in the country who, according to her official Miss USA profile, “enjoys paintballing, fishing, and skeetshooting”? They’d both be crazy not to!
It’s also incredibly offensive to rape victims, as well as womankind, that admiring a person’s beauty is on the same level as, and allegedly perpetuating, rape. Rapists don’t commit their crimes because they want to sleep with beautiful women and have no other choice but to force themselves onto them. It’s almost always an expression of anger, sadism, and a need for power. This has nothing to do with the physical attractiveness of the rape victim; it’s more about seeking out someone who is vulnerable and easily overpowered, regardless of appearance. The fact that Maya stoops to find these two things comparable is honestly disgusting and naïve.
Maya is doing her feminists, better yet all women, a disservice by claiming a woman voids her right to think for herself and choose her own boyfriends because of her physical appearance, and by comparing the admiration of said beauty as an equivalent to rape. Maya, do us all a favor, go get yourself a Brazilian (since I’m sure that bush of yours is out of control), and shut the fuck up.
[via Feministing]
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