coralseas

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Germaine Greer:

Germaine Greer is someone who I file under the category of "People I Would Happily Behead for Less Than $5". WHen she eventually goes to hell, she will tongue kiss Hitler. Of this I am certain.

The passion started even before I read her charming obituary to Steve Irwin...alright, I wasn't really a fan either...but there's a time and a place for being a media whore. Then was not one of them.

In shortish:

Anyone who believes that the great artists of the past waited for their models to reach puberty before daring to portray them naked is a blind fool. "

Anyone who makes a statement like this is the blind fool. It just shows the level of arrogance and ignorance that Greer works off of...no one thinks like that. They just don't think about it at all until a Henson situation blows up in their face, it's just NOT thought about because art depicting "the naked bodies of babies displayed in the most fetching of poses; small naked boys sit splay-legged on the steps of temples and astride beams and boughs." is not commonly appreciated and most people haven't received an extensive art education. I don't see many people chowing down on their weeties beneath pictures of "the christ child displaying his perfect genitals" ( ) because this stuff is just not what most people are familiar with and have hanging on their walls.

"Any man who calls Henson's pictures "revolting" protests too much. Our culture sexualises girls from infancy; they learn to flirt and be coy; the clothing designed for them is flashy, trashy and tarty. Every little girl is Daddy's little girl and is not allowed to grow up. Kate Moss, the world's most successful model, is a 34-year-old with the body of a 14-year-old. Signs of sexual maturity, spreading hips, darkened nipples, body hair, are considered unsightly.

Mothers may look at Henson's pictures and howl with fear; the man who rejects them with exaggerated horror is denying his own complicity. If our culture were not pedophilic, if our children were not already grossly sexualised, we would not be so dismayed by Henson's unerotic images, or so frantic to persecute and punish him for making them."

I think children are aware of their developing sexuality from a very early age. Children model themselves on adult behaviour, it's helps them negotiate the path from child to adult...a perfectly normal process. What's wrong with that? I see nothing perverse in the concept of children exploring their sexuality and modelling adults. It shits me when some young starlet is trashed in the media as a "bad role model" because she engages in some normal sexual muck-around...so now that she's "sexual" she's also "a bad role model".

I think we culture children into "victim blaming" when we try to suppress or deny their sexuality...this suppression only supports the notion that somehow the victim has responsibility. That if a child is sexually knowing, they may somehow "encourage" paedophiles in a very similar way to how women are seen as "encouraging" attack if they wear a short skirt etc.

There is no perversity in the sexual transition from childhood to adulthood, in children aping adult behaviour as they learn. Let the blame fall where the real perversity lies: with adults who are attracted to and take advantage of unformed minds and bodies.

And Kate Moss...I was never a fan until recently and I have done a full 360 on this woman.
Because she's good at what she does.

And what a poor example to choose; "Kate Moss, the world's most successful model, is a 34-year-old with the body of a 14-year-old. Signs of sexual maturity, spreading hips, darkened nipples, body hair, are considered unsightly."

SHE'S A 34 YEAR OLD WOMAN, AND A MOTHER!! That a 34 year old mother is held up as one of the most desirable on the planet, says very good things to me about our culture. Greer simplifies culture as "grossly paedophilic" using Kate Moss as a very poorly chosen example. Definitely our culture has paedophilic elements...but look at the huge diversity of porn everywhere; old women, big women, cow udder breasted women and on and on. Christ look at the popularity of the site you're currently on, do you see much evidence of infantalised, malnourished women floating around here (sorry peeps, but SG ain't alternative).

Does Greer realise that by making such a (degrading) statement about Moss' allegedly "childlike" body, that she is in fact providing life support for dodgy stereotypes of childbearing women out of their 20s as all being fat, flop breasted and having their cervixes dragging on the floor behind them?

Kate Moss does not have a childs body. Women have all kinds of body shapes and sizes thankyouverymuch, Germaine.

To me at least, her broad generalisation about the modelling industry is just not borne out in reality
Look at the rest of the Forbes list of the top earning models and smell the coffee (if sexual attraction can be measured, money is the means to do it with).

2. Heidi Klum, in her mid 30s with children.
5.Alessandro Ambrosio has a child.

These examples were in the top five, which also included Kate Moss (no. 2)...three out of five had children. All were well into their twenties, two into their 30s.

6-15:

6. Carolyn Murphy is 32 with one child.
7. Natalia Vodianova, mid 20s with three children.
9. Liya Kebede, 30 with two children.
13. Shalom Harlow is 35 years old.


This list says such positive things to me. That women in their 20s, 30s and older, who have children are idealised beauties. These women were not a minority on that list. I'm not entirely pro the modelling industry, it has its problems but I honestly think that this statement: "Meanwhile, the models on our catwalks are or pretend to be gangling adolescents." is really not based in fact. I could list so many other female celbrities, porn stars etc who just don't fit Greer's negative generalisation about our attitudes towards sexuality.

And this is just pure fiction: "Every year fashion magazines produce a new crop of schoolgirl models, and don't scruple to show their budding breasts. It seems that only when the imagery calls itself art that child protection officers can summon the courage to protest."
As fucking if. The fashion/modelling industry is under constant scrutiny for this kind of thing.

"Now that he has been dubbed a pornographer, his photographs will sell for millions. Art takes longer."

"Art takes longer"
Well, that was the money shot at the end of Greers lengthy wank.

I might edit. As usual, my thinking is all jumbled.