Photo: David Fisher/RexUSA.
If you've been feeling like overtly sexual messages are everywhere lately, you're not alone. Rashida Jones is also pretty disturbed by the proliferation of, as she put it, "stripper poles, G-strings, boobs, and a lot of tongue action." In fact, she was so worried by the lack of appropriate and wholesome role models in pop culture that she took to Glamour mag to pen an essay on the topic. The result was an equally thoughtful and hilarious call to action for all the women in the spotlight.
While Jones may lament this new naked era we've found ourselves in, she also wants to make it clear that she is not judging or slut-shaming. She also wants us to know that she's not a prude — but rather, she feels that all of the messages have become homogenous. "Every star interprets 'sexy' the same way: lots of skin, lots of licking of teeth, lots of bending over," she wrote. "I find this oddly...boring. Can't I just like a song without having to take an ultrasound tour of some pop star's privates?"
She was so incensed by the whole thing that she let loose on Twitter — perhaps a little too loose. She tweeted out "This week's celeb news takeaway: She who comes closest to showing the actual inside of her vagina is most popular. #stopactinglikewhores." And, naturally, the responses were less than kind or understanding. Rashida may have confidence in the fact that she's a card-carrying feminist, but that never stops the haters.
On a positive note, the backlash caused her to think about what really needs to be done in the pop culture industry. She asks everyone from record execs ("When you market young pop stars, can you please try to apply some of your own personal moral parameters? I'm just going to assume you don't take off your suit mid-meeting and do a selfie with a whipped-cream bra.") to male fans ("Please talk to us about how all this makes you feel. You are 49 percent of the population; don't sit around and let women beat one another up while you intermittently and guiltily enjoy the show.") to change their attitudes. You may not agree with everything she says, but there's no denying that she's got an impressive head on her shoulders. (Glamour)