Media
Posted September 12th, 2003 @ 10:33pm by Erik J. Barzeski
Britney Spears has stirred up quite a bit of muck lately. First she makes out with Madonna, then she poses like this (see images at right) in Rolling Stone. That's all fine - she's pretty hot, and I enjoy looking. Will I buy Rolling Stone? No. Will I gawk at her half-naked on the Web? Sure! I'm a male, after all. Will I secretly make judgments about her level of intellect? Nah. I'd rather make judgments about my own intellect.
I planned to write some big diatribe about how the current state of media leaves us all in some lame state of affairs, but frankly, I really don't care right now. Britney is Britney, and if it weren't her, it'd be someone else. She's sexy - you're out of your mind if you can't admit to that - and she's young. Does she go too far? Does she sell her body and not her talent (if you even agree that she has any)?
And then perhaps the better question: what would you really do if you were her? If I was Britney Spears, you can damn well bet I'd take advantage of guys drooling over half-naked shots. Should she do Playboy? No, because there's nothing left with which to tease guys. Guys are very easily led by their you know whats, and hey, sexual exploitation for profit is one of the oldest professions in the world. Britney's a media whore, and to that I say "so what?" We - as a civilization and a society - allow her to succeed. If nobody bought her music, she wouldn't be half-naked in Rolling Stone.
Speaking with my little head for a moment, hell, I'm glad people have bought her music. Speaking with my other head once again, we have nobody to blame but ourselves. But really, aren't there more important things in the world on which to concentrate? Yeah, I thought so.
Donate Life
Posted 12 Sep 2003 at 11:03pm #
I don't find Britney sexy, because I don't find morons with no talent except for posing half-naked for dumb "music" magazines sexy. I don't find media whores (love that phrase, Erik!) sexy. I don't find people that admire other sex icons like Madonna sexy. I don't find people that get insured as a virgin and then not long afterwards brag about their sex life sexy.
I find a truly beautiful, intelligent, moral, kind, loving, and God-fearing women sexy. Not Britney.
Jared
Posted 12 Sep 2003 at 11:14pm #
I don't think Britney is talent-less. She can sing, she can dance, and she holds her own as an actress (would like to see you try). I'm not saying she's great at any of them, but she's got some talent. Her intelligence? Well, she doesn't seem as stupid as a lot of people I know.
But really, I think there are two kinds of sexy. There's "physical" sexy, and there's "lifelong soulmate" sexy. I too want an intelligent (brunette), sassy, sweet, sensitive, sarcastic, loving girl with which to while away my days. I don't get turned on at strip clubs, but that's purely "physical" sexy. Pictures of Britney like this? "Physical" sexy.
Besides, as I said, who's the smart one and who's the dumb one: the one capitalizing on the weaknesses of a society (both the men and women) or the ones being exploited for their primal urges and jealousy? 😛
Posted 13 Sep 2003 at 12:17am #
I really hate her, even more so after she made those stupid remarks supporting Bush.
Posted 13 Sep 2003 at 12:38am #
I, for one, support Britney's bush any day O:-)
Posted 13 Sep 2003 at 2:01am #
Sorry, it's juvenile, but I had to chuckle at Jose's comment. I agree with Erik - I never listen to her music or watch MTV or any of that because it just plainly doesn't appeal to me. But I don't see anything wrong with it. She does have talent.
Posted 13 Sep 2003 at 3:44am #
I'm not sure one could realistically say she has talent, at least not the vocal kind. It's possible she does, but she's lip-synced every performance song I've ever seen her sing, so it's hard to say. If she wants to be a dancer, so be it. If she wants to sing and doesn't sound perfect but still pretty good, so be it. But don't lip sync. Faking it just cheapens the work of people that actually sing well.
Now all that said, the photos are nice on the eyes. She can do that all she wants.
- Scott
Posted 13 Sep 2003 at 8:56am #
Well, what can I say...sex sells when you can't sell your albums. Britney..next stop playboy?
Posted 13 Sep 2003 at 1:49pm #
She hasn't had trouble selling her albums, Thomas.
Posted 13 Sep 2003 at 3:43pm #
I could be mistaken, but Thomas could have meant that she can't sell very many albums based on ability alone. I concur with Scott in her faults, but her amazing beauty and ability to serve as a "role model" (or people's interpretation of one these days) for younger girls more than makes up for it.
Posted 13 Sep 2003 at 4:32pm #
I'd hit it... 😉
Here's a picture of the cover without all those "words" on it:
Posted 13 Sep 2003 at 4:46pm #
Blow-up doll.
Posted 13 Sep 2003 at 6:55pm #
Question: On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate Britney Spears' talent? My Answer: Six, maybe seven. She's got more talent than most people,...
Posted 14 Sep 2003 at 7:18am #
Various and Sundry
Complete Review Yes, it really does say: "The inspiration for the MTV original film" there (no doubt that was the...
Posted 14 Sep 2003 at 10:25am #
Well, she used to sell a lot of albums initially, but was a flop later on, including her new movie.
Posted 14 Sep 2003 at 4:31pm #
Suuuuuuure, Thomas. Wake me up when selling a few million records actually makes you a flop.
Posted 15 Sep 2003 at 6:57pm #
Just wanted to point out that, as a professional musician (Celtic/traditional ethnic) who works with a professional singer, I don't think Britney has any talent whatsoever in signing. In fact, I think her voice is absolutely terrible and incredibly annoying. I don't like pop signing in general, but there *are* some good pop singers out there. I even like Madonna's voice on occasion. But Britney sucks. That's my opinion, both personal and professional.
Jared
Posted 25 Sep 2003 at 7:04pm #
I think that Britney will eventually pose completely nude, and I don't think that it will ruin her career or be instigated by a ruined career. My reason for thinking this is that Madonna posed for Playboy a few times, still has her career, and that Britney is a complete, admitted Madonna wannabe.
Sexiness is definately something measured by the person. Obviously, Britney is physically attractive. Is she sexy? That always depends on the person. I thought she was sexier when she was by Timberlake's side, because I like women who choose to stick by one guy and really love him -- for whatever the reason.
Also, the notion that Britney posing nude will cause her to have "nothing left to tease the guys" won't hold because not every guy will see her nude pictures and guys are still interested in seeing a woman half naked even after they've seen the same woman fully naked (if it was a good experience.)
As for talent, I think that is a non-issue that is brought up by jealous people who have talent issues and/or an unfulfilled desire to be a successful talent in the entertainment industry. Seriously, why does talent serve to validate or invalidate her success? I question the motives of a person trying to invalidate someone's success. Why do that? What purpose are you trying to serve?
Posted 24 Oct 2003 at 2:13am #
I know I may be young
Britney's back! How's she doing? Some people dismiss Britney Spears as something along the lines of "typical mass-market overproduced commercial faux-dance pop crap". And for that, they won't listen to any Britney Spears music. I'm at such a loss for...
Posted 14 Nov 2003 at 1:08pm #
Now, if Condolessa Rice were profiled in Rolling Stone that would be interesting. Sure we don't know if she can sing, but she certainly looks more real and authentic than poor lil, miz Spears could ever sum up.
But there still is hope for lil Britney, after all Madeline Albright, the first woman Secretary of State, began her career at 45.
Posted 15 Nov 2004 at 12:50pm #
I have a question for you guys. i am a student in Colorado and am writing a paper on sex icons in the media and the negative influences they pose on pre-teens and teens. I have read your posts and understand where some of you stand with your opinions on britney. going away from her talent (or lack of...however you see it) and money.... do you think she is in the right or the wrong to prance around the way she does when the majority of her fans are pre-teen/teen girls who are just looking for a role model. I understand she has "grown" up, but her fan base 6 years ago started with the adolencents and continued to stay that way as she got more sexual. Is it right for her to KNOW her fan base is mainly children and still continue to sell her body? have you seen what elementary, middle school, and high school kids are wearing??? its sick. anyways, let me know what you think.. thanks.
stephanie
tallsteph@hotmail.com
Posted 07 Dec 2006 at 11:52am #
I feel bad for Spears as, ultimately, a human being, doing her best in a big tough mad world, where, lately, she has become a target of tabloids and the fickle peasant masses who love someone to hate as much as they love someone to lust over.
If she ever showed support for Bush, I juxtapose the thought of that with, for example, things that have happened to children in the Iraq war; not the sort of thing generally to be told in detail in the mainstream media. The ugliness of that contrast; cutesy millionaire pop star versus, thanks to Bush, things like a 4-year-old girl with shrapnel in her spine; a
seven-year-old boy burned over most of his body; and of course the one they apparently showed on T.V. of the 14-year-old who was asleep in his own bed when he had his arms blown off.
I would see Britney as "supporting" Bush because she doesn't know or concern herself with these atrocities as a result of a war with the wrong country based on "faulty"intelligence, which some of us said in advance would be another Viet Nam. I also see her as doing it because she figured it would endear her to everyone who hates the Dixie Chicks. I don't listen to Spears or the "Chix," but I happen to admire the latter immensely, and their beauty is both inside and out.
The Chicks, too, posed nude on the cover of some damned magazine or other, in protest of Bush.
Spears is an undeniably hot girl. As for her talent, at least she's not a rapper wannabe, although there is a little rap that I like. And as for Madonna, Spears seems to me much more likable of the 2.
Now that the tide may actually be turning in favor of us who in fact do NOT support terrorism or hate America, I would love to see Spears, as a woman, as a mother, and as a human being, redeem herself morally by posing nude WITH the Dixie Chicks. Yes. I would love it a LOT! El oh well!
Posted 07 Dec 2006 at 11:55am #
Hi Stephanie. I like your post, and now feel bad about the conclusion of mine. She really is not about the kids, is she/ And that somehow is particularly grotesque in the context of her otherwise appeal as a woman.