Ever since the Super Bowl ended on Sunday evening, the nation (and our campus) has been obsessed with one thing: Janet Jackson's right breast. Nobody, it seems, has taken a moment to consider the terrible impact of this incident and the country's subsequent reaction. While the focus on breasts, penises and other sexual body parts is nothing new for America, the circumstances of the MTV-produced half time show and the resulting media frenzy demonstrate the most harmful aspect of the nation's "sexual obsession": Its ability to cause and ignore sexual assault.
As the Super Bowl's own sexually-charged ads demonstrated, American pop culture is defined by its artificially aggrandized view of sex. Today, sex appeal and one's ability to exude it equals power, money, fame and respect. It has become one of the primary avenues to success and thus, one of the most sought after traits in America. Most American kids no longer look up to the president or their favorite teacher but rather to pop culture icons such as Nelly, Kid Rock, P. Diddy and, of course, Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson.
As depressing as this is, I don't believe that a female pop idol occasionally revealing a breast is going to change the world or corrupt our kids or degrade our nation. It is just a breast after all. Having that same idol's breast violently grabbed and exposed by a powerful male figure during the most heavily watched event of the year is, however, a totally different story and one that must be discussed.
That is why when the entire nation talks about what a travesty it was to see Janet Jackson's breast on national television, I cringe and become furious. Who really cares about the breast? We have all seen them before. While I can somewhat agree with Howard Dean's controversial statement that the Federal Communications Commission's probe into "boobgate" (as it has been termed) is "silly," I have to agree with my friend Stephanie Long '04 that "he is missing the point." In fact the entire nation is missing the point. Newspapers from The New York Times to the Hartford Courant to The Dartmouth (Feb. 3) have focused entirely on the exposure of the breast. And that's the wrong issue.
The real problem is not that the nation saw Janet Jackson's right breast, but that the nation saw a male pop idol violently rip off Jackson's top during the most macho event on the American calendar. Has anyone even taken a second to consider the message that this sends to the nation's boys and girls? Has anybody even thought of how little girls have now been shown that it is okay to have their shirts ripped off by a male? Or that males now think it is cool to do the ripping? Who is talking about this? Certainly not Jackson or Timberlake. Their casual explanation of the event as a "wardrobe malfunction" only reinforces the already clear message that the incident itself sent. Can anyone get beyond the "silliness" of our reaction and think about the incident's terrible impact? I hope so.
America needs to stop worrying about the supposed effects of sexual displays and start concentrating on the too-often ignored displays of sexual violence. Our nation would be much better off if everyone on television were naked than if pop idols continued to commit sexual assault without reprimand -- or even notice. Only by embracing human sexuality and actively fighting against sexual violence can we begin to curb one of the worst problems facing our nation. This is not only a women's issue, it is a truly national issue. Perhaps an event as large as the Super Bowl half time show will finally bring attention to this.
