A high school cheerleading coach was recently fired after it was discovered that she had posed for Playboy. While some parents defended her, others did not.
A strong argument could be made for either side of the issue of whether or not the coach should have been fired. Instead, I would like to focus on the underlying question: why are so many women contributing their images to an industry that degrades women?
It continues to amaze me that so many young women are getting into this field of work. Obviously, the money must be good. But why don't the young women understand that many other women suffer because of their contribution to this industry? Why do we continue to agree that men need to have their magazines? Don't women understand those photos will haunt them forever, and cause men to treat them differently?
A case in point: if you watch the T.V. show Celebrity Apprentice, you know that Donald Trump often makes comments to the women on his show which, in the workplace, would be considered harrassment. This season, there is a former "bunny" on his show which he has blantantly flirted with, in front of his daughter Ivanka. That's just not pretty! Watching the face of the woman on the show, you can see how uncomfortable she is when this happens. She has been forced to give up an important part of herself to have the fame of being a "bunny." Is it worth it?
At minimum, the cheerleading coach probably should have thought about being a role-model to cheerleaders who could later be facing a decision about whether or not to pose for similar photos without realizing the consequences to themselves and other women.
A strong argument could be made for either side of the issue of whether or not the coach should have been fired. Instead, I would like to focus on the underlying question: why are so many women contributing their images to an industry that degrades women?
It continues to amaze me that so many young women are getting into this field of work. Obviously, the money must be good. But why don't the young women understand that many other women suffer because of their contribution to this industry? Why do we continue to agree that men need to have their magazines? Don't women understand those photos will haunt them forever, and cause men to treat them differently?
A case in point: if you watch the T.V. show Celebrity Apprentice, you know that Donald Trump often makes comments to the women on his show which, in the workplace, would be considered harrassment. This season, there is a former "bunny" on his show which he has blantantly flirted with, in front of his daughter Ivanka. That's just not pretty! Watching the face of the woman on the show, you can see how uncomfortable she is when this happens. She has been forced to give up an important part of herself to have the fame of being a "bunny." Is it worth it?
At minimum, the cheerleading coach probably should have thought about being a role-model to cheerleaders who could later be facing a decision about whether or not to pose for similar photos without realizing the consequences to themselves and other women.
