Girls, girls, girls

Even in the year 2011, a time when some women have actually figured out how to pee standing up, being a lady isn't always easy. I am lucky enough to live in a part of the world where policemen are called police officers, and nobody can trade me for a handsome dowry (if they did though, you'd bet it would be HUGE);  the babes of North America, however, have impressively managed to develop their own set of femme issues to cry about anyways. The Media, right? What is its PROBLEM?

Because I personally have an abnormally high level of self-confidence rooted mostly in a delightful combination of narcissism and being too lazy to care, I've cheerfully avoided thinking too deeply about celebrities and their diet tips, but I understand from high school speech meets that Television, Air-Brushing et al have contributed greatly to a national body image crisis. "Ladies, gentlemen, esteemed judges," passionate teens will cry, wringing their pastel flashcards and hoping nothing is caught in their braces. "We'll never compare to these Hollywood starlets! Plastic surgery! Did you know blah blah fact about Barbie's proportions blah blah! In conclusion, something something bulimia!!!"

To me, the heavy-handed editing of hotness is less depressing than the idea that young women are consuming it without criticism (or are portrayed as doing so, anyways). But whomever's fault it is -- the impressors or the impressees -- there's a positive trend going down these days that will hopefully simultaneously inspire confidence in girls and put an end to shitty sentimental speeches about beauty. The current champions of the pop charts are women who value artistic flair over looking pretty. Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Rihanna, and Nicki Manaj: It is an arms race of weirdness. They're wearing meat and decorating their eyebrows with punk rock hardware; they're doing their hair like drag queens. They're being so vulgar (via tit-fireworks, sexploitation prison videos) that it trades sex appeal for spectacle. Even if the shock is all for attention, though, I think this growing pool of freakshow pop icons may mark an important change for the kids today. These women are celebrated for their independent spirits (or fashion choices, whatever), and this can only be an improvement for girls looking for role models than the idolization of cookie-cutter silicone. Is glow-in-the-dark facepaint really the mark of an artist? Probably not. But at least looking interesting is a step towards being interesting. And if young ladies can't help but absorb media images like angry adolescent sponges, these poster girls for overboard individuation are probably as empowering as it's going to get.