Contessa Brewer Loves The 'Tox

In my ongoing obsession with Contessa Brewer (she's always on during the day at MSNBC, and I can't help the fact that she's hot and actually has a reasonable speaking cadence), she talked with Stephen Bloch, a doctor from a Chicago suburb about a particularly inflammatory billboard. Residents of the area had been complaining that the billboard was an affront to women and everything that has been taught to them in the post-feminist days that we live in now such as beauty comes from within (it still does, ladies) because it features a flawless woman with things that she can do to improve herself.

Now, speaking as a male who has read The Beauty Myth, I understand both sides of this argument and both have a right to be angry at the other. The billboard is an affront, pure and simple. It is putting an important emphasis on physical appearance instead of coming across as if you have a full brain or a basic understanding of conversation. But, to the shop's owners' defense, the billboard is not patently offensive. This is not Erznoznik v. Jacksonville where the Supreme Court actually did have to tackle the issue of public nudity in large display (the case was about the constitutionality of a Jacksonville, FL ordinance banning drive-in theaters from showing boobies and booties uncovered if the screen is visible in a public place). In fact, this billboard is rather uncontroversial aside from its words. Those Herbal Essences ads with the women faking orgasms (or were they?) were way more problematic than this billboard.

But, seriously, this shouldn't have been on MTV. These two sides need to go smoke a peace pipe, make some s'mores and end all of this unnecessary hate. The beauty industry isn't going to go away. It will always be there. If parents are concerned, this should only make them step their game up and actually remind their kids that if they carry themselves well and use some fancy words from time to time, they'll have bitches clawing at their doors guaranteed.