With school in full swing, I find it harder now than ever to fit exercising into my busy schedule - especially considering I would rather sleep. But, I rationalize that my workout time will also be a good time to watch television, as I don’t have much time to do that either.
Prime-time TV has become somewhat exciting. It’s easy to find shows we relate to. The hardest part is picking which network to watch.
I made the mistake the other night of choosing the Fox network.
Monday was more than just my grueling elliptical-machine cardiovascular workout. I was subjected to a television special that made me embarrassed on behalf of my own sex.
In fact, I wanted to get off my machine and hide.
The special was called “The Sexiest Bachelor in America.” I caught the last half of the show, after the top 10 finalists already had been chosen.
I honestly thought the male pageant could be promising.
As the women hosting the event drooled over the finalists, I can only describe the way they spoke as sexual harassment.
“We will now take a commercial break, meanwhile, we will check out the meat on stage,” one of the hosts said.
Then there was the judging.
The contest apparently defined sexy by how a man looks in bathing suits and formal wear, and how he would ask a woman to marry him. Is this really the only way American women view sexy?
I like to think that there is more to a man than looks alone. I also want to put more faith in our society.
Fox is the network that aired “Who Wants To Marry a Multi-Millionaire” earlier this year to much criticism. The network seems to have some vengeance against women.
From the howling women in the audience to the overexcited hosts, the contestants were more than just men on display - they were objects on display.
To say that I don’t enjoy watching pageants would be false. I look forward each year to the Miss America Pageant. The difference is that the female version is done in good taste.
To be able to compete in that pageant, the women have to pass a variety of contests based on more than looks. There was even debate about the swimsuit portion a few years ago. Upon winning, the women are expected to use their crown in philanthropic ways. They are more than just “meat” on stage.
After becoming disgusted with the pageant and finishing my workout, I headed to the computer.
Occasionally, I like to go on America Online and see various polls and message boards to see what the public thinks about controversial issues. Particularly, I love doing the surveys. For some reason, I think the fraction of a percent my vote represents makes a difference and my voice is heard.
There was a poll on AOL about the contest, and I clicked on the link immediately.
The question was something of the sort: “Would you date a contestant from the Sexiest Bachelor in America?”
The choices: “Yes, after all, he is sexy!” or “Yes, but I would also want to get to know him after,” and finally, “I’m not interested.”
I quickly answered the second one and awaited the current percentage results. As I figured, the majority had picked the first answer, and less than five percent had said “not interested.”
Of the three choices, it became clear that it was asking the underlying importance of appearance. So many women in society are too quick to judge men for being superficial, and these same women blame the media for creating an impossible image to pursue.
Monday night did the same thing for men.
At one point, the host asked a contestant to answer a question with his back to the audience - implying she wanted a better look at his rear.
While this may have been one large step backward for men in the sexual arena - allowing women to advance - it was indeed a lap backward in the race women run for equality.
Rachel Wright, State News business and environment reporter, can be reached at wrightr9@msu.edu.
