Media/Gender
I saw this cover in the grocery store, and actually had to stop and take a breath and remind myself that its a tabloid, and that to get angry at a magazine whose level of discourse is pitch perfect for monkeys and those about to be assaulted by a dental drill is about as sensible as getting angry at the sun, for shining. Its what they do – push buttons for money.
I had a lot to say about this, but luckily, Melissa at Shakesville said it for me, and better, so I will just add two things. One: every day, as the parent of little girls, I am confronted by a reminder that our culture will never make for them the room they deserve to just be – to just be the people they are supposed to be. That everything about them will always be subject to the kind of scrutiny and interpretation that our culture revels in, when it comes to women. And two: the obsession in tabloid journalism regarding celebrity children is off-putting and creepy. A grown man, hiding in the bushes, snapping hundreds of photos of unsuspecting little children and selling those photos to the highest bidder. That is what this cover represents.