The "gross" debate on KO re: Sharon Stone's "Basic Instinct" sequel

[Sparkly]

I'm a fan of Keith Olbermann, and I've never liked that Village Voice guy who discusses "celebrity topics" with him. But this was over the top, and I'm disappointed that Keith didn't reply with anything but chuckles.

In case you missed it, the gist of it was that Sharon Stone showing her crotch 15 years ago was HOT, but now that she's 48, it's DISGUSTING. The audience, we're told, was screaming, "No, no, don't show it!!" etc...

I'm truly insulted by that. First, what makes ugly middle-aged men like that Village Voice creature the Critic of middle-aged women's bodies? Does he think Sharon Stone would look twice at HIM?

Second, how many middle-aged women would LOVE to look like Sharon Stone? So we're all "disgusting?!"

Third, do the producers of these shows assume somehow that their audience is made up of MEN, and young women? How is this funny to the rest of us?

Everytime I hear anything about how middle-aged women are not sexy, let alone are "gross" or "disgusting," my hair stands up. I HATE that.

(I've often wondered if it's some fertility thing -- like, young women and men of all ages can procreate, but we're all "dried-up" and "icky" if we can't. Time to get beyond that, I say.)

:rant:

[cally]

1. I saw that and was infuriated

It was soo disgusting and degrading towards older women. It's amazing that middle aged men think it's OK to show disgust towards middle aged women's bodies. I'm probably not watching Olberman any more because of this. It's one of the worst things I've seen.

Thanks for posting this.

[Sparkly]

2. Thanks for letting me know I'm not the only one!

:hug:

[Katherine Brengle]

3. I am 24 and I was disgusted --

and I said so in the thread about it earlier.

I am ashamed of KO -- maybe he needs a flood of emails about it to let him know he made a very negative impact on part of his audience?

[Sparkly]

4. I'm sorry I missed your thread....

Just looked and saw references to a locked thread, in a locked thread. Was it that?

[JI7]

5. what an asshole

is there a picture of this village voice asshole anywhere ?

[BlueIris]

6. Hey, you.

Nice to see you in this forum. Sorry if you've been here this whole time and I've missed you. I have that gift.

[JI7]

12. hi

i mostly lurk in here. this may be my first post in this forum so you haven't missed anything .

[Finder]

7. I was disappointed as well.

It is close to impossible to offend me and I must say I found the discussion offensive.

[bloom]

8. It does seem to me that many of these guys

do assume the audience to be all male.

They'll probably get their wish if they keep working it.

Recently Jon Stewart said something to the effect that anyone watching a certain FOX news show would have gotten an erection. Seems like he might have at least qualified it - and not assumed that only men were watching.



I'll bet KO and JS don't consider themselves to be disgusting. I'd like to hear that conversation.

[Sparkly]

9. Transcript

From Olbermann's introduction of the segment:
And another place where flashing isn‘t welcome, at the movie theatre when sexy box office hits like “Basic Instinct” are reprised 14 years later with no change in central casting. “Basic Instinct 2” bombed in its premiere weekend, coming in 10th place with a little more than $3 million gross. And we do mean gross as thousands in the stands pleaded, please keep your legs crossed, please keep your legs crossed.

And moments later (after Michael Musto joked about tattoos on Lindsay Lohan's buttocks, including one saying "younger than Sharon Stone")...

OLBERMANN: And we move on to Sharon Stone from “Basic Instinct.” We talk about people giving people advice in the industry, did anybody say, no, you know what, that was really hot when you made that first one 15 years ago and this is—this is—this not your grandfather‘s “Basic Instinct?”

MUSTO: Well somebody probably should have said to Sharon do not open wide, OK. She is equal to Larry the Cable Guy at the box office. If you want to spend quality time alone, go see “Basic Instinct 2” quickly, OK.

The thing is what ruined the movie is Madonna beat her to the 48-year-old vagina thing. And now the tragedy is no “Sliver 2,” no “Quick and the Dead 2,” no “Intersection 2,” no “Cold Creek Manor 2.” This is a tragedy. There will, however, be a “Basic Instinct 3,” and I hear it‘s going to—the camera is going to zoom in past the depends and you will see a very hot shot of the catheter. I‘m not like this. I don‘t know why I‘m saying that.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12150659/

Email addy: [e-mail]

[Katherine Brengle]

10. WTF IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE???

Sorry, but that was just ridiculous... Ugh. I am pissed.

Some day, I will be 48, god willing, and I sure as hell hope my husband still thinks I am sexy. Fucking A...

[NMMNG]

18. Typical BS

Men can be stars well into their 70s, even doing action flicks, but a woman is geriatric by her 40s. :eyes:

[ismnotwasm]

11. Crap.

You mean she hasn't had her labiaplasty? She could you know. Have that 48 year old stuff nipped and tucked to please the most adolecent audience. Hell, she could have her hymen retored and make one Very Interesting Basic Instinct 3

Dumbasses.

I'm not a big Sharon Stone fan, but she's got that "classic" movie star beauty, and I hadn't noticed it fading particularly. I do know that It's harder for the middle aged female stars to get decent parts-- no matter how talented they are or beautiful -- they seem to fade away, or go to act in the theater. One of the reasons I don't go to movies--not as a feminist issue really, but more of the who in the hell ARE these people? The young women promoted and presented in newer movies all are more or less talented I suppose, but the movies themselves are designed for Young Hot Stuff. I don't appreciate it. It just feeds the monster.

[Sparkly]

13. Okay, now I have to ask a stupid question...

Is there anything in our genitalia that could even BE "nipped and tucked" -- that is, is there something about 48-year-old labia that actually looks different from 33-year-old labia?

(Sorry... but if I can't ask here, where can I?) :dunce:

[ismnotwasm]

14. Oh I don't know

Some inner labia are long and fuller than others, and hang below the labia majora and some ass-wipe plastic surgeons have a technique to trim 'em down. I personally never saw Basic Instinct, but from what I understand, it was mostly pubic hair shown.

But for your curiosity:
http://www.helenelliott.com/labiaplasty.html

[bliss_eternal]

15. As one that's a big fan of women posing nude over 40--

I say fuck them! That's bullshit...

No, you're not alone on this topic.

[geniph]

16. The next man that says that

should be required to show HIS equipment publicly, so we can all judge it accordingly.

What a total crock of shit. She's better-looking and in better condition at 48 than 99.9% of the population in their 20s. Bunch of dumbasses.

You know, I didn't particularly see what the hell the big deal was with the infinitesimally brief flash of pink in the first one, but for crissake, if she feels like showing it, and someone's willing to pay her for it, who the fuck do they think they are to say "no one" wants to see that? They can blow me.

[antigone382]

17. Reminds me of the male reaction to the Dove "Campaign for Real Beauty"

...(and don't think I'm unaware of what an oxymoron the ad campaign itself was)...I was absolutely astounded at the comments leveled by men like Richard Roeper, etc. about how disgusting--disgusting--it was to see happy, healthy, realistic young women in their underwear on billboards...I would have thought a pig like Roeper would be extatic to see twenty-foot high women in their skivvies. I mean, in spite of the cutesy pseudo-feminist message of the ad campaign itself, thinner than average women were still being objectified...but evidently they weren't perfect enough for him because they didn't look like breathing barbie dolls.

Even objectification is only good enough for the women who meet the most strict standards of absolute physical "perfection"; the rest of us should be content to do the laundry and shut up. It just goes to show how skewed the perception of the female body is in our culture. Only specifically male-gratifying manifestations of female sexuality are allowed--anything else is icky.

[cally]

19. I remember those comments and I was

astounded, also. Our culture is warped.

[antigone382]

20. I'll say.

Only in America can you put up a billboard full of healthy women in the underwear...and have the men complain that the women aren't "ideal" enough...


Or splash some attractive movie star's bare crotch across the big screen and have men go "eww...she's not nubile enough!"

Even when we give them the sexist displays they want, it still isn't good enough.

[ThomCat]

21. I liked those ads.

I thought they were brilliant.

[ThomCat]

22. self delete

Posted in the wrong place. Oops.

[ThomCat]

23. I don't watch the media

It's very rare that I see a tv show or movie. I ignore all that stuff, so I guess I'm media illiterate. I missed all of this entirely.

I think I'm better off missing it. I've seen a picture of Sharon Stone recently. I don't remember where it was, but I remember thinking that she looked awesome.

Anyone who thinks there's anything gross about her is crazy. We should all look that good at that age.

Hell, I'd like to look that good now and I'm 10 years younger than her.