the britney vignettes: you don't own me
I’m sick to death of reading press about myself. Why do people, many of whom have never met me, feel justified in assessing my character? You don’t see me secretly taking pictures of you sunning yourself at the beach. You don’t see me tearing you apart because your boobs look bigger one day then they did the last. Why? Because I truly don’t care. Because I understand and respect your right to individual choice. So why can’t you understand and respect mine?
America. Where you are free to pursue life, liberty and happiness. As long as you’re dressed conservatively in body-covering little girl clothes from Gap.
Clothes. They seem so trivial. So many people discard clothes as being a fairly superficial entity. But to me clothes are so mean so much more. They’re how you present yourself to the world. Deny it as you like, but first impressions ARE the most important. Taking pride in how you dress shows that you take pride in who you are in relation to the world. I get a lot of flack for dressing too ‘sexy.’ But I’m twenty years old and in good health. I FEEL sexy. So what’s wrong in me dressing the way I feel? In twenty years, I probably won’t feel like wearing booty shorts and bikini tops. So why not take advantage of this feeling while I can?
The problem with dressing the way I do is that men think the sexy attitude is directed towards them. Well, listen up boys: it isn’t. At least not all the time. I’m aware that my record company doesn’t mind my choice of wardrobe, as it drives a large portion of the male population to the stores. But I dress the way I do for me. I wear my jeans low because it elongates my short torso. I keep my midriff bare to show off my abs. I do 500 sit-ups a day, I think that warrants me the right to show them off. It may sound selfish, but I do all of this for me. Y’all just get to reap the benefits of it.
Keep in mind, reaping the benefits may not mean what you think it means. Remember when your mama used to tell you ‘look, but don’t touch’? Yeah, well I’d have to agree with her on that one. Just because someone is licking my neck in a music video does not mean I give you the permission to do the same thing when we meet in person. A lot of critics say I’m asking for it, by dressing provocatively. I’m not asking for anything. I should be able to dress the way I wanna dress, and not be violated because of it.
But what are benefits to some are harms to others. Am I concerned that little girls all over the world are copying the way I dress? I guess it depends on what you mean by concerned. On the one hand, it’s really flattering to know that someone thinks I am important enough to imitate. To know that I have enough impact on the world to start a fashion trend. So what if that means that these little girls are showing more skin then they did in the past? It’s a new millennium. Females should feel free to do whatever, be whatever, wear whatever they want. Wasn’t that part of what the feminist movement was about? And sometimes I do a double take when I see little girls at my concerts, wearing tight hip-huggers only centimeters above their not-yet-fully-formed pubic bones. I fear that they will be subjected to the same lustful looks from pedophiliac males that I encounter every day. But you know what? When it all boils down, it is not my responsibility. I’m not the one who manufactures sparkly panties for the little girl’s clothing department. And I’m not the one who buys them. I have a feeling the eight-year-old girls at my concert can afford those clothes either. I accept the fact that some little girls want to dress ‘sexy’ after seeing my videos on MTV. But who is letting them watch MTV? Who is giving them the allowance that they use to buy those clothes? Not me, so stop fucking blaming me for everything.
CONTINUE
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