GIRLS GONE WILD … AND DUMB Don’t They Know Better? By Zain Deane Is it a generation thing? At 32, am I already too old to get with the times? Perhaps … but when I see one of those “Girls Gone Wild” commercials on TV, calypso music in the background and delighted nymphs skipping around topless, I cringe and change the channel. Call me old fashioned, but seeing those young women giggling away as they remove their clothes for the camera gives me far more sadness than joy. Hey, I love beautiful women as much as the next straight man. And sure, some part of me is excited that female nudity is so easy to come by in the new millennium. But I also know that 20 years ago, if I had walked around with a video camera asking young, pretty, supposedly educated girls to show me their assets for a free hat or t-shirt, chances are I’d have gotten slapped around a bit. Most of all, I don’t get it. What’s the appeal? What’s the benefit for these young women who decide to jiggle their breasts for the viewing pleasure of horny males around the world? Is it suddenly that cool to expose your tits on camera? And if it is, why not profit from it? These girls certainly don’t make any money when they agree to take their clothes off; all the cash goes to creator Joe Francis and his production company, Mantra Films, Inc. And they are rolling in it, thanks to almost no investment on their part and all the risk on young girls who are caught up in a brief moment of stupidity. Meanwhile, do you know how many Girls Gone Wild movies have been made since its first, groundbreaking edition in 1998? Try almost 70. And that’s not including all the knock-offs. There’s something deeply wrong about the concept behind the videos. There’s a recklessness around them, a sense of “I don’t give a shit” from the girls who are in them and a greater sense of “I don’t give a shit about you” from the guys behind the camera. And Mr. Francis has gotten in trouble over it, quite a few times. From charges of unfair and deceptive practices (like shipping videos to consumers without asking and charging them for it, or sending monthly shipments to customers who didn’t request them) to more than one instance of failing to document the ages of the women caught on camera (Francis pleaded guilty and paid millions in fines). But it’s all fun and games, right? What’s wrong with a brief flash of the breasts? It’s all a few drinks and free will and something to look back on with a laugh. … Well, imagine you’ve exposed yourself on the latest Girls Gone Wild. Maybe you get recognized here and there, maybe the whole thing blows over … or maybe you wear your tank top proudly and do requests at parties. But now imagine that you’re interviewing for a job you really want at a good company, with a decent salary. Imagine your prospective boss looking down at your resume, sighing, and then asking you to tell him about why you were on Girls Gone Wild. (Never mind that he may have seen it; that’s irrelevant, and in any case, it would be nothing for him to be ashamed of; like I said, there’s no risk for the men.) Imagine sitting there in your best suit and having to explain that to an employer. I know sex sells, and I have no problem with that. I think prostitution should be legal, because it will always be there and there are worse crimes in this world than having sex for money. But I never realized the price had dropped so low. In Wall Street terms, Girls Gone Wild is the equivalent of a stock market crash in sex and feminine beauty. And I don’t blame Jeff Francis or any of the other sleazebags who profit from the franchise. They’re businessmen who saw an opportunity and pounced. I don’t blame the parents of all the young girls who didn’t warn them about the consequences of their actions, because these are—one would assume—adults who should know better. No, I just change the channel when I see the commercials, and I think about how far some people will go for so small a reward. Maybe I’m just old fashioned. |
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