Getting Paid By Getting Laid? Is This The Fast Way To Fame?

The cover story for the latest issue of the gossip tabloid Juicy,is about women who use their sexuality as a stepping stone to fame. We all wonder why women like Amber Rose, Cassie, Teyana Taylor and Karrine Steffans are household names? What have they really done to garner their photos all over magazines and the internet. Before the women’s rights movement, women had to rely on men for their livelihoods. They were property, objects and mere accessories to the men of the world. Often the only hope for them to make a name for themselves was to marry into wealth.




"How to Get Paid. The Girls' Guide to Fame: Amber, Kim and Karrine -- From Arm Candy to Boss Lady." Yes, It reads like a typical how-to headline from the pages of popular women's lifestyle magazines, but the meaning of the words aren't so innocent. This is the cover story for the latest issue of the new gossip tabloid Juicy, serving as yet another media outlet adding to the out-of-control fame machines of women who use their sexuality as a stepping stone to fame.

Before the women's rights movement, women had to rely on men for their livelihoods. They were property, objects and mere accessories to the men of the world. Often the only hope for them to make a name for themselves was to marry into wealth.

It's hard to believe that in 2010, society still glorifies this path to success. The article in Juicy highlights the success stories of women who turned their status as a sidepiece or girlfriend into a profitable brand. Bringing light to the fact that Amber Rose can now sit front row at fashion week and reportedly earn around $20,000 per appearance, touting Karrine Steffans' victory as a New York Times best-selling author and noting Kim Kardashian's growing presence in media both in front of and behind the camera, these women are representatives of "the new Hollywood hustle."

When asked about the "Guide to Fame" Juicy's Editor in Chief Paula T. Renfroe said, "We actually saw it as more of an entertainment piece. Instead of just aspiring to be someone's arm candy, or be seen on the red carpet, these ladies have flipped their girlfriend status into entrepreneurship. But by no means was it an attempt to educate anyone on anything. It was more just an entertainment reflection piece like, 'Hey, we see something going on here. These ladies aren't just falling to the way side, they've branded themselves.'"

Granted, these women were savvy to take their respective positions and flip them into ways to empower themselves. But despite the TV shows, the book deals and the magazine covers, can we really ignore how these women got to where they are? To this day, I refuse to watch 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' because watching that show would mean that the fact Kardashian even has a show is okay.

The media still chooses to give shine to these women for doing nothing but looking good on the red carpet or having sex with a celebrity and being smart enough to tape it. The more magazine, TV and paparazzi attention they receive, the more their methods become validated. The end justifies the means, and every flick of the camera is another reason for a vulnerable young woman to think that the path to the good life is as simple as laying down with the right person.

The public eats this stuff up because this is what is being served. It's a cycle that needs to stop. It's comparable to a child coming to the kitchen table for dinner and having no choice but to eat what's put in front of her. No responsible parent would serve a plate full of candy. We come to the newsstand for entertainment, and the magazines are serving what they think we want to eat, but with all this "candy," all we're getting is empty calories and giving more weight to the power of the glorified groupie.

Despite what Juicy claims is just a piece observing the trends of celebrity culture, highlighting this trend adds fuel to the fire. It's another magazine mention carrying the torch for these women.

So, the next girl who feels trapped by her circumstances and unable to catch her big break -- instead of seeking a mentor -- is more likely to try and sleep her way into celebrity culture. The consequences are minimized while the rewards remain glorified across the covers of magazines and the lead story in every entertainment-news show. The latest victim, Montana Fishburne, chose the Kardashian path and recently checked into a mental-health clinic. And Kat Stacks refers to herself on her Website as a "media queen," a reputation she earned by essentially taking ownership of her reputation as a royal groupie.

"As painful as it may be to accept, Montana Fishburne had a point. In an age where women are celebrated and compensated for who they've slept with, how well they wear clothes and the number of scandals they've racked up, maybe the road to fame is paved with misguided intentions." - Juicy Winter 2010 issue

Every magazine cannot be an Essence, trumping female empowerment. Juicy is a gossip magazine, and that's not its mantra. But to present this feature as a "how-to" and print an article citing all the pros of their methods is sickening. For the first black tabloid to splash a headline paying homage to this path to fame, in this sensitive time, one wonders how many empty calories we can eat before we are so full of junk that we vomit on our plates.


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