Mary Louise Parker filmed a nude scene for the season 4 finale of her hit show “Weeds”, and she’s reportedly upset about it. “I fought with the director about it, and now I am bitter,” says the star. “I knew it was going to be on the Internet: ‘Mary Louise shows off her big nipples.’ I wish I hadn’t done that.”
There are three things I’d like to mention here: 1) She is a brave enough woman to bare herself to the cameras, and by extension, the whole world; she shouldn’t chide herself for that. 2) There is nothing weird or abnormal or shameful about her nipples; you can find the photos very easily online, so you can see that for yourself. 3) Though she isn’t purposefully feeding into it, I feel that she’s making a mistake by being so publically derisive about her own body.
Like it or not, television and movie stars are role models. It’s part of the package you buy into when you decide to make a career of putting yourself before the public eye. Therefore, at some point you’re going to be judged. And this is the important part: you cannot choose how you will be received. The same photo of you that one person loves will be simultaneously mocked by another person.
However, by coming out and declaring her own insecurities of her body like this, MLP is tacitly buying into the idea that attractiveness must bear a particular shape. She’s taking the emphasis off of her personality and intelligence as conveyors of beauty, and placing it squarely on her breasts. And this is something we need to filter for our children.
Growing up is hard. Society pushes against you on all sides, and it’s difficult to maintain a sense of self without being informed in one way or another by what the media presents to you. So to have a celebrity admit to being ashamed — even if not in so many words — of her own body will surely have some effect on how you perceive yourself. Let’s make sure our children understand that there is no one standard for beauty; it really is in the eye of the beholder. Furthermore, remind them that the people they see on tv and on the big screen are just that: people, with the same insecurities and hang-ups as the rest of us. Let’s help them grow up with a healthy self-image.
Comments
Kate
May 21st, 2009 - 10:38:58 AM
I agree with your point on self-confidence and that beauty does indeed come in many different packages, but I'm not so sure that was what left MLP with feelings of regret. Rather, I think she felt somewhat objectified. In the interview she mentions she was surprised that that particular scene was still frequently viewed by large swaths of the population. Maybe you're right and that made her embarrassed, but I think our society has just as great (if not greater) problem with objectifying women, and that that was the real reason for her regret. Just because you are beautiful (and she certainly is), doesn't mean you should show the whole world. Modesty for modesty's sake is no fun, but at the same time -- you have to be careful out there.