Too much booty these days

When selfies arrived, it started a tsunami of picture-taking. Facebook was covered with them. Group selfies followed. But it seems that some female celebrities feel that taking pictures of their butts is the hip new thing.

Two of my grandchildren were visiting last week who are in their 20s.

I asked them what was going on, and they said it was “the year of the butt.” I really try to stay current and not to be too judgmental, but I am flabbergasted at this new phenomenon. What is this obsession about? I think it started with Kim Kardashian and her booty. Critics of body shapes made cutting remarks about the size of her backside. She very cleverly turned it around into something desirable, and it soon became a media frenzy. Pictures of her wearing tight dresses that accentuated her booty showed up everywhere.

Most recently Jennifer Lopez displayed a picture of herself in a pair of shorts that were hiked up so far that you could see the bottom of her backside, which I imagine she considered to be cool and seductive. Beyonce does the same thing, and in a recent video she was standing in a line of women who were shaking their booties rhythmically while she sang.

Now to some this diatribe may sound as if I am permeated with jealousy. But trust me, I am not only not jealous, I am happy to have come from a generation that had some discernment on how they displayed themselves. Yes, there were strippers and stars that showed cleavage, but haven’t we gone a little too far? I frankly am beginning to wonder why any of these people bother to wear clothes. They have great bodies, and they look extremely fit, but how does all this skin exposure translate to the millions of young women who view them as role models? How about showing me an MRI of your brain? Is there anything in there? Why are boobs and butts becoming more important than brains, grace and dignity?

Women fought long and hard for equality. My mother, myself and thousands of other women have strived to have our intellect validated. How is all this need to show so much skin serve us? I don’t expect women to transition to wearing shrouds because looking sexy and feeling feminine is fun, but how about leaving something to the imagination? There is also the allure of mystique. Wouldn’t it be more interesting to wonder what’s underneath a piece of clothing?