I've been watching the news a lot, and it occurs to me, as I witness the world in turmoil: Why do all the female newscasters, pundits, commentators and experts appear with arms bare?
This is not the most important question, clearly, but it is a question: Why aren't the male broadcasters showing their biceps?
Men bear arms. Women bare arms. There is something unequal here.
How about if we swapped it around and started revealing what's beneath those conservative jackets and button-down collars? Let the guys show off the hard work they've been doing at the gym?
Just as serious female journalists are now broadcasting in form-fitting dresses, male broadcasters could also choose to go strapless on more casual occasions, at those times they're covering a story that doesn't involve tragedy (if those still exist).
And since we certainly wouldn't want to be accused of taking our female journalists and broadcasters any less seriously because we put them in teeny-tiny sleeveless dresses — irrespective of the topic, occasion and season — we therefore could not be accused of treating our newsmen with any less respect should we encourage them to elicit viewer interest.
Essentially, I'm hoping to imagine a new lineup of erotically objectifiable men. As my pal, humorist Roz Warren puts it, "If the world is going to hell in a handbasket, can't Anderson Cooper strip down to his undies when he tells me about it?"
Another friend, Kate Mahar, also keeps the discussion focused on arms and the man: Indeed, Kate says, there are men whose "guns we would actually like to see" on the nightly news.
