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The Bimbo Syndrome

© Susan Colebank

There was once a 1980's song that asked where had all the heroes gone -- good question. While little girls grow up steeped in a fairytale -- dreaming of a glass slipper and patiently waiting for Prince Charming -- men seem to be purposely distancing themselves from filling the role of "knight in shining armor." Maybe, just maybe, this is women's fault. Afterall, no where in the story of Cinderella did she get a nose job, new boobs and a belly button ring.

In a culture plagued by Jerry Springer and his ilk (i.e. Temptation Island, Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire), it's no wonder that America is being entertained by the public degradation of women. And, yes, it is degrading for women to slice-and-dice (a piercing there, a tattoo here) their bodies and sell their bodies for fame and fortune. And, no, it isn't just the trailer trash, good-for-nothin' absentee fathers who make up their target audience: it may be the college professor or U.N. peacekeeper right next door.

It used to be that "upper class" men would covertly buy an occasional Playboy or the like with a chagrined smile and averted gaze. However, with so-called "literary" men's magazines such as Maxim, FHM and even the more reputable GQ and Esquire flaunting the curves of barely clad women on their covers, "respectable" men are religiously subscribing to these magazines in addition to their old stand-by, Playboy. According to research conducted by Mediamark Research Inc., the average Maxim reader is approximately 26 years old, has a median income of around $60,000, and three out of four are college-educated.

In a society where silcon/saline/soya breasts are becoming more the norm and peroxide hair considered upper-crust rather than skanky bimbo, a woman's looks -- whether they are shown on reality TV or a men's magazine -- are no longer her own to do with as she will. Rather, her looks are influenced by men. However, as long as men purposely avoid being Prince Charming, it is no wonder that Cinderella has been tossed aside for Pamela Anderson and the like.

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