For better or worse, singer Britney Spears and famous-for-being-famous pal Paris Hilton are superstars. Their every public moves are avidly chronicled by journalists and visually recorded by the paparazzi.
Thus it was that Britney’s foibles in what is usually the rather banal act of getting out of a car recently grabbed headlines.
On three separate occasions, Britney was getting out of a car wearing a miniskirt and – as the entire world knows thanks to the snaps of cameras – no underpants. She did not exercise the extreme care that someone wearing a short skirt sans panties would have to in order to avoid a gynecological display so her private parts were made peculiarly public.
After the media flurry, Britney’s official website put on a statement alluding to it. It reads: “It’s been so long since I’ve been out on the town with friends. It’s also been 2 years since I’ve even celebrated my birthday. Every move I make at this point has been magnified more than I expected, and I probably did take my new found [sic] freedom a little too far. Anyway, thank God for Victoria’s Secrets’ new underwear line!â€ÂÂ
It is possible that Britney never consciously intended to expose her genitals and that this was an unthinking act of sheer carelessness. It is also possible that it was a calculated publicity stunt.
However, regardless of the reason for it, much of the public has recoiled from it. Actress and singer Bette Midler is anything but a prude. She was once called “Miss Bawdy†by Ms. magazine (odd that they would use the honorific “Miss†in even a humorous manner) and is known for her raunchy humor. In an interview, Bette Midler publicly advised Britney Spears to “get a life, get a grip.†Britney Spears was recently booed at an L.A. Lakers game.
Through her panty-less cavorting, this pop singer has inadvertently underlined the importance of a basic sense of modesty. “Private parts†are called that for a reason – because they should be kept private.
