Stella Says…Here is what I think about celebrity gossip, Cosmo Magazine and the Guyana Media Critic

by Stella Ramsaroop

(Originally published in Guyana's Kaieteur News on 20 June 2007)

So what if Paris Hilton has to spend 24 days in jail? So what if Angelina Jolie may be pregnant again? So what if the Princes of England are all grown up and can finally talk to the public without an escort? So Fidel Castro is now wearing a tracksuit instead of his trademark camouflage uniform. So what?

So Tiger Woods had a baby. So what. So what if the first couple of France’s Socialist party is splitting up? So what if they have put a revolving door on rehab centres for the stars of Hollywood? Do we really care that the President and his wife are getting a divorce? On second thought, maybe we do care about that.

So what if rumours say Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai will play a part in the new US television series, Heroes? So what if Harry Potter and his sidekicks get to meet the Queen? So what if Julia Roberts just had baby number three? Do I really care about any of this stuff? Do you really care? Will any of this information make a difference in our lives?

What difference does any of this information really make for the average women and men of the world? The charmed life of the rich and famous is nothing but a distant dream for those in Darfur struggling just to stay alive.

All of this constant chatter about how poor Paris Hilton cannot handle 24 days of prison is nauseating to me when thousands have died in Bush’s war on Iraq. Will someone please tell me how these frivolous details of the lives of the stars help the rest of us in any way at all? I have had my full of frivolity.

I ran across the latest Cosmopolitan Magazine the other day and was insulted by the captions on the front page. “The Girlfriend Habit That He’ll Love You More For.” “Secrets of Male Arousal.” “What Even Experienced Chicks Forget to Do in Bed.”

Who are they calling a chick?

I did not waste my time by opening this magazine. I am more of a newspaper type of girl. However, I have lived long enough to know that particular Cosmo (like all the rest) would have been chocked full of makeup tips, fashion advice and tons of advertisements. I was offended that Cosmo thought I cared about this shallowness at all.

I understand that I am probably not the target audience for this magazine, but I have daughters who are and it is just as offensive that Cosmo thinks they are so shallow. Is that all they think women care about in life - sex and fashion?

Allow me to correct myself; it was not sex being promoted on the front page of that Cosmo. It was all about how to please the man. There was nothing at all about how to have a mutually satisfying sexual experience. And here I thought this was the 21st century.

While we are on the subject of frivolity, let’s talk about the Guyana Media Critic. You just have to love this guy. He goes after the press like my cat goes after bugs in the backyard. GMC pounces on his unsuspecting victim and eats them alive.

I like it when he points out the obvious - like how a man apparently died from a stab wound to the thigh recently. I was wondering the same thing when I read that article. GMC is obviously a pro in the communications field and the leadership role he has taken in Guyana is admirable.

However, his latest attempt at becoming the next Hugh Hefner by posting photos of women on his blog is disturbing. Mind you, these women all had clothes on (barely), but it was a showcase of female flesh for hungry male eyes nonetheless. After all, why should any woman be viewed as anything more – eh, GMC?

This is a person I have grown to respect over time for his insight into Guyana’s media industry, but how on earth can I take him seriously when he post those types of photos on a blog that has up to the start of June been dedicated to promoting good journalism and addressing other media related issues.

On June 2, he posted a “Chick of The Week” photo. (Did he call that woman a chick?) I had hoped this was just an anomaly since GMC had never shown any signs of objectifying women before on his blog. Then he went and posted a myriad of photos of women again on June 16. Aren’t we just so lucky?

As if Guyana (and the world) needed one more avenue by which to objectify women. Frivolity and shallowness abound and the Guyana Media Critic has now lowered himself to the ranks of Cosmo and other such frivolous entertainment magazines. Congratulations, GMC.

My request to GMC, Cosmo and all those other pushers of superficiality is that you give us something worth our time. We simply do not care about the frivolity. We have enough of that rubbish pushed at us on a constant basis. We need something that is substantial and something that can make a difference in our world.

I did not waste my time by opening that Cosmo the other day. I do not watch the entertainment shows to learn about the latest celebrity gossip. I would hate to have to remove GMC from the bookmarks list on my computer, but if he has nothing better to offer his readers than “Chick of the Week,” then he doesn’t deserve a reserved space on anyone’s computer.

Email: StellaSays[at]gmail.com