A Bit Nippy on “American Idol”

Janet Jackson, move on over…

A sexual (but not really sexy) controversy is brewing on “American Idol.” Rickey.org is reporting that during Wednesday night’s episode of the Fox talent competition, a shot containing a clear image of a young girl’s right nipple was aired completely uncensored. The girl, a presumably preteen relative of an aspiring “Idol” contender, was waiting in the lobby with other family members as host Ryan Seacrest interviewed them.

While the nipple shot itself was inconsequential in regard to what was happening in the scene, the fact that Fox failed to catch it is baffling considering that A) she was standing in front of everyone else and almost centered in the frame, and B) she even realized her overexposure and immediately (and noticeably) fixed her shirt to hide the scandalous bit of skin.

While I’m certainly no advocate of child pornography and I’m sure the FCC will be issuing Fox a pretty hefty fine for their oversight, I do wonder if there would be such an uproar about this whole matter if it had been a young boy flaunting (accidentally or otherwise) his chest to the world.

I’ve never really understood that double standard. In the case of children in the entertainment industry, it’s why Vanity Fair was lambasted for risqué pictures involving teen pop star Miley Cyrus, while actor Taylor Lautner’s shirtless shots in GQ Magazine and Twilight: New Moon (both projects from when Lautner was only seventeen years old) were not only accepted, but drooled over incessantly by adoring fans, adolescent girls and “cougars” alike. 

This issue is just as bad for the adult players in showbiz. Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino can constantly and unapologetically flash his pectoral muscles on MTV’s “Jersey Shore,” but a woman wanting to bear her breast on television faces blurring, pixilation, and, worst of all, misogynistic criticism (“What a slut!,” “That skank!,” etc.). 

I am not saying that I want girls/women to become sexual objects in order to feel proud of their bodies. I do not think, however, they deserve to be any more (sexually) suppressed than their male counterparts.