'Pimp and Ho Chic'
Thursday, February 23, 2006 at 03:44PM 
Dame Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop and more significantly feminist and liberal activist, has come out against what she calls ‘Pimp and Ho Chic’; the widely growing trend to glamorize through entertainment the tragic industry of prostitution. Roddick writes:
"Did you notice the shift in the style and content of music videos a few years ago? That was because pornographers began to direct and produce them. As a result not only do ‘porn stars’ have to simulate sex, but so do Beyonce and Britney, two of the most popular icons for young women and girls today. Some hip hop artists have even made their own porn movies to reflect the sexual material in their songs - the less raunchy ones just present themselves as pimps, blinged out and surrounded by scantily clad women – just like in the recent Selfridges Christmas advertising campaign. The gains in this collaboration have primarily been for the porn industry, which has gained new young audiences and markets.
"What we have now is what I call ‘Pimp and Ho chic’, with all aspects of the sex industry presented as hip and cool. Pole dancing as exercise, lap dancing clubs as places to see celebrities, Pimp of the Year Award, Pimp and Ho fancy dress Balls, websites promoting ‘pimp’ culture, and the every day use of the words ‘bitch’ and ‘ho’ to refer to women, including girlfriends, are just some of the examples I have come across.
"….What do women and girls gain (or more accurately loose) when liberation and empowerment are reduced to sexual display, consumerism and commodification? How did porn get to be hip, pimps to be cool and feminism become a dirty word?"
And:
"A lot of people seem to think it’s cool to be a pimp or a whore. It’s not cool. The reality is dark and evil and appalling and unregulated. The reality is sexual trafficking, which is about young women being forced into rooms to have sex however many times a day so the pimp can take all the money. I don’t get it.
"There are thousands of ads mostly focused on women and young girls that say you are not attractive, you are not sexy, you are not intelligent unless you look like this… [in] kids’ magazines there is a passivity and a stupidity that is seen as the great way forward.
"And then you hear the statistics that we have the most violent young women in Europe because of binge drinking. I haven’t got much hope. Something’s gone very wrong."
Amen.
Then there’s MTV’s "Pimp My Ride" . Beverly Hills Pimps and Ho’s (*graphic). Britney Spears wedding reception. Snoop Doggy Dog even offers cute little pimpin’ Instant Messenger icons. This is now the norm; fun; kids stuff.
The Vatican came out in July of 2005 with the First International Meeting of Pastoral Care for the Liberation of Women of the Street condemning prostitution and sex trafficking as "acts of violence against women that constitute an offence to the dignity of women and are a grave violation of basic human rights." The document goes on to call prostitution "a form of modern day slavery." This seems confirmed by the presentation of women in the "pimp and whore" culture usually at the side, beneath or behind the man (pimp). Not exactly a picture of freedom.
Not often do ideological opposites like a Roddick and the Vatican align, but perhaps the necessity for a call to arms defying the dementia of a "pimp and ho" culture makes for strange bed-fellows.
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Reader Comments (32)
Right now there are US Senators proposing legislation that would, if passed, force cable channels to be offered separately. I think this would go a long way in helping us get this trash out of our homes. My parents only had cable installed on the TV in the living room so that they could constantly make sure that MTV wasn’t on (and this was long before it got this bad). My father eventually cut it off completely when he saw a particularly offensive show. This new bill would let us tell channels like MTV that we simply wont pay to have our little girls think that they are anything less than precious gifts (not to mention the signals these shows are sending to little boys about what it means to be a man).
If you think this might help, call your senator and tell them to support this legisltion.
Here is a link to a story on it.
http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/core_telecom_and_utilities/003152.html
At least for now we can manually delete the channels we don't want on our televisions.
I quit watching MTV a very long time ago, it got filthy and VH1 is heading down that road too.
I hate how the women allow themselves to be portrayed as prostitutes and basically a piece of meat to be used and not cherished. They are poisoning young impressionable minds and we need to make it stop.
You said, "To think that violence against women is sexualized is truly revolting."
What's worse is that women participate willingly. Of course this isn't true much of the time in the sex trafficing industry (which is a hideous sin that abuses very young girls as well as grown women.. sickening), but this is certainly true most of the time in the United States. Women like Beyonce or whomever sell themselves out in the name of "empowerment" (money, attention... sex sells) and inadvertantly reduce themselves to objects and caricatures of what they profess not to be. The feminist movement in America has done more to set women back and enslave them than any other force I can think of because they cooperate with it.
Good comments, Leticia. I think we all agree.
On the other hand, music is pretty much always an analogy for sex, that's what it's about, however much we sanitise it. George Formby entertained troops in WW1 on his ukelele with charming ditties about masturbation, blues artists have always used double (often single) entendres, symphonies always have an orgasm etc. I find it useful to approach music with this insight. But the pimp/ho type of sexuality is just one of many, and the fad will pass.
I'm fond of saying to people who like Britney that they should get some proper porn and listen to some good music. Best of both worlds ;)
Remember back in the 1990's there was a big push to make movie theaters really start carding for rated R movies? And the big studios yelled and screamed about how there was no way to make good movies that weren't rated R? Well, legislation was pushed through and the big studios started putting out much more family friendly movies. I realize that there is still a lot of filth out there in the movie world. But remember how in the 1980's and 1990's any movie that wasn't a cartoon seemed to be rated R? Those days are gone, thankfully. I think we can do the same thing with cable. My bet is that MTV will straiten up as soon as it sees its revenues decreasing.
P.S.
You're right that the most disgusting part is that women willingly participate. What I really worry about little girls buying into this BS; I hate to think of little girls looking up to these examples! But as far as feminism goes let be carful not throw the baby out with the bath water. Feminism has done a lot of good too. We just need to put a stop to some of the bad it has created.
But for teens today, it is, to say the least, a problematic issue, especially for some 13 to 16 year old girls who use icons such as Britney to look up to, and imitate. I agree with Amy, the sexualisation of both men and women in pop music is degrading and cheap and wrong.
One thing that gives me optimism however, is that I know most teenagers are much more sussed than we give them credit for. I think a good deal of teens realise that those yucky pseudo-porn videos are actually only a "tongue-in-cheek-glamorisation", something to be laughed at and ridiculed, rather than taken seriously. And I also believe that most teens do realise (or at least have an idea) how sordid and unhealthy the real sex-industry is.
I do think that eroticism (as opposed to porn) can be a part of pop music, without becoming "dirty" or cheap. I touched on this point in my latest LJ entry about the group Abba, a band who made some very "sexy" music without being vulgar or degrading.
I'm mid-20s, but I've always been too interested in music for it to have a peer-pressure impact. I like bits of everything.
I did hear Aguilera explaining how she was being "honest" about a young woman's sexuality. She might be being honest for herself, but she's certainly not representative, and I know that lots of young girls don't understand the difference.
Speaking of the "Pimping" culture, just a little jab at the Pimp in Chief, http://www.iowavoice.com/comment.php?type=trackback&entry_id=1582
My daughter is almost 13 and attends a minority school, as its' called (5% white population) and her school is overrun with this pimp culture. The school usually enforces the dress codes so immodesty isn't an issue so much as is the spirit of this culture. These kids come home, yes, even on a military base (it's an off-post school made up of mostly civilians) and have no parents around until 6, 7, 8 pm. They are babysat by MTV. They're language and the music they listen to shows it and it's disturbing.
What happens is that the skimpy outfits become bland and to up the excitment the words to the songs and the terminology becomes courser. Sexuality becomes a function like going to the bathroom and life becomes numb.
I think the innundation with this stuff is "boring" because it is so oversold. It's too normal. One 'ho is just as common as the next.
One has to wonder about the emotional damage this early and intense sexualization has on these children.
The public schools really don't help in this area at all, although the new uniform codes for kids are awesome! It helps little girls look like little girls.
I think the pimp culture not only makes sex un-special and normal, but it makes it the property of a man. And not even the property of a man who loves and cares about you but of one that beats you and takes your money. I don’t care so much if the dancers are sexy as much as I care about how this new trend glamorizes men-on-women violence.
I use to work with abused women seeking protection orders, and I can tell you that some women (and especially the younger ones) DO buy into this b.s. As amazing as it sounds, they are really confused about what it means when a man beats you and pressures you for sex (or worse). And even though I hold no sympathy for the abusers, I think they are somewhat confused about what is and what is not appropriate behavior for intimate relationships. They think “real men” treat women like disposable sex trash. These bizarre ideas are coming from somewhere and I think it's our society.
We are raising kids in a toxic environment, and it leads to some pretty weird/disgusting stuff. I think most kids like your and Tom's turn out okay, because they have parents who really care. But what about these other kids? They don't have moms and dads telling them (or better yet showing them) what a good relationship looks like. Mrs. Clinton was right when she said it take a village to raise kids, and we are failing.
Meg, I would have my children in CAtholic school and they want to be in Catholic school, but even with academic scholarships and aid we can't afford to send even one of our children. You definitely get what you pay for, but we cannot afford it.
When we were at Ft. Bragg, we lived on post and the on post schools starting with middle school (5th grade) had uniforms. It was fantastic. The kids didn't mind it, either.
I totally agree with your third paragraph. It's a shame and a trap.
Meg is right, when she outlines that violence against women is glorified in popular culture. What people should be asking is: Why is it glorified? Does anyone think that those bottom feeding leeches at the top of the economic ladder care about, the implications of glorifying violence against women? Or do they care about the social situation of those who are at the bottom of the "chain"? Simple, when there's a price to be paid, and profits to be had, there's no limit as to how far these leeches will go to exploit you, me, and all the average joes out there.
This is why I cannot fathom why ordinary people, would support a political system, where they are the people being subjected and exploited (unknowingly perhaps?).
Meg is right, when she outlines that violence against women is glorified in popular culture. What people should be asking is: Why is it glorified? Does anyone think that those bottom feeding leeches at the top of the economic ladder care about, the implications of glorifying violence against women? Or do they care about the social situation of those who are at the bottom of the "chain"? Simple, when there's a price to be paid, and profits to be had, there's no limit as to how far these leeches will go to exploit you, me, and all the average joes out there.
This is why I cannot fathom why ordinary people, would support a political system, where they are the people being subjected and exploited (unknowingly perhaps?).
I don't agree with this comment. I see too many images of those like Paris Hilton, (definitely NOT from a scrappy social situation) with skimpy outfits becoming the latest "role models" for young women. Let's not forget about her notorious Internet video either! I also don't think Agulera (sp) or Madonna are living in economic deprivation. I believe these individuals have morality and judgement issues. Frankly, I don't believe they have invited God into their lives. Look at the contrast between these "pop stars" and someone like Amy Grant. I don't recall the last time I saw her in a skimpy outfit singing trash. I will admit Madonna has toned it down somewhat after having children, but I still don't feel she is "role model" material for our young women!
There's nothing in my reply that claims Paris and Hilton and Madonna were from scrappy social situations. What I did say was that we should be more vigilant and alert about those who are really responsible for promoting these scenarios in both popular culture and its snowball effects on society.
By pointing out pin-ups like Paris and Hilton and Madonna, you pretty much proved that these upper echelons of the corporate ladder have done an awesome job in keeping a clean slate for themselves to avoid owning up to any responsibility for the degradation of social progress.
It is a problem, but only because it's over-represented. The ghettos have gangstas and hos, but they also have postmen and corner-shops. There's a new generation of rappers emerging with a less squewed perspective, but the corporate machine of which MTV is a large part has a lot of inertia, and will take some years to catch up. (look how long it took them to start playing rap videos at all)
By pointing out pin-ups like Paris and Hilton and Madonna, you pretty much proved that these upper echelons of the corporate ladder have done an awesome job in keeping a clean slate for themselves to avoid owning up to any responsibility for the degradation of social progress.
Betty: Being more vigilant would be awesome, unfortunately in today's society money talks. As long as the videos and music are selling I don't think they are going to stop as much as we would like them too. The major problem boils down to the fact that those who need to "own up" as far as responsibility goes, don't think what they are doing is wrong or a problem. They don't think skimpy clothes, sex or gyrational moves are improper. To them, there is nothing wrong with what they do, it is "normal". THAT is where the REAL problem lies. How do we change the face of what society deems normal behavior?
Props!
Not really, but they've made some good records. Advertisers simply market to the people who liked the records. Also the record companies persue what they know, which at the moment is gangstas. It'll change when something new comes along and makes ramping about pimps sound as old-fashioned as '80s metal.
MTV could be so much better than it is...
Its not really only about music. Mass marketing is such a powerful and all encompassing method of exploitation, yet people are oblivious to its negative effect.
Actually, commercialism show that it's the beginning of the end, they start to making the whole thing establishment and uncool.
Hollywood/Oscars/Pimp & Ho's. Geesh......
Time to find a new way to annoy parents!
Betty: Ironically, It isn't glorifying the "ghetto" impoverished lifestyle. How many REAL ghetto dwellers have the money for gold teeth and gold jewelry that you see displayed on the videos? What about the clothes you see the video's? Not exactly ghetto fair I would say. Now I could be wrong, but I think it somehow is a perverse warped image of materialism. Don't spend your money on food for the kids, but heck don't these gold teeth look good? In other words it is NOT the image of true life in the "ghetto."
The pimpin culture didn't just arise from the spontaneous eruption of rap music, it became "mainstream" in order for the giants of marketing to appeal and relate to that portion society. If I was a black man, whats going to make me want to buy a coke? Some thumping hip hop with b-ball players shooting hoops in the "ghetto" or some middle aged dude wearing a suit and tie drinking his coke on lunch break?
Woman have been exploited and represented in submissive rolls well before gangsters became a part of popular culture.
Betty, you seemed to be disagreeing with me without understanding anything I said above.
You even said it yourself, "its not the image of true life in the ghetto". Thats my point. Its not like marketers care about what life in the ghetto represents. They care only about finding the most effective ways to relate to people in order to sell a "product".