Feminist commentator Susan Estrich calls into question in her column this morning the judgment of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz) for his cameo appearance in a movie described by critics as a “perv-fest” and “a showcase for bare-breasted beauties.” This all has to do with McCain’s acting debut in the film, The Wedding Crashers, this summer’s answer to American Pie.
Estrich, who served as 1988 Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis’s chief strategist, wonders whether social conservatives who dominate the GOP presidential primary system will be amused by McCain, who once lambasted Hollywood for marketing R-rated films to teenagers, now appearing in one himself. She compares this with McCain’s Clinton-era “joke” about the physical appearance of then-teenaged Chelsea Clinton.
Feminism is one of the most dangerous, utopian, and ultimately hopeless causes of twenty-first century America. Even so, we can be thankful for the way in which feminists often point out the exploitation of women by men, usually for commercial purposes. This is one of those times.
What worries me is not so much that a United States senator is appearing in a movie geared to titillate teenage boys (and their emotional peers) with promiscuous topless women. Rather I am more concerned by Sen. McCain’s reason for appearing in the film: “It impressed my kids.”
With the rise of the so-called “South Park Conservatives,” we may well be in for more conservatives who value capitalism and commerce more than the permanent things, like the way in which our society views women. That will be a shame. But we can’t say the feminists didn’t warn us.
