Jenny McCarthy is Playboy‘s latest cover girl. Her seventh Playboy front cover—featuring the 39-year-old actress/model/host/mama clad in fingerless gloves and, well, her birthday suit—hit the newsstands on June 29th.
How wonderful for her. Honestly, I didn’t really think much of it until I started seeing all the media headlines.
She’s a mom! She’s 39!
People magazine says, “just months away from hitting the big 4-0, Jenny proves she’s still got it.” Imagine! It’s a miracle!
Interesting. The media is shocked that a 39-year-old woman can be sexy. Really? Have they taken a look at Kate Beckinsale lately? Or Jennifer Lopez? The media feels the need to come out with studies to prove that moms still want to have sex. Well, here’s where I send the media into a frenzy. I am 34 years old. I am the mother to three young children. I have sex every day. Because I like it; because I am sexy.
But then I wonder…are we perpetuating the insinuation that women over a certain age don’t like sex? A very dear friend, on a recent Facebook status, wrote the following: Husbands are happy the day after sex because, duh. Wives are happy because we have at least a few days off before the begging starts again.
Many, many women “liked” her status—over 25, in fact. And I get it—I really, really do. They are tired, they have young children, they are super busy, they consider sex to be somewhat of a chore. Yet, while I recognize that I may be more of an exception to a rule, are we sending men (and the media) the wrong message? Are we allowing people to be shocked when 39-year-old moms consider themselves to be sexy and continue to enjoy having sex? Are we allowing people to dump on women like Jenny McCarthy?
An article in Salon tried to say that McCarthy truly isn’t representative of “the norm” and that she is creating a sort of false tale of what it’s like to be almost 40. According to the article, “..acting like it’s no big deal that McCarthy still looks that way at her age. Of course, some people have incredible metabolisms, but it’s just disingenuous to act like it does not take a load of money for trainers, gym memberships, doctor check-ups, proper workout shoes, and the like, as well as time. To work out for hours every day while maintaining a career and being a mother to a 10-year-old is unrealistic for most women.”
But here’s what I don’t understand. I can’t afford a gym membership, so I ride my bike—when I can fit it into my schedule between work and driving carpool and swimming lessons. I watch what I eat pretty regularly, but I certainly can’t afford to have someone cook my meals for me. Yes, of course Jenny McCarthy’s lifestyle is not really the case for most people.
But so what?
I am still sexy. I have inches on my body that I can pinch. I have boobs that absolutely need to be held up by a great-fitting brassiere. I have stretch marks that have turned silver over time. I don’t understand where it says that we have to look exactly like she does to consider ourselves sexy, or to have other people think we are sexy.
Jenny McCarthy isn’t defining sexy at 39. She isn’t defining sexy for mothers. She isn’t putting pressure on you or me or anyone else. She is just embracing it—what’s wrong with that?
Salon goes on to take issue with Jenny McCarthy’s “salute to the MILFS,” which in reality is basically saying that they take issue with the objectification of women at any age, really. The author seems to be put-off by the entire concept of Playboy magazine and the industry as a whole. It doesn’t matter that McCarthy is 39 or a mom—the author is upset that this is diminishing women.
I guess what I’m saying is, while the backlash from this cover spread was inevitable (and we all know that it was), why is it necessary? Why do people care so much? Are people bothered that she is 39? Are people bothered that she is a mom? Are they bothered that she feels that she is sexy? Or are the bothered by the mere fact that she is posing nude—regardless of age, parental status, or sex-factor?
Can’t she *just* be a woman who posed for Playboy?
About Ali Martell
