There is nothing sexier than a bigot, amiright ladies? Blake Shelton was recently chosen as this year’s ‘sexiest man alive’ by People magazine, and for a solid second we all wondered how many beautiful men had to die to make this possible.
We are not sure what standards are used to determine which man deserves this title, but they obviously do not care much about how shitty the men they chose are. Shelton is questionable at best. “I was 19 years old when my heart first got broken.. I’m over it now but I wonder what that fat ugly bitch is up to….” he tweeted. Another one of his under-140-characters masterpieces? “Nothing says 4th of July like a airport shuttle bus driver that can’t speak a FUCKING word of English!!! To the terminal Omar!!!!”
Nevermind the fact that he has profited from openly sexist, homophobic and racist comments throughout his career, this dude is now a role model for men everywhere.
It is true that we as a society should stop caring about looks as a measure of someone’s worth, but the truth is that beauty sells. The sexiest man alive will profit from this title, and the magazine will publicize their decision like there is no tomorrow. Men everywhere, young men who are already conditioned to use offensive vocabulary as a display of masculinity, will get the message that this kind of behavior is not only okay, but sexy.
But of course, we could not expect much from a magazine that chose a domestic abuser, Johnny Depp, as the sexiest man alive… twice.
This is just another instance of men being praised for doing the bare minimum. Symmetrical face, white skin and a little bit of facial hair? Bam! You are the sexiest man alive. You opened the door for the lady walking behind you? You are a feminist. You have one friend whose skin is not white? Congratulations, now you are allowed to make racist comments.
It is disturbing how low the standard is set for most white men.
We live in a society where “boys will be boys” is good enough of an excuse for men to get away with anything ranging from innocent pranks to sexual assault; where men like Casey Affleck and Woody Allen will continue to win awards because they deserve to have their disturbing actions separated from their art. This not only fosters an environment where other men feel like their penis is a free-pass to not be accountable for their actions, but it is a constant reminder to women that their experiences are not as valid.
While it is true that “not all men” (David Giacomini would never) behave like this, “enough men” do.
