Posted by Clamdigga at mail.tcofnj.com on May 22, 2002 at 09:37:55:
In Reply to: BD nt posted by Hov on May 22, 2002 at 09:32:29:
: : Dear Kevin,
: : I am writing this to you now out of sheer desperation; I never had a substantial reason to bother you in the past. However, I've just learned you're planning on casting Jennifer Lopez in Jersey Girl and it devastated me. Before you dismiss my opinion as useless fangirl whining, please let me explain.
: : Way back when (okay, five years ago) when I first had the fortune of coming across Mallrats, I was loved the great little flick. It was when I listened to the commentary for Clerks, though, that really panged something inside. Never before had I identified with someone so closely (being a tomboy who watched Star Wars with my older brother as a kid and read comics in my teens, there weren't a lot of girls who could discuss the specifics of X-Men or Batman with me). I read up, did some watching, and found you spoke from your heart and were the most honest person I had ever seen. And you were just like me. So, of course, I fell in love with everything you did and you became my personal hero.
: : That was five years ago and I've been solely devoted to your work since. When I heard about this casting of Lopez, I thought it was a crazy rumor, brought on by Affleck's involvement with her in Gigli. But when I checked these boards, I found out otherwise. To explain why someone like Jennifer Lopez does so much damage to the world, to a man who is probably attracted to her, is an uphill battle. Every day women wake up and have to face the expectations of men who have just watched an ass-shaking video of JLo in her underwear, teasingly looking at the camera. I had thought you would be the first person to be against objectifying women because you, yourself, have been stereotyped by your looks (as I most certainly have as well). And to say that Lopez is doing good (for women) by being a "tough" gal in Enough (or Money Train or Out of Sight, take your pick) is to ignore the fact that she did so in skin tight spandex and a sass in her walk. I'm sure the female Federal Marshalls would be happy to know that they are expected to do double the work of their male coworkers- learn all the cop stuff then go home and make sure you get a facial/style your hair/work on a tight ass.
: : The only way I know how to explain sexism to men is to point at their daughters (although it hasn't worked on my dad yet). Someday, some man will watch an old Jennifer Lopez video, see her shimmy in hip huggers that show half of her ass, then they'll take a gander at Harley Quinn and she'll be embarrassed and ashamed as are millions of women every day because they probably don't look like JLo. And you can blame the people giving her money (my dad's classic response: "hey, she [JLo/Britney/whomever] is just making money"). But what if someone stood up and actually DIDN'T give the job to the woman in the skin tight clothes? Who cares if she can act- what she represents to young girls (like Harley Quinn) is much more important on our society right now. Maybe Harley will grow up and paint on some skin tight pants like JLo someday too because she saw it in a movie/music video/commercial just like yours.
: : I had seen so much equality from you that it kind of killed me a little to see that you might cast Lopez. And it brought the only real hero I'd ever had come crashing down. I never thought I would not see something you produced but I'm afraid that a movie with JLo is such an insult on the female population, that I couldn't contribute to it and I could not see it.
: : I'm sure by now you're just writing me off as some disgrunted feminist and I'm only one person so who cares? But you were the only one who saw how it really is (in Hollywood, hell, in the world) so I don't understand how you can't see this. I, as a woman who never had a female role model, looked up to you because you could say things and comic-reading boys would listen. And now to see that you're using that voice to promote sexism to a generation that will grow up to harrass your own daughter has broken my heart.
: : Thank you for showing me that there are no completely good people in the world (and that equality is only right some of the time).
: : Sincerely,
: : Nicole Hale