300 Years & Counting 1H KILLS - On The Issues Magazine

Madonna image — the mother — theall-giving nurturer who continuallyplaces herself second for the good of thefamily and by her omissions reinforcesthe status quo.If the "Good Girl" and "Number Two"are the roles for which most of the MissUSA contestants are priming themselves,they also may at some time inthe future find themselves in the positionof "Bad Girl." Or, what has beenrecently categorized as the "Bimbo," theultimate sex object. The Bimbo is usuallya bleached blond, tall, buxom, witha "career" in some sort of entertainmentfield. Hillary Clinton describes GenniferFlowers as "some sort of failed cabaretsinger who doesn't have much of a resumeto fall back on, and what's thereshe lied about." (Wall Street Journal)She's the new female prototype. Thenewly created archetype. The Bimbo issexual, she's bad, she fucks powerfulmarried politicians or she knows abouttheir hidden proclivities and she commitsthe cardinal sin of telling. Or wehave the "Accuser," the role of womenwho often stand within that ambivalentgray area, that porous divide that separatesthe Good Girls from the Bad. TheAccuser (Kennedy Smith had one, Tysonhad one, Thomas had one and BillClinton's campaign almost went into afree fall because of one), is a version ofthe Bad Girl. She is often viewed asfatally flawed, ambitious, money grubbing,money hungry, gold digging, a girlwho doesn't play by the rules, who criesfoul or rape to get attention, publicity ormoney. The Accuser may be a goodreligious girl, she may be a virgin hithertountouched, but her coming forward—her speaking against one of the patriarchy— immediately places her in theBad Girl category. The only mitigatingfactor in this configuration is if theAccuser can position herself as much aspossible as a victim — then and onlythen she may be given the benefit of thedoubt. Anita Hill was too arrogant andself-assured; Patricia Bowman toosexual and weak; even Desiree Washingtonhad to confront questions aboutwhy she went out at two a.m.role at a time. The Bimbo may findherself in the role of the Accuser and theAccuser may in fact be a Bimbo whotakes on the role of the Accuser (GenniferFlowers) seeking justice, revenge andperhaps self-respect — some sort ofrecompense for laying her body down orfor having it laid down against her will."Women are created and not born" —who is creating the Bimbo and Accuser?Are women creating themselves in theseroles? Is there any choice or self-definitionpossible? Is Gennifer Flowers anartifact — a creation that comes fullyequipped with tape recorders, bleachedblond hair and the ability to turn menon by, according to the NY Post, "suckingon their lower lips."Joe Klein, writing in New York Magazinean article entitled "The BimboPrimary," believes that the Bimbodoesn't even exist in and of herselfbut is a political phenomenon, an artifactof recent campaign strategies."There was some talk in Democraticcircles that Clinton might steamroll hisway to the nomination, and then he wasconfronted by the ultimate Americanpolitical challenge — 'The Bimbo Primary.'This involved much more thanjust the allegation of a 12-year extramaritalaffair leveled by a remarkable,if inevitable [specimen] named GenniferFlowers." Klein also describes Flowersas a "failed cabaret singer if ever onewalked the earth." He demeans her becauseshe doesn't even play the role ofthe Bimbo accurately. "I loved him," shesaid, doing absolutely nothing creativewith the word "loved." Gennifer not onlyfailed the Good Girl test but the BadOne as well, which demands that notonly are you a fallen sexual woman butthat you fall, unlike Marilyn Quayle,"softly."So now the Bimbo gains power anddefinition beyond the female. She — it— now, becomes the ultimate politicaltest of a candidate's ability to managethe media storm created by her comingforward. As with all macho politicalgames, everything is a matter of winningand losing. Klein feels BarneyFrank won (his Bimbo was a male homosexualprostitute), John Towers lost,and Clarence Thomas won — "con-Many Strong and Beautiful Wfomen.Andotherimages.Cards,posters,T-shirts,book bags!The Bimbo derives her power, as doesthe Accuser and Good Girl Number Two,differentially and derivatively — oftenusing a sexual incident or her sexualityitself as a weapon. Interestingly enough,these roles are not static but flexible.Women can pass from one to the other,frequently inhabiting more than oneOriginal Design by K1K1For free catalog write:POSITIVE IMAGES2304 Hancock Drive #7 AAustin, TX 78756512467-8497ON THE ISSUES SIMMER 1992