Piers Morgan insists that women taking their clothes off for money is feminist rubbish
Piers Morgan, Christina Hoff Sommers, and a stripper went head-to-head over strippers and feminism during Tuesday's "Good Morning Britain."
What are the details?
Morgan, who is co-host of the ITV-produced show, and Sommers — resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and former philosophy professor — discussed the new movie, "Hustlers."
"Hustlers" follows a group of New York City strippers intent on scamming men and is set for release this week.
The panel featured Biba Tanya, a former stripper who was more than happy to discuss her experience in her particular field. Tanya said that she initially felt empowerment through her former profession, but pointed out that with age, comes wisdom.
Tayna said, "If you'd have asked 20-year-old topless-on-a-pole Biba whether she was a feminist, she would have absolutely agreed that she was — that I was empowered, that I was earning my own money, that I was calling the shots."
"In hindsight," she continued, "as a 38-year-old mother of three, I can see that it was a very dangerous industry. But for another thing, you're turning yourself into a commodity for one massive boys' club. That's not a feminist. You're turning yourself into something that's bought and sold, and I don't see how any industry that sacks you if you have cellulite or tan lines is really doing anything for feminism, or for the empowerment of women."
Sommers acknowledged Tanya's feelings, but pointed out that women should be able to make the choice as to how their sex industry profession makes them feel on an individual basis.
"Feminism is supposed to be about liberation and about women making choices," Sommers insisted.
The greater message to young women
Morgan appeared to be torn and said that, while women should have the right to personal agency over what they do with their own bodies, using sexuality to further your career under the guise of female empowerment is rubbish.
"I think my issue is somewhere in between," he reasoned. "I find it pretty ridiculous when people like Kim Kardashian, you know, post topless selfies and flipping the bird and so on, and claim that this is feminist empowerment, because anyone can do that."
"Any woman can do that," Morgan repeated. "I do understand and respect your premise, though, that ultimately, a woman should be free to do whatever she wants to do with her body, and that should be respected."
Morgan pointed out that he is able to respect a woman's right to make her own choices, but countered with the fact that he doesn't have to agree that it's a noble gesture.
"I don't think it's empowering, or particularly liberating, for any woman to just take their clothes off," Morgan said. "Is that the message you want to send to lots of impressionable young women?"
That's not feminist
Earlier in September, Sommers shut down many modern-day myths about feminism during an appearance on "Real Time with Bill Maher," calling the movement "madness."
Sommers said that she is against the idea of setting aside "safe spaces" at colleges for students who feel "triggered."
"The goal of feminism was to overcome male chauvinism," she said. "But the answer is not female chauvinism.
"There are these professors and they pass along these messages that [women are] all traumatized, we're all fragile, we're diminished under this patriarchal oppressive system," Sommers complained.
"American women, arguably, are among the freest, most self-determining in history," she continued. "And at the very moment when we have this opportunity for just profound equality with men, and to take on running the world with men, at that very moment we start giving — especially undergraduate women at the more elite colleges — we start giving them the message that they're victims, they're fragile, they need not equality with me, but protection from these toxic, masculine hegemonies."
