“Sensitive” is a word that has been thrown around a lot, especially when it comes to describing the younger generations. Many older people say that this generation is far too “P.C.” and that we need to loosen up and take a joke.

However, the issue seems to be, and has been, that one can make comments on a woman’s body for example and create an entire article about how people perceive an athletic woman’s body. Not once in that article was there a celebration of the women mentioned for respecting their bodies, training them, and nourishing them in order to become better athletes. The focus was halted at what their insecurities were in pictures, how men on TV perceived them as masculine, and how these women are seen as “too powerful.” The author notes that this is not specific to women as the topic of a Mets baseball player’s body was called into question on the front page of a newspaper as well. However, in this regard, the article was questioning how a professional athlete could become so out of shape. The fact of the matter being, no male athlete is too powerful or too strong. If he is out of shape, then yes, he is criticized but only because preserving and taking care of one’s body is top priority for athletes. However, in regards to female athletes, a woman can be too frail, too strong, too short, too tall, too masculine, too feminine, too concerned with her diet, not concerned enough, and the list goes on and hits every part of the spectrum.

Is it sensitive to want people to stop commenting on women’s bodies? No, it shouldn’t be. This is what drives people, women more typically, towards eating disorders and skewed body images… the idea that there is “an ideal feminine body” when there is in fact no such thing.

In terms of the Taye Diggs article, I find the main issue to be the fact that the author makes the remark about black men with jobs being more attractive. The author does a better job of addressing why Taye Diggs playing a trans-woman is not emasculating or embarrassing to all black men and how it can be seen as a step forward. Especially in a culture where trans-women are typically persecuted, specifically, black trans-women.

But when the author made the comment, whether jokingly or not, that Taye Diggs is more attractive for having a job, he crossed a line. It was hardly relevant to the subject matter and the point being is, Taye Diggs is a well known black actor who is renowned for having great success. He is attractive because he is a hard worker, one who pushes the limits within his career, one who balances a strenuous work life with having a family. There is a lot to comment on, but to make a joke of a long-time stereotype against black men is to make a mockery of that stereotype and make people think that it is okay to continue making these jokes. I will perhaps laugh at the joke the next time it’s made if the subject of the article is Leonardo DiCaprio or Brad Pitt.