Saturday, January 21, 2006

The Boob Grab Seen Round The World: 2006 Golden Globes


Isaac Mizrahi
Originally uploaded by Heidi Meeley.
This is a little bit late, and I apologise, but I wanted to muse for a moment about something I saw Monday night while watching the Golden Globes pre-show on E!.

Isaac Mizrahi, a well-known and respected fashion designer was interviewing celebrities on the red carpet for the E! entertainment network. He knows several female actresses and has a "best gay friend" vibe that puts them at ease. What wasn't expected is how he talked to these ladies when he interviewed them.

Isaac asked Teri Hatcher is she was wearing underwear, and it ran from there. After that, he asked other ladies if they had said underwear on, and the answers were varied, if a bit uncomfortable. He also asked Eva Longoria what she had going on for a shave in her pubic area, which was a bit hard to watch. Eva handled it like a pro and got the subject changed after a few awkward pauses.

The main event came when Isaac interviewed Scarlett Johansen. When he asked her about who made her dress, it was going okay, but then he grabbed the bottom of her breast and told her he was checking for how the dress was constructed for future reference. Scarlett laughed and played it off, but God only knows what was going on in her head! E! played it the next night at the end of their news broadcast, as well as the other snippets mentioned and called it Isaac's great moments.

My question is this: Since when is it okay to grope a woman's breast in that scenario? I have heard the "oh it's okay because he is gay" reaction more then I can admit. I honestly don't know if Isaac is gay, and if so, what does it matter? Does that mean that his intent was pure so he should make a habit of it?

Scarlett looked very shell-shocked, and her reaction was to play it off. I commend her for her calm response. I think I would have slapped him at the very least. What would he have done if Scarlett would have grabbed his "package" and said it was for the fabric?

At any rate, the situation is said and done, but in my mind it is another example of how things that aren't neccesarily right are accepted so easily in modern society. Isaac obviously didn't think it through, and his hand wasn't slapped afterwards, so why change that behavior?

Also, why weren't male interviewees subjected to the same once-over that the females were? What would, say, Harrison Ford, have done if Isaac touched him inappropriately or asked him if he was wearing underwear? Food for thought.

What are your thoughts on this?

6 comments:

Carl said...

Uber-gross, over-the-top, YUUUUUCK!!! I'm not a prude but this parade of a'holes that think disgusting lewd behavior is just fine is getting really old. What if my daughter wanted to watch that? Sheesh...

Melchior del DariƩn said...

I try to live by a simple rule that I was taught in catholic school: friends don't grope friends on cable TV.

Whether his intent was sexual gratification or not, IM's actions were just in really poor taste.

I didn't see the broadcast, but given your description, I'm a bit shell-shocked.

Ragnell said...

Me too. I'd have probably reacted in public like Scarlett.

I'd have been crsing his name the moment I walked away from the camera. Demands to the effect of "Keep that freak away from me" would be overheard.

But Sleestak's right, she should've gone Black Canary.

kalinara said...

Vastly inappropriate. Egads. How in the *world* is that appropriate behavior by anyone's standards?

Heidi Meeley said...

Carl, you hit the nail on the head. What does that teach kids when they see that kind of behavior embraced and condoned? I was glad my nephews didn't see it, that is for sure.

Melchior- I like that rule immensely! Isaac just didn't get it. I saw another replay of the event on E! News weekend and flipped the channel when it started.

Ragnell- same here. I would have been shocked and okay on television, but then it would have been all bets off. I like the blog about going "Black Canary" on him!

Kalinara- too true! It was just the pits!

Thank you for your comments! Take care!

Carl said...

I finally saw this on a collection of 'unusual' video of the last few weeks. Gay or not, the guy's a gd'd worm and had I been her, I would lifted him up with a clocking to his jaw or a foot to his joy dept. And the worst part, the hosts blathered on, like they didn't know *how* to disapproval of the creep's behavior...