When I first heard about the controversy, I thought, "Poor Anthony Weiner, his fun little fantasy world of sneaky penis pictures has come crashing down!" I felt a little outraged that the nation, our political representatives and talk radio hosts had been willing to send this man up the hill with a proverbial cross on which to hang. I didn't want to crucify Congressman Weiner until I had all the facts. Thankfully, Gloria Allred is involved and representing Miss Ginger Lee, and after the press conference this morning, it is virtually impossible to say "Poor Anthony Weiner" anymore.
Ginger is opening herself and her conversations with Weiner to investigation. She said she did not want to "lie or admit" her involvement, which I think is honorable. She has been "in hiding" from the press and has lost money from having to cancel her feature dancing shows, gigs that can bring in anywhere from five to twenty thousand dollars. All due to the erroneous assumption on Weiner's part that porn stars totally love it when strangers send them dirty pictures.
Isn't that interesting? That a person in a profession that glorifies up-close-and-personal body shots wouldn't want strange pictures of a strange man's penis sent to her? That a woman who happily and generously shares her own body with and for the world doesn't necessarily want the world's body parts in return? That perhaps a woman like Ginger Lee could be politically motivated in following Weiner on Twitter, and Weiner acted like his name and jumped straight into a fantasy world where beautiful young women are hungry for his junk? The whole ordeal says some very interesting things about the business of politics, sex and sexual politics.
The people leading our states and the free world are held to a higher standard than the rest. This is both unrealistic and dangerous because politicians are humans. I would assume the majority of politicians also suffer from one of the most human of human conditions, hubris. In a Greek tragedy, hubris leads to a protagonist's ultimate demise, and usually has sexual connotations. In America, politicians are the modern day protagonist, and most of them commit acts of sexual folly due to an overinflated sense self-importance.
As a woman who once sent body part pictures of herself, an occupational hazard if you will, I understand the little "high" in pressing that send button and knowing my awesome rack would be some guy's iPhone wallpaper soon. It's the same feeling when your email box is full, or when you get a text, voicemail or call from someone you like or hope to date. This super delicious hormone -- oxytocin -- is released and we feel a little "Oh La La" moment. Oxytocin is the same hormone released from a woman's brain during breastfeeding which leads to mommy and baby forming attachment. Again, the same hormone is released as both men and women orgasm. It's my favorite hormone. So it's no wonder Weiner sent his weiner out to the world. I would guesstimate that nearly 86.3% of sexually active people with cell phone cameras have as well. My guesstimation is rough, and based upon the numerous, unwanted pictures I once received as an active porn star. Truth be told? If I don't know you, I'm not going to be that pumped about seeing your penis.
In any other business, if a man were to show a woman his penis in the workplace, she could charge him with sexual harassment. The same can be said if that man choses to email or Facebook his penis to a woman with which he works. Especially if she had not asked to see his penis. This unwanted advance is a regular day at work for porn stars across the nation. Now, I'm not arguing that while clocked in, a porn star seeing body parts of hired performers is worthy of being called sexual harassment. But I am wondering under what circumstances porn stars have sexual privacy rights? Aside from the feature dancing thing, when the camera turns off, Ginger Lee is a normal girl, trying to live a normal life. Unless she specifically asked to see Anthony Weiner's weiner, my gut says that she is a victim. If she were anything other than a sex worker, America would be in an uproar, over more than a picture and a lie.
Anthony Weiner, while human and suffering from hubris, should probably resign. Not because he unintentionally tweeted his junk to his constituents, which is pretty bad, but because he harassed a young woman who was not trying to engage in this kind of sordid behavior. Unfortunately, that young woman happens to be a porn star and will not be taken seriously.
I look forward to his apology. Not to me or the nation, but to Ginger, whom he repeatedly victimized by ignoring her potential as a politically interested and motivated young woman and treating her as nothing more than a penis inbox. Go gettum Gloria.