Dear Amy,

I guess I'm part of what you'd call the MTV generation. I'm going to take Britney Spears for example, since everyone knows her. You know her photos, her performances, her outfits and music videos...they all get criticized. People say they’re too sexy. She says she's celebrating her "womanhood". Now, would you say that people are only picking on Britney because she's a young woman, and we live in an oppressive society that puts shame on woman's bodies. (I mean, if a man was singing and was shirtless and doing pelvic thrusts, would people complain?!) Or, would you say that her dance moves and outfits are too suggestive and make women look like complete sex objects?

-Sue

Dear Sue,

I agree with you about Britney Spears. I think that people are entirely too hard on her. People assume that she isn't in control of her image and that she is playing into male fantasies. I don't agree with this anti-woman approach. It undermines Britney. Yes, certainly there might be some sexism wrapped up in Britney's packaging, but we live in a sexist society and I think that Britney is smarter than that -- she knows what she is doing and why she is doing it. The point of feminism isn't to judge individual women's choices, but to ensure that individual women have enough access to information to make informed choices.

--Amy