Political Economy of Lady-Parts

I have been looking for work for quite some time now. I am skilled in a couple areas, sort of ambiguously skilled--not like, an actual ability to do something in a trade, like cut hair, repair vacuums, or make sushi. My skills are slightly less specific, but important nonetheless. I have a degree in writing from a well-thought-upon university; I have reliable research skills, honed at a popular satirical news program; I can run a bar, which is an all-encompassing ability--managing money and inventory, pouring beer, entertaining customers, organizing staff, tossing out drunks, and English drunks, a breed of their own.

Regardless, these skills don't seem to have any bearing on the current job market; but, after only a couple hours of reality television watching, I can tell you what does--slutiness.

I don't love the word slut, it's too open ended. One person's slut, is another person's experimenter or indulger or fun-haver. Some jobs require a certain amount of sexual-ness, which could be interpreted as slutiness, but let's face it, the bar has risen, and necklines lowered, and as my b.r.f.f. albeit humongo slut l'il Wayne says, "it ain't trickin' if you got it."

What is undeniably slutty though, is the behavior of the ladies on various VH1 reality shows, the latest of which is Rock of Love Bus (starring a bunch of sluts, the sluttiest being Barbie-haired Bret Michaels).

Holy mother of God are these girls slutty. It's hard to describe them as anything other then that...they revel in their brainlessness, attempt to one up each other with various acts of lewd-ity, dump drinks on each other, rub boobies with each other, all the while trying to score an engagement ring from the filthiest filth to survive the 80s.

So, what does this have to do with me finding a job? Nothing really, but if I would have known that the political economy of slutiness would have trumped the dismal economic conditions under which we are currently living, I would have convinced my husband to forgo his masters and gotten some basketball sized jugs, ratty bleached wigs, child-sized outfits, and hit the reality slut circuit.

I'm not sure what the saying is for a famous person who is currently living, but if Gloria Steinem were dead, she'd be turning in her urn (in her sluttly little bunny outfit).