Joe Scarborough ain't the only one under fire this morning! Spandex-loving fitness guru Richard Simmons finds himself in homo-journo Brent Hartinger's sights for what Hartinger calls his "gay minstrel show," as exhibited in this Bridgestone commercial.
Writes Hartinger:
…Let me be very clear here: it’s not Simmons' effeminate mannerisms that are the problem, or even his personal style and flamboyance. In that respect, he has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, and has every right to express himself and dress however he sees fit. Any ridicule that he receives for not being a traditionally masculine male is, frankly, solely the result of prejudice and bigotry on the part of the person doing the ridiculing.But when Simmons presents himself in a stereotypically “gay†fashion, but then allows himself to be the object of violence or open ridicule and humiliation, he crosses the line into minstrel-dom.
It’s wrong of Simmons to do it, and it’s wrong of late-night comedians and advertisers to take advantage of his willingness to do it.
In short, it’s long past time that Simmons' gay minstrel show be retired.
Hartinger's definitely got a point: Simmons makes his bread and butter by exploiting his effeminate ways for public consumption. But, then again, so do more recent gay stars, ie: some makeover show queens. It's a slippery, well lubed slope.
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this is completely fucked up. how exactly is simmons "allow[ing] himself to be the object of violence or open ridicule and humiliation"? from what i can tell, he's just being himself. if other people mock him, that's their problem. simmons has never let that affect his behavior at any stage of his career, and we should all respect him for that courage.
if hartlinger thinks that resisting cultural norms of what a "good" man (or good gay man) ought to look like invites violence and humiliation, well it's hartlinger who should be ashamed of himself, not simmons.
I think Hartligner ha a good point, especially since Simmons is not even out of the closet!
Guys, this is a 60 year old man who for his entire life and career has been an over the top flambouyant personality. His personality most certainly at times has been annoying and I think that this is what the ad is playing on.
And as far as him still being in the closet, who the hell cares? He didn't make his fortune by playing the flambouyent gay card, nor pandering to gay audiences. He made it because he actually cared about people getting healthier, and for those people it was his personality that encouraged them to make the change.
I completely agree with Jason, shame on Hartligner.
Is it different when a drag queen dons the full regalia and says: â€I only do this to raise money for charity†Or “I only do this to raise awareness about XYZ.†Aren’t they doing it for their own glorification first? While Simmons’ persona is obnoxious he has helped millions of overweight people.
Pinkface isn't acceptable, even if you're closeted.
Hartinger's an ass. I guess he's figured out exactly how all gay men should and should not act.
You go right on being yourself, Richie. The rest of us love ya.
First, what you see of Richard Simmons is pretty much what you get. Go after Little Richard for that insurance commercial. Liberace was about as over the top as one could get, but frankly, I don't care. There are enough counter examples out there, today, that if someone is still clinging to the stereotypes slapping Richard Simmons around ain't going to change it. What did it do for the stereotype of gay people being unstable when the hockey player killed his boyfriend rather than risk someone finding out? Probably not much nor does Richard Simmons affect us very much. Leave the guy alone. If he looks silly to a lot of us gay or straight, so what.
"Oh, you're no fun anymore."
The point is that Simmons, as far as anyone knows, is a *non-gay individual* who profits from his persona of an over-the-top gay stereotype.