Rant 1 (there will surely be more)

I'm sorry but I have to rant. Even though I already posted today, I can't keep this in.

The thing that set me off today is the recently released movie House Bunny. Now, I am not saying that anyone who sees this movie is evil and will go to hell, but I definitely think we should stop and consider the messages it is sending. Anna Faris who plays the main character is a Playboy bunny (the fact that Playboy has become a household name is very disheartening) who goes to live in a college sorority house and teaches the girls there how to get guys. I have read a few different interviews that Anna gave about this role and there are several things that really worry me. First off, she was told to lose 10 lbs for the role. She was already a twig, but she pretty much had to stop eating in order to lose the weight and keep it off during the shoot (she has since gained it back). She also had to wear 7 inch heels and a push up bra for the role. And she said that for a while she wore a robe to cover herself when she wasn't in a scene because she was basically wearing underwear the whole time.

Are you kidding me?! So pretty much they are portraying an impossible body image. Girls see that stuff and think that is what they are supposed to look like. I know I have been influenced by media images of women throughout my life. As much as I tell myself that what I see in magazines, films and TV shows isn't real and I don't have to live up to it, this stuff seeps into my subconcious and has an impact on the way I think and feel.

Beyond the inaccurate and damaging messages the film is sending about women's physical appearance is the premise around Playboy. I hate pornography! I cannot believe how prevalent it has become in our society. It can be found in any form of media and it has become incredibly simple for anyone, of any age, to find and partake in it. It all just makes me so sad. Sad for the women who do this stuff for money and fame. Sad for the people who make money in this evil industry. Sad for the people who get involved in watching/reading/viewing pornography. But most of all, heartbroken for the people whose lives are hurt by others' involvement in this spirit-damaging practice that has eternal consequences.

From http://lds.org (emphasis added)

Pornography is any material depicting or describing the human body or sexual conduct in a way that arouses sexual feelings. It is distributed through many media, including magazines, books, television, movies, music, and the Internet. It is as harmful to the spirit as tobacco, alcohol, and drugs are to the body. Using pornographic material in any way is a violation of a commandment of God: "Thou shalt not . . . commit adultery . . . nor do anything like unto it" (D&C 59:6). It can lead to other serious sins. Members of the Church should avoid pornography in any form and should oppose its production, distribution, and use.

The prophets of our day have increasingly warned against the dangers of pornography.
President Gordon B. Hinckley from "True to the Faith"

I cannot emphasize this too strongly. The makers and marketers of this slimy stuff grow wealthy while the character of their customers decays. Stay away from it. Stand above it. It becomes addictive. It will destroy those who become its slaves. [. . .]

My dear young friends, it is all a matter of self-discipline. Of course you know what is right and what is wrong. You have been trained from your childhood in these matters. When you find yourselves slipping in the direction of that which you know is wrong, it may be difficult to stop and turn around. But it can be done. It has been done by hundreds of thousands, millions just like you who experience the same emotional appeals that you experience.

I make a plea to anyone who has been tempted by any form of pornography, do whatever you can to avoid it. If you have a problem, get the help that you need to overcome it. I know that nothing worthy or uplifting can ever come of it. Please.