You gotta love parents. Maybe it's all those childbearing hormones, but they sure can get their panties in a twist over the strangest things. Like saying "good girl." Or a baby maybe getting a couple of drops of Mountain Dew. The latest parental outrage -- outrage! -- comes from Kansas. There, a statue of a bare-breasted woman taking a picture of herself has caused the local parent population to draw up a petition with thousands of signatures to get rid of the offending work of art. The problem? Not that you can see the woman's bronzed boobs. But that she's taking a picture of herself. And ... dear God in heaven ... she appears to be taking this picture in order to send it to someone. She's ... auggghhhh ... sexting!
So apparently this sculpture, along with some other pieces of artwork that show the "human form," is in a park where many parents take their children. Heaven forbid kids see a boob. I mean, in all likelihood, they sucked on one for months.
But the parents, apparently unwilling to admit that they find nudity offensive, have focused on the camera part of the sculpture. Says petitioner Joanne Hughes, the uptight mother who started this whole brouhaha:
I have been to Florence, Italy, I have seen the statue of David and it's beautiful, he is not taking a picture of himself.
Uh, yeah, Joanne. Because they didn't HAVE cameras back then. Maybe if they did, David would have snapped a pic of his awesome abs! Although there are signs up warning people who can't handle a little boobage to stay away, Joanne isn't satisfied (is she ever?!):
It's small, it's a paragraph, and the very last line says oh, by the way human form is exhibited, parental guidance is encouraged. That's not the sign that you put up somewhere about a sexting sculpture.
Odd how Joanne is convinced the sculpture is about sexting. The woman is holding up a camera, but maybe she's just taking a pic of herself for the heck of it. I mean, it's a camera, not a cellphone. Joanne seems obsessed with sexting.
Or maybe the woman is sending a photo of her boob to her husband, saying something like, "Honey, I ran out of breast milk, please pick up some formula on the way home." Is that sexting, Joanne?
Lest we think this is all Joanne's fault, there's another guy, Phillip Cosby, who is preoccupied with sexting. He says:
When it comes to sexting and children it's a serious issue. It's beyond comprehension why a city would put a statue that's celebrating sexting.
Celebrating sexting?! There's no proof that is what this sculpture is about, but if it is about sexting, who says it's a celebration? Lots of art isn't a celebration. Was the Mona Lisa celebrating smiles? These people need to get a grip. If you're worried your kids might become sexting addicts after a quick view of a sculpture, take away their phone.
Does this statue offend you?
Image via Fox 4
Kim and Kanye's Baby Name Predictions!
Moms Love Birthday Parties, Too!
Father Knows Best - Happy Father's Day!
Are Cheaters Entitled to Privacy? - A...
Comments 29
This crazy lady has already petitioned to have the statue removed and lost. If she can't handle seeing a fake boob she needs to walk down a different path. It's in a very out of the way spot, and you have to know where it is to find it. It's not about sexting. That's a camera, not a phone. The woman is headless to represent what is wrong with society. People focus too much on physical appearances, and sexuality and not enough about the mind, personality and intelligence of women. She doesn't seem to understand the message behind the statue, and ironically is acting like the people the statue is condemning. She's saying 'OMG BOOB' rather than "I never even saw her face'.
That's exactly what art is suppose to do. It's not always something comforts you and creates peace. Look at Picasso's Guernica. I do agree it is in the wrong spot. While they do have a warning and it's not officially about sexting, arboretums are suppose to be those down to earth experiences, not places for the type of disruption this sculpture is causing. Move it to a more appropriate area for the audience, and it will get the right reaction it deserves.
What are they supposed to do put a sign up saying "Warning! Boobs ahead! 'DON'T LOOK ETHEL!'" By the way, the last part is a quote from the song "The Streak" by Ray Stevens, so don't jump on me that I'm making fun of women named Ethel. :)
Tina - I was thinking the same thing as to what the message of the statue is. I found it obvious....
Thanks CPN322. To me it's obvious what the message is. People need to stop thinking that 'art' is all flowers and pretty landscapes. Some people may think the statue is ugly, but ugly is still art. I happen to think it's a great message behind the statue. It's been on the news again out here in KC. This woman is still at it, trying to get it removed.
People don't seem to understand that this is in a GARDEN and not a 'park'. It's not a play park where you take the kids, down the street from your house. It's a Botanical Garden, with lots of other types of artwork there as well. It's not in the middle of a McDonald's play place like some people around here are acting like it is.