gossip blogs

This morning in the doctor’s office waiting room, I leafed through a copy of Ladies' Home Journal and landed on an article called,“The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Cleavage.” The article pairs tips for covering up your cleavage with a sidebar of celebrity’s “buzzworthy boobs.”

This is a real article. And it would be perfect fodder for the new women’s magazine parody website Reductress. Just launched last week, Reductress takes aim at media stuffed with “buzzworthy boob” profiles the way The Onion spoofs 24-hour newspapers. 

Among all the comedy online, Reductress stands out as genuinely fresh and funny.  Just look at these headlines:

 

Gossip blogger Perez Hilton was allegedly assaulted Monday night in Toronto by Black Eyed Peas member Will.I.Am and the band's tour manager, Polo Molina. The altercation apparently began when Will.I.Am asked Perez to stop blogging about his band. Perez responded by calling Will.I.Am a "faggot." Assault ensued, as did a barrage of media coverage.

Gay rights groups and celebrities alike are weighing in with their opinions on this GaySlurGate, from GLAAD to John Mayer to Ice-T. But what's the real story here? Is it, A. That Perez Hilton, an openly gay man, used a gay slur against another man? Is it, B. That Will.I.Am, a prominent cultural figure, allegedly assaulted another man in public? Is it, C. That one of these men (Hilton) is gay and the other (Will.I.Am) is black? Or is it, D. That the whole thing was covered in real time on Twitter? How about, E. All of the above?

As a quick side note, it appears that most of the coverage of this incident does not include the word "faggot" and instead says things like "the gay slur" and "f****t". It is my belief that if we are going to report on issues like this we must be able to discuss them, so I am choosing to use the actual word. My apologies if it offends.