Last week, at Michael Williams’ blog, I got into a discussion with him about Jessica Lynch and the photos of her, supposedly purchased by Larry Flynt. Basically, we were having a nice, civil argument about whether women should bear the burden for past indiscretions any more than men.
Today, I read an article about Monica Lewinsky. It seems that she’s having a bit of trouble getting a date. Understandable.
(Note: I only mentioned the two women in the same breath because the Lewinsky article reminded me of the discussion. Otherwise, there’s no basis for comparison. Lewinsky is famous because of her indiscretion. Lynch is not; only serving honorably in the military and surviving capture by the enemy allowed her private life to become known.)
I submit that it’s not Lewinsky’s past (necessarily) that’s the problem here—though it will be for some time, to some extent--but her need to remain in the public eye. If Lewinsky would just take a page from a certain lady named Donna Rice (now Donna Rice-Hughes), and quietly get on with her life, perhaps she would find a good guy who’s willing to not hold her past against her.
However, the very fact that Lewinsky is complaining about it in GQ Magazine makes me doubt that she’ll figure this out anytime soon.
