I am all for alternative ways of getting more mainstream, apolitical people interested in politics. But there is no reason for it to come at the expense of women’s progress:

This is just ridiculous. To have scantily clad women fighting one another over political candidiates is a direct insult to work that feminists have done to improve women’s role in politics… not to mention, I really hate this “getting naked and singing is powerful!” thought school. I understand that lots of feminists have different viewpoints about sex and power, but you can’t argue that this video isn’t diminuative of women when you watch the end: a pillowfight?!?! How can we expect to elect female politicians when their peers are portrayed playing the sleepover game of eight year olds and giggling?

Although it would be silly to write to the makers of this video and complain (and complaining to YouTube sort of resembles censorship), I think it’s best to write to the politicians themselves and encourage them to come out against these videos. You can write to Barack Obama here and Rudy Giuliani here. It especially matters with Barack Obama: as a liberal Democrat who is so adamant about social justice, let’s see if he stands up for EVERYONE.

Here is the letter I wrote to Barack Obama’s campaign:

To the Obama campaign,
As a member of the feminist community and a registered Democrat from New York State, I am deeply concerned at the rise of hyper-sexualized videos portraying women singing and dancing about the presidential race (for example, this Obama vs. Giuliani video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekSxxlj6rGE). While these videos certainly generate talk about the presidential race, they objectify women and taint the positive image of women in politics.
To show Senator Obama’s dedication to women’s rights and the positive role of women in politics, the Obama for America campaign should publicly come out against these videos.

Liz Funk