Fresh Prince of Bel Air

Girls in sexy poses and little clothing cover magazines that fly off shelves at grocery stores and newsstands while rap “video girls” are shaking their “moneymakers” all over music videos on the internet and on television. Music artists do not even bother trying to hide sexual innuendos in their lyrics anymore as songs like “F*** today” by Lil Wayne are rising on the billboard charts. The exposed, half-naked female body is no stranger to the American public—the interesting thing is that it is so exposed; it rarely jumps out at us anymore. The dictionary defines “raunch” as a “material or a performance that is sexually explicit or evocative”. Considering this simple definition, raunch is not just easy to find in the United States, it defines our culture today. However, in addition, raunch is defined as “lewd, vulgar or obscene”. It is this second part of the definition that does not seem to apply anymore. There has been a shift from raunchiness from seen as lewd/vulgar/obscene to being ordinary/standard/typical. As a society, we have accepted raunch as a main component of the American Culture. How did we get this way?

Some feminists believe that the rise in Raunch Culture is a result of females empowering themselves with more risqué career moves and snap decisions. Some even claim that, “Being a part of it makes you a strong, powerful woman” (Levy, 26). It is described as a “rite of passage” into an ongoing cultural phenomenon. These decisions have put women on the same level that men have been on for years and opened the doors for the entire American public to witness it. Raunch Culture is here and we could not turn our backs on it if we wanted to. However, the rise in popularity of Raunch Culture is not the result of the entire gender’s unanimous decision to empower themselves like some people argue. Ariel Levy, the author of “Female Chauvinist Pigs” feels that women who choose to participate in raunch and claim they have higher motives are kidding themselves and their audience. Sexually explicit or evocative performances may feel “liberating” on an individual level, but adding to the Raunch Culture that men ogle at does not help a feminist’s cause. And they should not be portrayed this way. Instead of a united movement on part of all females, Raunch Culture is difficult to navigate and happens on an individual basis.

A great example of negotiating whether or not to participate in Raunch Culture is shown in the “Fresh Prince after Dark” episode (The Fresh Prince of Bel Air- Season 4, episode 9) which aired in 1993. In the opening scene of this episode, Playboy offers Hilary Banks a chance to pose in their magazine. Before long, this opportunity affects more than just Hilary. The possibility of his daughter posing naked in a magazine infuriates her father, and he immediately disobeys her from attending the photo shoot. Where her father is livid, her mother is supportive and promotes her daughter’s ability to decide for herself. At the same time, it confuses her little sister, Ashley, who does not understand why Hilary would want to pose naked for other people. Last, the mere opportunity gives main character Will and his cousin Carlton the key to unlock one of their wildest fantasies, a day at the Playboy mansion. As Ariel Levy described in her book, “Female Chauvinist Pigs”, Will and Carlton’s admission into the Playboy mansion was the epitome of Raunch Culture. As seen from minutes 11:50 to 12:30 in the episode, the Playboy mansion is portrayed as, “A fantasy world dreamed up by teenage boys. A world of sun and sand where frozen daiquiris flow from faucets and any hot girl you see will pool off her bikini top, lift up her skirt… all you have to do is ask” (17). While Carlton drools and Will is incredibly happy, Hilary is bubbly with excitement as she meets legendary Hugh Hefner for the first time. In the end, after taking all of her family member’s reactions into account, Hilary must find her own way to negotiate between sustaining a stable family life and pursuing something for herself in Raunch Culture.

Hilary went back and forth on her decision of whether or not she should pose for Playboy. In the beginning, it seemed that she was just flattered to be considered. The opportunity may have been enough for her on a personal level. However, the idea appealed more to Hilary after her father erupted in disapproval. Although the producers of the show may have not wanted Hilary to been seen as a girl with both a brain and a body (1:38-1:45), Hilary did show a strong will in her protest to her father when she screamed, “I have a mind of my own, and opinions, and you never let me express them!” (1:30-1:37). Hilary’s empowered statement parallels the statement, “I’m taking control of how I look and the statement I’m making” (39) that Levy says Raunch Culture reinforces. Regardless, it is the outburst that gives Hilary finds the strength to disobey her father. This boiling point, although Hilary had trouble holding onto her train of thought, symbolizes the breakthrough that many feminists had in the early waves of feminism. Similar to many housewives who struggled with “the problem that had no name” in their attempts to make the household perfect, Hilary is challenged here with the strong, male, head of the household. Her decision, while not flawless in her reasoning, was successful in rebelling against the patriarchal structure that ruled her household. Hilary finds a new way to move towards her goals, and she finds out she doesn’t need her fathers’ approval to do so. This strength may be similar to what many feminists gained during the second wave of feminism, but her decision to go ahead and pose naked does not represent feminists as a group. Hilary’s ultimate decision to go through with the photo shoot came from within herself at the cost of potential negative consequences with her father.

In the end, Hilary decides to do it simply because she wants to. Although Levy has strong feelings towards Raunch Culture, I don’t think she would disapprove or criticize Hilary’s decision. Hilary did not claim her decision was to empower females; it was clearly just something she wanted to do. Hilary and Levy might even agree that the desire for popularity, fame and/or money were the things that motivated her to pose in Playboy. Levy does not disapprove of the display of female bodies, or the individuals who chose to expose themselves, she is clearly just frustrated with those who try to explain their decision to pose naked as an act of “empowerment”. Since Hilary did not cross this line, her motives could not be misconstrued for anyone. Even though Levy might still argue that “the only career for which appearing in Playboy is a truly strategic move is a career in the sex industry” (41), and she may frown on Hilary’s decision, I do not think Levy has a right to judge Hilary.

This episode did a good job of developing the complexities of factors that affect Raunch culture. It was important to see the story from so many people’s perspectives. Uncle Phil made the stereotypical, stubborn, male, head of the household look like just that… stubborn and hardheaded. Conversely, Hilary’s decision may have given feminists at that time (1993) a step in the right direction. After all, it was a big deal for Hilary to disregard what her father said. Although Hilary was not always portrayed in the best light, her best quality was her ability to think for herself. This episode showed us that Raunch culture should not be a go-to decision for everyone and that it requires more than an impulse’s decision. However, at the same time, it did a good job at not frowning on those women who choose to go ahead and pose naked. It even welcomes them.

Although, I cannot say I will ever follow in Hilary’s footsteps, I do respect her ability to make a decision for herself. Although Ariel Levy may not be pleased with the end result of this episode, I think it would benefit her and other feminists to take away the positive messages from this episode. After all, the movement needed to start somewhere; perhaps the third wave of feminism is still finding its way.