Actress Megan Fox is known for her sex appeal, but now that she is a young mom, she’s taking a step back from roles. Fox explained to The Sun that she’s done taking those which involve sex scenes, in case her sons were to ever see them, since she doesn’t “think my boys could handle that” and that “it gets very confusing when it’s your own mother.”
It may cost Fox some roles and lead her to leaving Hollywood completely, which is “a shame,” but is still applauded by Julie Gunlock with Independent Women’s Forum. “Fox shows she’s put some deep thought into this, understands the essence of her craft and how it’s perceived by the audience, not just the actor,” Gunlock notes.
Fox is also a refresher compared to Kim Kardashian, Beyoncé, or Madonna, who are also mothers, yet still act as sex symbols. Pointing out that they’re mothers amounts to “slut shaming,” as some see it, however.
The idea that mothers, and women in general, don’t need to show their bodies off in such a way to feel empowered, is not seen by all. Gunlock points to the new Starz series, The Girlfriend Experience, where “Riley Keough, who, as the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, hardly has to turn to grimy soft-core pornography in order to get her foot in Hollywood’s door, was filmed totally nude, engaged in multiple sex scenes, simulated masturbation and inserted a tampon on screen.”
And yet as embarrassed as Keough unsurprisingly was, she spoke positively of it, by “show[ing] things that you don’t really see, like the girl getting her period or the girl masturbating.”
But, the blame is not only on Keough for taking such roles and Hollywood for offering them. It’s on the consumer as well for demanding sexual roles and to see women portray themselves in such a way.