by Patricia Rainford

Created on: January 20, 2009

Alright. Enough is enough. I sat by and watched as the Barbie Dolls would come in on seasons past, only have adequate or less then adequate voices, and still be put through to Hollywood or even worse... gasp!... through to the final twenty four.

So in this day and age where we as a society are trying to teach our young girls to not only respect others but also to respect themselves, in walks Katrina Darrell, aka Bikini Girl, to audition for American Idol 2009. While I admire her spiffy retort against newcomer judge Kara DioGuardi, who seemed to be trying to prove that she was a better singer then bikini clad Katrina, it all boiled down to one thing; Katrina was put through solely on her looks, solely on the basis that she wore close to nothing to audition. I wonder if the show would have allowed such an act of pure disrespect for one's own self to progress if she had been seventeen. I think the legal people of the show would have avoided getting her on camera as to avoid a battering of people crying "Kiddie porn!"

So the problem? American Idol needs ratings and they certainly did that by putting through the less then adequate singer. And everyone will watch with suspense to see what Katrina wears for Hollywood week. However, with the kind of stardom that American Idol generates, they should be taking responsibility for the message they are sending to all the young girls out there who dream of someday being on American Idol. Young girls are seeing the media out there and are putting much more focus on their looks then they should be, causing eating disorders, depression, and suicide. It's sad to see the "professional judges" of a competition which is supposed to be highly reputable fall into the horn dog syndrome.

I don't blame Katrina. She did what she thought was necessary to ensure her spot. But I do feel sorry for her as I feel sorry for all those high maintenance women out there who are more concerned with their looks then they are with their brains. They really don't know any better because of crap like this. I blame the American Idol producers and the judges for falling into the stereotypical tongue hanging out and thinking with their sexual organs. Come on. Be a little bit more respectful of your show and what it stands for. Think of the message you're sending. You pull something like this again, I fear, people will stop taking the show seriously and it will be the downfall of what the show can do for a real singer.

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