I am sitting here up late as usual reading the news, which is really not news anymore, it’s all about celebrity drama. I decided to check out the MTV VMAs to see what all the fuss was about and as I am watching the show, I started wondering when did it become the norm to act like a complete tramp on stage? So far everyone is almost naked, Nick Minaj may as well have just had sex on stage and the jokes are classless and in poor taste, especially Chelsea Handler. I was only impressed with Common, who displayed compassion, common sense, decency and a desire for peace in the world; i.e. He came to the awards show and stood for something.

When did we stop striving for high standards? Why are the woman that have no respect for themselves now glorified? Why is it entertainment to see women half naked, grinding and gyrating on stage and screaming into a microphone? People now believe it is success to have a lot of money, even if you have no morals, no values and no integrity to go with it. I guess it is kind of prudish and old fashioned of me but forgive me if I miss the old days when a woman wanted to be desired for more than just her body. I miss when you had to display real talent to become a celebrity. How about having the men return who don’t complain about hoes not being loyal, when hoes were never meant to be loyal in the first place. Duh!

I don’t expect any of these celebrities to be role models, that is not their job. However, I do expect decent entertainment. If I wanted porn, I would go watch it. What I expect is a decent show that not only displays your vocals, your acting skills or whatever your craft may be, but you do it in a way that is impressive. I am sorry, I am not impressed with the so called bad bitches on stages these days. Remember when bitch was the key word for you to get your behind whipped? Now all of a sudden, everyone wants to be a bad bitch. Well, you can have that mess, it is insulting, immature and it does not accurately describe a successful woman. That goes for the men too. I don’t want to see you just walk back and forth across the stage, get back to the dancing that used to be the main reason we watched shows such as the MTV VMAs and BET Awards shows. I am also not impressed with self professed pimps.

For me, the epitome of a successful woman would be Michelle Obama. This woman has a Harvard degree, married to the first black President, appears to be a great mother and is stylish and classy. No one knows what goes on behind closed doors but we do see the image that is presented to the world and personally, that is how I would want to be remembered. She is leaving a legacy, she will forever be a part of an impressive history, that is something to strive for in life. Plus, as far as we know, her husband does not openly refer to her as his bad bitch.

The legacy we are leaving for our youth is disheartening. Looks fade, things on your body begin to sag and when you pass away do you really want to be remembered as the party girl that walked around half naked as some man’s show piece? What we seem to be telling our youth is that you need to compete with a stripper to keep your man. I remember a stripper used to be one of the worst things a woman can be and now they are celebrated and emulated in everyday life. Not to mention, the enormous amounts of plastic surgery that is represented as beauty these days. We can save that for another blog entirely.

We have to do better. We need to remember for every action there is a consequence, whether good or bad. Stop sitting around supporting this trash on television and get out and fight for a college education to be more affordable. Figure out ways to keep our children from being gunned down needlessly. Teach your sons to be men of honor, respect, love and show them how take care of their women. More importantly, show them how to find a good woman. Teach your daughters to respect themselves, how to gravitate towards good men and how to be sexy in a classy way. We can show our curves and look dynamic without walking around in leotards, underwear and bras. Bypass that trashy celebrity crap and read the real world news and know what it is going. Laws and some of our rights are being slowly taken away while most people are being distracted by reality tv and these award shows that award the same people time and time again.

The world is supposed to have all kinds to make it go round. Right now, we are stagnant in a place of gluttony, indulgence, selfishness and immorality. We see but we don’t really see. We hear but we don’t listen. We believe what selfies display and not actions. We can never eliminate the risqué and frankly there is really no need to because we are responsible for disciplining ourselves and following our own paths. However, there needs to be a better balance of what is offered as our entertainment. It wouldn’t hurt to see some wholesomeness just as much as we see the raunchiness.

Until next time, keep it classy!

~ Mara Prose