Dr. Keith Ablow, a psychiatrist who serves as a member of Fox News' Medical A-Team, published an opinion piece on FoxNews.com yesterday entitled "Don't Let Your Kids Watch Chaz Bono On 'Dancing With the Stars.'" The title of Dr. Ablow's article not only blatantly asserts his opinion about someone he's never met, but also tells parents how to act and how to feel before they are given the opportunity to assess the situation on their own.
Let's step back to go over some details that Dr. Ablow failed to mention. According to the Daily Mail, "Chaz, 40, whose father is Cher's late ex-husband Sonny Bono, came out as a lesbian at age 18, when he was studying at New York University." The Daily Mail reports that while Chaz's father was accepting, his mother, Cher, was distraught.
Bono and Cher's relationship suffered following Cher's negative reaction to Bono's coming out. Bono then struggled for years with several different personal issues including a failed music and film career, a drug addiction, and weight management problems, reports the Daily Mail. In fact, it's not been until recently that Bono has made headlines for anything positive.
But with Bono's 2009 announcement that he would be transitioning from a female to a male came peace. In 2010, Bono and his mother Cher mended their relationship. Bono has been spotted several times sneaking a kiss with girlfriend Jennifer Elia, in public. He's overcome his drug problems and even fought off obesity on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club.
In Dr. Ablow's piece, he asserts that "the last thing vulnerable children and adolescents need, as they wrestle with the normal process of establishing their identities, is to watch a captive crowd in a studio audience applaud on cue for someone whose search for an identity culminated with the removal of her breasts, the injection of steroids and, perhaps one day soon, the fashioning of a make-shift phallus to replace her vagina." The doctor argues that Bono's transformation reflects a weakness; his decision to transition into a man shows that he's psychologically unsound.
Dr. Ablow worries that children will learn to look up to Bono, and therefore will want to undergo gender-transforming surgeries of their own. He even goes as far as to insensitively compare Bono's decision to transition into a man to that of "a woman who believes she will be happier without arms." Dr. Ablow doesn't believe Bono is a positive role model, despite the fact that he's defeated several personal issues.
So who, then, is a better role model? Let's take a look at a more "normal" contestant who will be appearing on the upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars.
How about Kristin Cavallari? The blond bombshell was made famous by appearing on an MTV reality show, Laguna Beach. The 24-year-old celebrity reportedly uses cocaine, frequently binge drinks, and is "scary thin." My question for Dr. Ablow is this: How is someone like Cavallari a more fitting role model for young girls than a transgender individual who, after years of struggling with her identity, finally found the courage to admit it to herself and the rest of the world? Would we rather children think that life is about being famous for, well, nothing (other than being unattainably attractive)?
In a world where magazine images are photoshopped more than ever to create an impossible standard of beauty and where being wealthy and fashionable is more important than curing disease, how dare Dr. Ablow shoot down Bono at a peaceful time in his life? Maybe Bono's story hasn't been picture-perfect, and maybe his choices and relationships are unconventional, but that doesn't mean he's a bad influence. In fact, I'd argue that welcoming someone who can offer inspiration about being one's self rather than painting on pounds of makeup to look like her favorite celebrity sends a positive message to children about acceptance.
Furthermore, if Dr. Ablow is so concerned about TV's impact on children, why hasn't he attacked shallow MTV shows like Paris Hilton's New BFF or Jersey Shore? Why isn't Dr. Ablow worried that young adolescents might lose their virginities at a far-too-young age, hoping to become 16 and Pregnant? It seems to me that the doctor is much more concerned with attacking Bono's lifestyle than he is with protecting any children.
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