hamm it up.
Jon Hamm certainly has it hard. The web simply won’t stop dishing on the dashing “Mad Men” star’s “special purpose.” From tales of tight pants upsetting delicate individuals on the set of his AMC show, to tabloid snapshots of him casually hanging out, with it all hanging out– his endowment has been big entertainment news. Does Don Draper deserve to feel so exposed since he’s “asking for it” with the way he dresses? Or is society feeling a little shy since male parts aren’t as prevalently pressed in our faces as their female counterparts?
The New York Daily News even accessed an “AMC insider” who said the set was tense over his titillating habit of going commando. “The season takes place in the 1960s, where the pants are very tight and leave little to the imagination,” the source said. “John’s impressive anatomy is so distracting that they politely insisted on underwear.”
“Most of it’s tongue-in-cheek,” he reluctantly discussed in his first Rolling Stone cover story. “But it is a little rude. It just speaks to a broader freedom that people feel like they have – a prurience.”
“They’re called ‘privates’ for a reason,” he says. “I’m wearing pants, for f*ck’s sake. Lay off. I mean, it’s not like I’m a f*cking lead miner. There are harder jobs in the world. But when people feel the freedom to create Tumblr accounts [NSFW] about my c*ck, I feel like that wasn’t part of the deal … But whatever. I guess it’s better than being called out for the opposite.”
While it’s great to see a Hamm taking stiff scrutiny from the media in stride, it’s also rather eye-opening to observe the outcry when a man feels objectified. A thick skin must come with the territory for celebrities who expect to face constant criticism, so why aren’t famous men prepared to have their bits brought up for discussion the way women are? Commentary on actresses’ breasts is so commonplace, it got its own song and dance number at the 2013 Oscar ceremony honoring them for their craft. In our overtly sexual culture, why are we blushing over the outline of a clothed penis, but won’t bat an eyelash at the abundance of cleavage and bare breasts splashed across the web and world? — Casandra Armour
