Courtesy of JC, here's the story (sans photos). Excerpts below:
Britney Spears is the latest celeb to be repeatedly caught on film with her bare genitalia on full display, following in the footsteps of Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton. In Spears's case, her C-section scar is also visible, making for an image most civilized members of society really don't want to see.JC mentioned externalities, both positive and negative, when he sent me this link. However, the last two paragraphs also highlight some interesting forms of non-price competition.
... Gynecologist Jackie Thomas cautions against fans following in the footsteps of their Hollywood idols. In terms of vaginal infections, no underwear at all can often be better than constricting synthetic panties, she says, but there are other considerations to take into account.
"It's unhygienic not so much for the woman who's not wearing underwear, but to the people around her," says Thomas, who practises in Toronto. "Let's face it - like every other woman, they've got a certain amount of discharge and they are hanging around with other people."
Thomas points out that doctors often advise women who have just given birth to forgo underwear for a few weeks to let "their vaginas air out."
"But Britney Spears had an elective C-section, so it's not like she's making a health statement here. There's no need for her to forgo underwear unless she's trying to avoid pantylines."
Elaine Lui of CTV's "eTalk Daily" says Hilton and Lohan are flashing their crotches deliberately in their desperate efforts to get attention at any cost.
Lui says that Hilton even purposely exposed her naughty bits at a P. Diddy party two years ago. Why? She was jealous of the attention being paid to actress Tara Reid when her evening gown inadvertently slipped to reveal an exposed implanted breast.
Update: For more on vagino-fascism, see this comment at the Reason blog (h/t Instapundit, again via JC)
