Jon Hamm Is Being Treated Like an Actress. He Hates It

[cali]

Jon Hamm has a great job playing repressed advertising executive Don Draper on Mad Men, what appears to be a terrific long-standing life partnership with actress and director Jennifer Westfeldt, and a great deal of critical respect for his work. He’s also got a large … problem. Just as actresses have been plagued by paparazzi shots up their skirts and with flashes that can, at times, expose their nipples, Hamm's become perturbed by the proliferation of photos of and gossip about his penis, whether he's caught at an unflattering angle on the street or asked to wear underwear on the Mad Men set so he's not exposed by tighter-fitting suits.

"They're called privates for a reason. I'm wearing pants, for fuck's sake," he grumbled to Rolling Stone. "When people feel the freedom to create Tumblr accounts about my cock, I feel like that wasn't part of the deal."

For an earlier generation of actors, it wouldn't have been. But for actresses, having your anatomy scrutinized has long been part of the celebrity, er, package. The questions that Hamm faces, from whether he should just invest in some Calvins to whether he should be flattered by the attention, are ones actresses have fielded forever. It's a framing that acts as if the problem were the kind of underwear starlets and their stylists were picking out, rather than the photographers who zoom telephoto lenses in on their crotches. It says that if people get a glimpse of your body once, they're entitled to speculate about it forever, and you're a prude for reminding people that you're more than the sum of your junk.

What makes Hamm different from, say, Anne Hathaway, who had to weather discussion about the appearance of her nipples in her Academy Awards dress, is that Hamm isn't used to being objectified. He has outrage left to burn, rather than being exhausted by endless appearance-based prying and insane body standards. It might be easy for men to brush off how women are treated when they're unaffected. But when they're subject to the same standards, men often discover quickly how difficult to endure they really are.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/03/28/jon_hamm_s_penis_mad_men_actor_is_sick_of_being_singled_out.html

[elehhhhna]

1. rec rec rec

[redqueen]

2. K&R

Thanks for posting this.

[quinnox]

3. lol, in other words, lay off his dick

Leave the guy alone, he is hung like a horse, and he is sick of all the attention for it.

[2naSalit]

4. Oh! The poor boy

all I can say is neenerneenerneener!

Call the whaaaambulance.

[Major Nikon]

5. He's hating it all the way to the bank

Why would a guy who doesn't want to be "objectified" forget to wear tighty wighties on set?

Hamm is playing the media like a tune.

[alcibiades_mystery]

7. Shocking that this whole thing should "pop up" in the "thick" of the marketing weeks for Season 6

Can we say "Record Viewership for Mad Men Season 6 Episode 1?"

A transparent (har har!) viral advertising campaign.

[Blue_Tires]

10. Yeah, if he wants a *normal* life, he can trade lives with me...

[LittleBlue]

6. Haha sure

Boy, are people misunderstanding Hamm. That's his false modesty. He loves showing off his dick, but feigns the desire for privacy so he doesn't look like a show-off. Otherwise, he would wear underwear, and his coworker actually requested that he wear underwear on the set. The people who work with him say he "knows what he's got" wink wink.

But please, do continue. I wouldn't want to ruin a misguided op-ed.

[MinneapolisMatt]

9. Bingo!

[dawg]

8. I had a pair of pants made from thin material once.

I only wore them a few times until I caught a look at myself in the mirror. Even with the tighty whities I probably wore at the time, there was a distinct outline there.

So I stopped wearing the pants.

That's what a guy does when he doesn't want to draw attention to himself in this way.

This guy is seeking attention, which is what sexy celebrities, both male and female, do.

[Cal Carpenter]

11. Even if Hamm is playing this, like some say

I think this article makes a really good point in the broader context.

Regardless of Hamm's true inner thoughts or motivations.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

12. Wondering why the Original Post requires bold font? nt

[cali]

24. It doesn't require it. I generally bold anything that isn't my original text

[Bernardo de La Paz]

25. That's what the 'excerpt' tag is for. Much more recognizable as such and much easier to read. nt

[cali]

27. for you. you do it how you like. I'll do what I wish. Problem with that? Tough.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

28. Of course you will. But DU provides the excerpt tag for a wise and powerful purpose.

Mindful writers use the tools available to enhance comprehension for their readers and make the experience more pleasant.

Do what you want. You will anyway. But there is no need for belligerence in response to a thoughtful suggestion. Unless you think you are above reproach and how dare anyone suggest a formatting change.

[Comrade_McKenzie]

13. Implying that actors and actresses don't love attention and admiration...

Whether it be for their bodies or their talent.



I have a Hollywood sign to sell anyone that believes that.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

14. Dilemma. Brings up a point though . . .

If this had come out before "Bridesmaids", I wouldn't have been able to shake the image from my mind and the comedic effect of his scenes would have been lost. Similarly with gay actors who don't want to be outed. It's hard to shake the mind from knowing that he isn't the least bit like the character he's playing. And some outed gays careers do suffer and lose jobs because they're out.

Dilemma.

[datasuspect]

15. if he can master the money shot like peter north

he might have a future in hardcore pornography.

the camera likes huge weiners.

[quinnox]

16. lol

[Mr. Sinister]

17. The Hamaconda will not be restrained!

It knows who the real star is and it wants full credit.

[lunatica]

18. And it's only been a very few days he's had to endure this

Imagine years of it never ending.

[thelordofhell]

19. Can't wait for the huge fake boner skit on SNL

Where everyone has giant boners except Jon Hamm

[Honeycombe8]

20. I suspect his agent got this started. This is a boon to his career.

Handsome, sex symbol, and now supposedly well hung, too? Every man should have those problems.

[meow2u3]

21. Now he knows what women are subjected to every day

All I say is that if can't take it, he should stop dishing it out.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

26. Street harassment:

[Beaverhausen]

29. He should stop dishing it out? Is he known to be sexist?

I hadn't heard that about him. Or are you just accusing him of something he hasn't done just because he is male?

[caseymoz]

22. I'm skeptical. False modesty?

That having been said, people, that is males or females all respond differently to anatomy exposure. Whether they're modest or exhibitionists, the important thing is to respect their wishes, either way.

[tblue]

23. Maybe if more of them got a taste of it, they'd stop?

Just a taste. Just enough to try that shoe on for a change.

[nomorenomore08]

30. I doubt he actually "hates" it, as others have noted on this thread.

But this focus on certain body parts - female or male - is crass and excessive no matter what.

[SoCalDem]

31. The era the show portrays was ALL about sexuality

Everyone "flaunted" what they had. The fabrics of that era were rather flimsy, and tight pants were the norm for men..Clever tailoring could alleviate the "problem" for him, but it is a show that tried to be true to the era ..

Underwear does not solve the tight pants issue

There will be a lot more people paying a lot closer attention when the season starts