Feminism 2015: Lose Your Clothes

A young Jodie Foster did something few starlets today would ever attempt when she became an adult. She hit the books.

Foster attended Yale University at a time when she could have pursued more acting gigs or, to use the career blueprint built by Miley Cyrus, reminded us over and again she’s no longer that sweet little girl we once knew. From there, Foster started taking roles in thoughtful, dramatic features.

Not all of them rang the box office bells. She kept challenging herself all the same, and after a while she landed two films that would give her Oscar immortality — “The Accused” (1988) and “Silence of the Lambs” (1991).

Why is feminism circa 2015 obsessed with sex over talent, accomplishment and maturity?

Compare that to some of today’s former teen stars who insist on pushing their sexuality out there for all to see. Will their careers even come close to what Foster achieved? Why is feminism circa 2015 obsessed with sex over talent, accomplishment and maturity?

Take Selena Gomez, the former Disney actress who segued into both acting and musical gigs. Gomez appears topless on her new album cover for “Revival.” The 23-year-old told Refinery 29 this week that “it’s part of being an adult, and I’m still figuring out how to be one of those, too.”

“It’s not something where I’m like, let me glorify what I do in the bedroom,” she said. “But I think I have a very healthy perspective on my sexuality.”

Gomez worried she wouldn’t be able to transition from her Disney days to life as an adult artist. Only popular culture told her that such a shift demands losing her clothes sooner or later. Just look at the attention given to Cyrus during the past two years, with nary a negative word in the press about her hyper-sexualized behavior or its consequences.

“At the end of the day, it’s respecting every female artist’s choice in how she expresses herself, because that’s what she wants,” Gomez told the publication.

Is it? Or does it come down to young female stars assuming there’s no Plan B worth pursuing today?

Fellow teen star turned adult Demi Lovato is feeling a similar brand of modern feminism. She, too, has a new album out and decided to promote it by appearing nude, and untouched by Photoshop trickery, in Vanity Fair magazine.

Why go nude? For feminist empowerment, of course.

[lz_ndn video= 29779394]

“I wanted to show people that with this album, I wanted to make a statement, and I want that statement to be empowering towards women,” Lovato told E! News. “And I want to inspire other women. For someone who’s had body image issues since they were a child, I went from hating every inch of my body to showing every inch of my body to the entire world and without touching up anything. I wouldn’t have done that six months ago, because I didn’t have the confidence that I do today.”

And then there’s Lena Dunham, who just released her online ode to feminism, the Lenny Letter. Rather than acknowledge how readily reporters have embraced her as both the Comedy It Girl and Hollywood’s feminist icon, Dunham is getting nude … again … for a spread in Harper’s Bazaar. The actress’ frequent nude scenes on “Girls” have helped define the series.

The actress’ frequent nude scenes on “Girls” have helped define the series.

Dunham whines to the magazine that women in their 20s aren’t always taken seriously in the workplace, one reason she’s glad to turn 30 soon. This from a woman who is adored in the press, manages to keep her low-rated HBO show “Girls” on the air and just struck a deal to direct a new feminism series for the network.

Foster wasn’t the only ex-child star who transitioned to adult fame without taking off her clothes. Consider Natalie Portman, who shined as a preteen in “The Professional” and “Beautiful Girls.” She, too, prioritized her education and ended up graduating from Harvard University.

Portman didn’t make her body her career focal point. She let her work speak for her. And in 2010, she joined Foster as a fellow Oscar winner thanks to the dark dance drama “Black Swan.”