By Kellan…

As a woman, I am horrified by some of the recent remarks made about the Erin Andrews incident.  If you have been reading, I’m sure you’ve heard various opinions about how we are all to blame for choosing to care, and also that Erin Andrews is stupid for putting herself in this situation to begin with.  Let’s back up here for a second and break it down…

Erin Andrews is a sex symbol in the world of sports. She knows that, we all do.   If being hot is part of that, good for her and good for her career.  Day after day she plays her position just like the players of the games she announces for.  She has her uniform, and knows the drills.  She appears to enjoy what she does and is good at it too.  My point here is that what Erin Andrews did in the privacy of her own hotel room is not that different from what thousands of people do every day.  We all come home after a long day of work, a fancy party, a long work out, and want nothing more than to shed our “uniform”.  It how we step out of the role and character that we play every day.  Sports player or not, male or female, being nude, or partially nude for that matter, is how we feel the most comfortable, relaxed, and free.  Maybe Erin Andrews knows something more than the rest of us who have never tried it before…

 My stance on the situation is that Erin Andrews has her ritual of ironing and curling in the nude.  So what?! This may just be how she decompresses from her day of constant sexual attention and helps her focus on the next day’s tasks.  When people are constantly looking at your body and critiquing your style, I can understand the desire to bare it all, to leave the responsibility of caring about what other people think behind.  Unfortunately, the catch here is that although I am sure she is not the only one doing chores in the buff, few of us are in the spotlight like Ms. Andrews.  People are infatuated with her, jealous of beauty and success, and they want to catch her doing something out of character.  Thing is, this is her character, this is Erin doing what she does- but she didn’t invite, want, or ask others to be a part of it.

I don’t understand the fascination with ruining people’s careers, challenging their self-esteem, and threatening their safety.  This is about disrespect and lack of boundaries on the part of the peeping tom(s).  It makes me sad and upset that what is deemed as normal or abnormal comes from what we “catch” other people doing.  Frankly, spying and filming anyone without their knowledge is voyeurism, which is listed in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders under paraphilia.  That is abnormal.

I’d like to end my argument by expressing that what people do in their hotel room or house is strictly their business.  Erin Andrews is not much different from your next door neighbor, parents, best friend, or yourself for that matter.  In spite of being a gorgeous and intelligent woman of the spotlight, she was disrespected and wronged by doing something very normal in space she thought was safe and private.