The Boob Grab Seen Round The World: 2006 Golden Globes

Isaac Mizrahi
Originally uploaded by Heidi Meeley.

This is a little bit late, and I apologise, but I wanted to muse for a moment about something I saw Monday night while watching the Golden Globes pre-show on E!.

Isaac Mizrahi, a well-known and respected fashion designer was interviewing celebrities on the red carpet for the E! entertainment network. He knows several female actresses and has a "best gay friend" vibe that puts them at ease. What wasn't expected is how he talked to these ladies when he interviewed them.

Isaac asked Teri Hatcher is she was wearing underwear, and it ran from there. After that, he asked other ladies if they had said underwear on, and the answers were varied, if a bit uncomfortable. He also asked Eva Longoria what she had going on for a shave in her pubic area, which was a bit hard to watch. Eva handled it like a pro and got the subject changed after a few awkward pauses.

The main event came when Isaac interviewed Scarlett Johansen. When he asked her about who made her dress, it was going okay, but then he grabbed the bottom of her breast and told her he was checking for how the dress was constructed for future reference. Scarlett laughed and played it off, but God only knows what was going on in her head! E! played it the next night at the end of their news broadcast, as well as the other snippets mentioned and called it Isaac's great moments.

My question is this: Since when is it okay to grope a woman's breast in that scenario? I have heard the "oh it's okay because he is gay" reaction more then I can admit. I honestly don't know if Isaac is gay, and if so, what does it matter? Does that mean that his intent was pure so he should make a habit of it?

Scarlett looked very shell-shocked, and her reaction was to play it off. I commend her for her calm response. I think I would have slapped him at the very least. What would he have done if Scarlett would have grabbed his "package" and said it was for the fabric?

At any rate, the situation is said and done, but in my mind it is another example of how things that aren't neccesarily right are accepted so easily in modern society. Isaac obviously didn't think it through, and his hand wasn't slapped afterwards, so why change that behavior?

Also, why weren't male interviewees subjected to the same once-over that the females were? What would, say, Harrison Ford, have done if Isaac touched him inappropriately or asked him if he was wearing underwear? Food for thought.

What are your thoughts on this?