Published 2003-10-01T00:00:00Z”/>

Ryan Coleman Price<br>Staff Writer

Bitchney Spears, Titney Spears, Back-seat Spears, Slutney Spears … these are just a few of the Britney Spears nicknames mentioned by Dr. Gavin Campbell at his “She AIN’T No Innocent Southern Girl!: Sex, Region, and Race in the Making of Britney Spears” presentation Friday in Trinity Hall.

Campbell described what he calls “Britney’s South,” which revolves around Spears’ hometown of Kentwood, La., and ignores the black heritage of the region. Campbell quoted Spears as saying, “I wouldn’t date black guys. You know, coming from the South there just aren’t any minorities there so it’s like a major shock when you go to these cities and they’re everywhere.”

But then Campbell pointed out that the majority of the Kentwood population is black. Despite this fact, when Spears was younger, she won the Kentwood Dairy Festival Crown, a beauty pageant title that has never been awarded to an African-American girl. In fact, an African-American girl has never been nominated to even participate in the competition.

“There’s a sense of nostalgia in the town of times when blacks were less visible,” said Campbell.

Campbell also argued that the problem isn’t just the fact that the black community is ignored, but that when they are in the spotlight, it’s usually not positive.

“I would argue that ‘Britney’s South’ merely replicates a much larger national problem,” said Campbell. “Movies, television and popular music aim at inscribing African Americans on the urban scene of crime and violence.”

If crime, violence and invisibility don’t pose enough of a problem, fear not, Campbell had yet another issue to discuss.

“Blatant sexuality from black, both male and female, is assumed, it’s celebrated and is exploited with little comment by the recording industry,” said Campbell. “Lil’ Kim can rap ‘I don’t want dick tonight’ and the nation shrugs its shoulders. But when Britney pants that she’s ‘a slave for you,’ bitter condemnation rains down upon her.”

Campbell pointed out that this is a double standard that even Spears has been unable to ignore and quoted Spears saying, “Janet Jackson wears clothes like that, Destiny’s Child wears clothes like that. Why am I always pinpointed?”

Campbell suggested it was Spears’ upbringing, which urged her to fit the image of a Southern Belle, that created the double standard. He said it was this Southern Belle image that Spears presented early on in her career and she is now expected to live up to those standards. Instead, Spears wears next to nothing and makes-out with other women on television, Campbell said.

“Sometimes you feel like a slut,” joked Campbell. “Sometimes you don’t.”

At the end of the presentation, several students approached Campbell to ask more questions. Even more students retreated to the reception room to discuss what they thought of Campbell’s ideas.

“I thought it was an interesting way to look at the whole racial problem,” said Chico State student Claire Gorrindo. “I think music is probably one of the most encouraging media of stereotypes.”

The one thing that everyone in the reception room seemed to agree on was that Campbell offered a unique way to look at racial issues.

“I thought it was fascinating and pertinent,” said Chico State student Sarah Rose. “I never even thought about it before.”

<em>Ryan Coleman Price can be reached at <a href= “mailto:[email protected]”>[email protected]</a></em>