Scarlett Johansson Helps Planned Parenthood Sell Shirt Mocking '50s 'Sexism'

August 27th, 2014 2:41 PM

Jill Filipovic at Cosmopolitan magazine is waving the feminist flag with an article titled “Scarlett Johansson Is Appalled at the Idea of Men Taking Away Women's Access to Birth Control.”

Feminists in Hollywood remain perpetually appalled that Hobby Lobby can’t be forced to subsidize more than the 16 forms of birth control they subsidize. So Planned Parenthood Action Fund has released a t-shirt designed by Scarlett the Starlet that targets the Supreme Court decision. Once again, the Left poses as the ones who live in the wonderful "sex-positive" present:

The front of the bright pink t-shirt reads “Hey Politicians! The 1950s called…” and the back says, “They want their sexism back!”

“When I heard that some politicians were cheering the Supreme Court’s decision to give bosses the right to interfere in our access to birth control, I thought I had woken up in another decade,” explained Johansson in a statement. (This is the Planned Parenthood Action Facebook graphic.)



“Like many of my friends, I was appalled by the thought of men taking away women’s ability to make our own personal health care decisions. That's when I knew I couldn't sit on the sidelines and why I'm proud to support Planned Parenthood Action Fund's Women are Watching campaign to ensure that young women know the high stakes for women's health and rights this November.

“Women are watching, and we will fight for candidates who will ensure that birth control is affordable and who will protect access to safe and legal abortion,” she added. “Women will be the key to the elections this November and it's more important than ever that young women register to vote and vote for the candidate that will stand up and fight for them.”

Katrina Trinko at the Daily Signal dismantled the actor's and the shirt’s lame logic:


But let’s consider the overall logic of Johansson’s t-shirt: Does she seriously mean to imply that if an employer doesn’t pay for something, an employee doesn’t have access to that thing?

I’ve never worked for an employer that provided a stipend specifically earmarked for housing or food – but I wouldn’t claim that all my employers have limited my “access” to housing or food. I accepted the salary they offered, and it was my choice whether to spend that money on housing, food, or even abortion-inducing drugs.

And it’s insane to call a decision that many women support an example of “sexism.” Nothing in the Hobby Lobby decision prevents women from making their “own personal health care decisions.”

Next, Planned Parenthood Action will employ much lesser-known stars to sell T-shirts, including Gabrielle Union, star of the BET series Being Mary Jane, and Natasha Lyonne and Selenis Leyva of the Netflix women-in-prison show Orange Is the New Black.