Top 5 Pop Culture WTF Moments for Women in 2009

As 2010 fast approaches, I can't help but look back on 2009 pop culture and shake my head. What a crazy year. Here are my personal Top 5 Pop Culture WTF Moments for Women in 2009:

1. Chris Brown Assaults Rihanna. In this case, it isn't so much that the abuse occurred (after all, approximately 1 in 4 American women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime). Rather, it was reaction to this February incident that gave me pause. The media was salivating to get an interview with Brown. Heck, ABC kicked Adam Lambert off Good Morning America because he acted too gay for their taste on the American Music Awards -- then promptly turned around and gave his scheduled slot to Brown. I guess it is better to punch your girlfriend in the face than to for a guy to consensually kiss another guy. Meanwhile, consumers didn't seem terribly concerned about the abuse, either: his 2009 album was Brown's second-biggest debut on the charts.

2. Photo-shopping on Sterioids. I think we are all well aware of the the rampant photo-shopping of models and celebrities in magazines. At this point, it would take a lot to shock me. That is exactly what a 2009 Ralph Lauren ad did. The model's head is actually larger than her waist! And that is supposed to make me want to buy clothes?!?

3. FOX Debuts More to Love. The concept for this summer series was simple: a Bachelor-esque show for plus-sized people. The show took a couple dozen lonely women, exacerbated their insecurities on national television, and perpetuated the myth that women are defined by their dress size. More to Love didn't just stick to stereotyping full-figured women, though; it was more than happy to insult thinner women, too, claiming they were less fun, less intelligent, and somehow less real than their plus-sized counterparts. No word yet if we lucky viewers will be treated to a second season in 2010.

4. Dear Amy Engages in Victim-Blaming. Amy Dickinson, a popular syndicated advice columnist, responded to a November letter from a rape victim reaching out for help by blaming the woman for allowing herself to be assaulted in the first place, telling her, "you were a victim of your own awful judgment." Wow. After some well-deserved backlash, Amy responded that she stood by her so-called advice, though admitting perhaps it was a touch "too harsh." Remind me next time I have a problem not to as Amy Dickinson for advice.

5. Carrie Prejean Turns Inarticulate Homophobia into Celebrity. In the interview portion of the Miss USA pageant held in April, Miss Prejean was asked if she supported gay marriage.  Ever so eloquently, she responded:

"Well I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one way or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And, you know what, in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, no offense to anybody out there. But that’s how I was raised and I believe that it should be between a man and a woman."

Next thing you know, Miss Prejean had speaking gigs for National Organization for Marriage, Liberty University, and other conservative Christian organizations.  Somehow she managed to turn her anti-gay marriage beliefs into her personal cash cow and a stint as a B-level celebrity. Of course that was all before her semi-nude photos and solo sex tapes surfaced. Oh how the holier-than-thou have fallen.

Of course, there were many more pop culture WTF moments that just missed my list: everything from Sarah Palin's Going Rogue to Nadya Suleman and her eight babies to everything Twilight. How about you? What makes your list?

PHOTO CREDIT: Optical Illusion