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Joe Francis Goes Wild

Published Monday, August 07, 2006 by seanlmccarthy | E-mail this post

I'm not the first to post to this weekend's Los Angeles Times takeout -- and I mean takeout -- on Girls Gone Wild's megamogul Joe Francis, but I have some thoughts beyond the snark. To wit:

-- Notice how reporter Claire Hoffman not only went the first-person route to describe her encounters with Francis (and her high-school memories of boys!), but also took the photos in the accompanying gallery.

-- Notice how the LAT takes a big dig at Page Six.

-- Notice how Hoffman further personalizes the experience, not only with her own assault at the hands of Francis, but also by illustrating what happened to two naive 18-year-old girls.

-- Notice, too, how she takes your basic profile of Francis, which should remind you of Ariel Levy's book, "Female Chauvinist Pigs," and updates it with fresh news, perspective and analysis.

And that brings us back to this Popular Thinking take on it in October 2005 when I talked to Levy and others about teen girls and the man-boys who want to take advantage of them.