Typically, a strong woman with intellect and the ability to articulate that which is on her mind is a positive thing. Regardless of beliefs or heavy opinions, the ability to reasonably debate should be held in high regard in a world where feminism seems taboo to much of society and many men are still uncomfortable dating a better-read or better-versed woman.

A smart woman in the public eye should be revered. A smart, BEAUTIFUL woman in the public eye should draw even more attention to herself if the data I’ve collected on the correlation between beauty and attention is correct.

And hence we have the problem with Ann Coulter.

She happens to be remotely intellectual, well-read, able to debate, and beautiful. She should, theoretically, be a feminist icon for all strong-willed and curiously-minded women. She should, regardless of party or religion, be a demonstration to society that women can think in a calculative manner and speak freely, as well as intelligently. She should be these things because she is gifted and qualified to be these things.

Yet instead, she exploits her talent and intellect. Instead, she sabotages her own ability to speak on behalf of women. For those of you who don’t know, Ann Coulter is a best-selling author about as relevant to literature as Marilyn Manson is to music. Like Marilyn Manson, the woman sells her books because of shock-value and shock-value alone. Without hesitation, Ann Coulter sums up liberalism as “the opposition party to god.” She has claimed that societal problems are based on single motherhood, that liberalism is a religion, and that democrats are incapable of fighting a war on terrorism. Ann Coulter refers to President Elect Obama as B. Hussein Obama and writes off her blatant attempt to brainwash her listeners into associating him with Saddam Hussein as humor.

And funny, she does seem. For a woman as capable of linear thinking as Ann Coulter should be, I find it easier to assume that she is a brilliant artist of satire than an embarrassment to women…but I’m afraid that assumptions aren’t relevant in the case against Ann Coulter.

Is she good or bad for women?

She is bad.

Unlike her average or below average intelligence level fellow female starlets, who also share in the molding of minds via the media, Ann Coulter is actually worse for women than they are. Heidi Montag spews something utterly ridiculous from her mouth and it doesn’t tangle society’s perception of women nearly as much as what comes out of Ann Coulter’s mouth. Why? Because Heidi Montag is an idiot. And that’s what she sells herself on. Ann Coulter, however, is clearly smart, but also batsh*t crazy, and this is a dangerous weapon against women as a whole.

She is bad for women because she furthers the assumption that women are crazy, smart or not. She is bad for women because she doesn’t thoroughly think before she speaks and often times contradicts herself. She is bad for women because she cares more about selling books than she does about meaning what she says.

I am a liberal, not a Christian, and ashamed of Ann Coulter. Predictable, right? But I am not ashamed of her as a liberal or a non-Christian. I am ashamed of her as a woman. Women should use their opportunities to speak their mind to the entire world, not make a mockery of them.