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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1990)
The Battalion OPINION Tuesday, May 1,1990 Opinion Page Editor Ellen Hobbs Swimsuit A while back there was a lot of hullabaloo over the Miss TAMU pageant and how it was degrading to women. Everyone with an opinion about it got pretty irritated because of the droning on and on of letters supporting and opposing what the pageant represented. After some consideration, I finally realized that the competition was not so degrading since it was based not only on beauty and grace, but that it also took into consideration the contestant’s talents and intelligence. Being a woman, I am all for the advancement of women in the social, business and academic realms. I also believe in the innate equality of men and women. Consequently, I find myself becoming increasingly angered when some women show a blatant disregard for this equality we share and continue to behave in a manner which permits I understand that these women have every right to do what they want with their bodies. They assumed that their decisions to exploit themselves were of no importance to anyone else. This is where they are terribly mistaken. men to think of all women as sex objects. The particular men and women I am refering to continue to perpetuate the sexist stereotyping of women, (and you know who you are), and are doing us all a great injustice. I was appalled to see one of these displays of sexism last Wednesday night at the finals of the Baja Yacht Club swimsuit contest. There was a big difference between this contest and the Miss TAMU pageant. At the pageant, those women were trying to display a variety of abilities unique to each woman. At the swimsuit contest the contestants were judged based on who had the best body, darkest tan, and who could expose the most skin via G-string bikinis. The women were announced one by one and walked around a semicircle while beingjudged and receiving a contestants degrade selves, all women Christen P. Rocha Columnist plethora of whoops and catcalls. They were selling themselves, for the price of money and diamonds, in the same way that cattle is paraded around to be sold. The men attending this tawdry display were crammed in shoulder to shoulder around the dance floor. They looked on with approval. The hormones were running rampid in this place. Now do not get me wrong, Ags. I’m not saying that it is not perfectly natural to walk around with your butt exposed for all the world to see. However, I do doubt the validity of a contest that awards a couple of hundred dollars based on such talents as “a hair flip and a giggle” as the contestants simultaneously turn to show off their posterior section. After all of the contestants had shown themselves and their suits, there was a small break while the judges made their decisions. During this time I had the pleasure of running into a few of the women in the*restroom. Two or three of these girls were primping as they awaited the final decisions. I asked one contestant, Tina Welch, if she thought that what she was doing was an injustice to other women. She did not really seem to have an opinion either way. She simply told me, “I’d do just about anything for money.” I knew that some of these women were apathetic about their behaviors, which served as one of the many factors in the perpetuation of sexism. I really started to get ticked off, and it only seemed to get worse. The winners were finally announced and there were eight of them. Five out of the eight women selected were those who were bold enough to model their G-string bikinis. I hunted one of those lucky ladies down. Her name was Sunny Smiley. Sunny was awarded a $500 cash prize. After talking with her for a while I found out that she was very proud of the fact that she was the only contestant who had made her own swimsuit. It was an interesting suit indeed. She said, “I’ve never worn a G-string before, but I do believe that the more you show, the better your chances are. ... I did what I had to do to win.” I’m glad that Sunny and Tina were open enough (no pun intended) with me to share their feelings. Their statements confirmed my belief in the blatant disregard some women have for the integrity and decency of others. I do understand that these women, as well as everyone else in our society, have every right to do what they want with their time as well as their bodies. I also understand that they acted out of their own free will. Obviously, they assumed that their decisions to exploit themselves were of no importance to anyone else. This is where they are all terribly mistaken. By participating in the bikini contest the women were allowing the men to perceive them as mere sexual beings. The belief that women are to be viewed as sex objects is a serious misconception and it must be changed. There is no one aspect of our society that is stagnantanii Cf"! that cannot be improved. Ir' If we continue to assume that our behaviors have no effect on others we will never be able to make any progressTf-r^ towards the end of racism, sexism, Z. environmental decay or any other Wa societal problem. jTexas ftecai throu lonsti Joe Christen P. Rocha is a senior English tion s major. lain 11 Come on ,women; men aren’t all bad* : ar ,eget ibuse He Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Watch out, men. A new survey reports that women are fed up with our self-centered, manipulative ways and are becoming annoyed. I can only hope that we never reach the “scorn” plateau. Last Thursday the Houston Chronicle reported, in an AP story, the very distressing news of the fall from grace that males have suffered in the eyes of women. The survey also compared its data to the results from identical questions taken in 1970. The survey was sponsored by Philip Morris, the makers of Virginia Slims cigarettes. Here are some examples of the results: • In 1970, two-thirds of women agreed that “most men are basically kind, gentle and thoughtful. The new survey had only half of the women in agreement. • Forty-two percent of the women see men as “selfish and self-centered.” • Fifty-four percent went on to say that “most men look at a woman and immediately think how it would be to go to bed with her.” (a bit optimistic, maybe?) Attitudes also took a beating, for example: • Fifty-eight percent agreed that “most men think only their opinions about the world are important.” This is up from 50 percent in 1970. • Fifty-three percent agreed that “most men are interested in their work Matt McBumett Columnist ancf and life outside the home and don’t pay attention to things going on at home. The 1970 survey had 39 percent of the women concurring. Sexism was another issue. Fifty-three percent said they were upset by jokes about women drivers, mothers-in-law or dumb blondes, and 61 percent were annoyed by pictures of nude women in men’s magazines, up from the 1970 figure of 43 percent. (I question how many of these women read Cosmo.) We men can find solace in one area, though. Nine out of ten women agreed that marriage is better than living alone. I decided to ask my girlfriend, Jami Anderson, what she thought, because I am fond of the male company she keeps. “Men haven’t necessarily become more sexist, self-centered and lazy since 1970; women are only more aware of these traits, now, and fail to bend to men’s sickening whims any longer.” Maybe I should have asked mom. Okay, what have we done to deserve this? Would the Equal Rights Amendment have helped matters? I doubt it. No matter how far women have progressed, people like Molly (give her an inch and she’ll take a) Yard, the President of the National Organization of women, will not be satisfied. As women are finding themselves blessed with more opportunities and roles traditionally reserved for men, To they apparently are becoming more foren aware of the competition, difficultyin ing f finding time for job and family affairs f and stress that men have always faced , [s The survey reflects this. | ause Since 1970, women have been “t successful in acquiring most of the some things they have tried to achieve. The foun survey was interpreted to mean that brok< “Women’s growing dissatisfaction Hbl-h men is undoubtedly derived f r °m the, tenc j own rising expectations.” | jl This trend of higher expectations blast needs to stop soon. The farther wome;in th get, the more they expect. These [he attitudes are dangerous. If women feel this way, it would be illogical totr ^ to aid them in their quest for equal ^; r , rights. With these opinions of men, equality means being selfish, self centered and sexist. The sexist label already applies to the women surveyei I would much rather be the butt of a j dumb blonde joke than be truly thoui of as selfish and inconsiderate. Maybe the survey is inaccurate, would be somewhat logical because Virginia Slims is not exactly unbiased towards females, considering how farg”^ women have come, baby. I call forai survey. For those of you who think th men are cruel, nasty lechers, call 1-80 MEN SUCK. If that line is busy, diah at 1-976-BIG DEAL*. The rest of you can remain content that you are com Matt McBumett is a junior electria engineering major. (??[qqO HCVZIDti FP£T 'imgr My client pleads - guilty to Wall St. fraud, and Trill pa/ f a $600 millionfime. Mail Call- Women’s role more than service EDITOR: Service? Is that the role that women play in today’s society? According to Clayton Williams’ latest remark referring to prostitution as a way men “got serviced then”, women are objects used to provide a “ser vice” to men. True, prostitutes provide a service and are paid for it, but other women who are not paid are doing the same act! Are they “servicing” the men that they are with? To subordinate women to men displays a chauvanistic, insensitive atti tude that is repulsive. In today’s society, with equality of the sexes and races becoming more important, do we want such an insensitive, outspoken person representing Texas as our governor? I doubt it! Paula Jourde ‘89 Have an opinion?Express it! Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters for style and length, hut will make every effort to maintain the author’s intent. There is no guarantee that letters submitted will be printed. Each letter must be signed and must include the classification, address and telephone number of the writer. All letters may be brought to 216 Reed McDonald, or sent to Campus Mail Stop 1111. The Battalion (USPS 045 360) Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editorial Board Cindy McMillian, Editor Timm Doolen, Managing Editor Ellen Hobbs, Opinion Page Editor Holly Becka, City Editor Kristin North, Meg Reagan, New*s Editors Nadja Sabawala, Sports Editor Eric Roalson, Art Director Lisa Ann Robertson, Lifestyles Editor Editorial Policy The Battalion is a non-profit, self-sup porting newspaper operated as a commu nity service to Texas A&M and Bryan- College Station. Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editorial board or the au thor, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, faculty or the Board of Regents. The Battalion is published Monday through Friday during Texas A&M regu lar semesters, except for holiday and ex amination periods. Newsroom: 845-3313. Mail subscriptions are $20 per semes ter, $40 per school year and $50 per full year: 845-2611. 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