Editor:
The Sept. 26 letter by Stephen Bair, “Stop Dressing Like an Object,” was very disturbing. His argument that women are treated like objects because they dress like objects is the same argument used by rapists who say that women ask to be raped.
The women of Generation X were raised with Barbie dolls and Charlie’s Angels. This generation of feminism is not your mother’s feminism.
Society is now conscious and skeptical of advertising. The rallying cry of objectification is outdated. Women have become subjects. They are conscious and confident. They are reclaiming their femininity. Displays of sexuality are empowering. We are proud of who we are and we’re embracing our culture.
Bair’s ideal of modesty is oppressing. It entrenches the shame that society associates with the female body. Did Brandi Chastain rip her shirt off upon winning the Women’s World Cup because she wanted male approval? I don’t think so. The motive behind the way a woman dresses and how much skin she shows cannot be relegated to seeking male approval.
When you see a woman dressing as she chooses, you should get a clear signal that she is a confident, empowered woman embracing her femininity while ignoring the social stigma placed on the female body.
Alicia Ingersoll
Senior, Political Science