Perspectives
"Legs" Contest is Sexist
To The Guilford College Commu
nity and the Milner House Council:
Despite the assertion that a "Legs"
contest would be "fun," we believe
that it is offensive and sexist. Having
a co-ed contest does not make the
event any less sexisL The inclusion
of men does not minimize the dam
aging message expressed by such a
beauty contest which judges body
parts, objectifies people, and paro
dies women.
Women's beauty contests are a
serious matter. They tell women to
primp, pose, slather make-up onto
their faces, and scrape off certain hair
follicle growth to receive the atten
tion of male gawkers. Body-part
contests like "Legs" reinforce the
idea that appearance is paramount to
identity. Such activities dismember
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Guilfordian
Editor-in-Chief. .Tracy O. Russ
News Editor Jay Underwood
Features Editor Noah Bartolucci
Editorials Editor Peter Smith
Sports Editor Alike Grossman
Photo Editor Eric Buck
Copy Editor Eliza Blake
Layout Editor Larisa Hulruck
Financial Director Burt Gordon
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Faculty Advisor Jeff Jeske
Assistant to Copy Editor .Miranda Withers
Assistant to Layout Editor Jacob Stohler
Typists: Christine Magnarella
Joyce Atkinson Martha McCoy
Andrew Bloom Betsy Vance
Kristin Jay-Childress
Staff:
Victor Johnson
Charles Almy Lind a Kreem
Eric Baderstcher Susan Nelson
Sarah Bowditch Laurel Nesbitt
Tammy Bury Laura Scragg
Kathy Corcoran Maria Smith
Skip Davenport David Simpson
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Michael Hall Joes Ph Studivant
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Rich James Anna Yeargin
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women's bodies into mere fragments,
encouraging people to view women
not as human but as a set of parts.
Dividing women into a series of
breasts, faces, legs, and hips makes
violence against them seem accept
able because there is no humanness
attached to the body. An attacker is
simply committing a violent act
against an inanimate object. The
proposed use of sheets to hide every
thing except the "parts" highlights
this. It splits the person from the
objects of competition, making the
person a winner or a loser according
to their parts.
When men become involved in
this type of show, the tendency is to
make fun of the societal pressures
put upon women and their bodies.
Last year's Mr. Milner Contest was a
and dated, and include the author's
phone number and local address.
The Guilfordian will not publish
anonymous letters. Please limit
letters to 300 words or less.
The Guilfordian and its staff
reserve the right to edit for length
and clariy and to withhold letters
based on the disretion of the editors.
perfect example of what happens
when men participate in beauty con
tests. They end up parodying women
by donning fake breasts, batting their
eyebrows and strutting around the
stage.
At the "Legs" contest, if a man
with fat, hairy legs took the stage,
people owuld laugh. If a woman with
fat, hairy legs appeared, people would
be repulsed, criticize her, or at least
think that there was something wrong
with her.
To those of you who would say,
"Lighten up," realize the damage of
contests such as these to all of us.
Light-hearted or not, the damage is
done by exploiting women and then
parodying them as objects of ridi
cule.
Join us in voicing opposition to
this student sponsored event at the
next Senate Meeting (Wednesday,
April 5, 3:00, Boren) so that next
year, such non-fun activities will not
be proposed. When we object to
campus activities like the "Legs"
contest, we confront the issue of
sexism and may begin to see how
pervasive it really is.
Holly Fair bairn
Carol Juergemeir
Susan Nelson
Joanna Iwata
Jane Car is
Laura Donaldson
...and many other concerned
members of the Guilford
Community
Save the Children fun
D C I i VI
Save the Children Relay 'B9 will highlight .J\ I 'Jui.'JLi.' 'XmSjl'l•
the global effort to immunize all the world's :■ ~ |"j r f \
children by 1990 against six preventable ( 1 h \
childhood diseases polio, diphtheria, tuber- k ( ♦ 
culosis, tetanus, whooping cough and measles. ' t ... '}
Each year these childhood diseases needlessly ,> '
kill 3to 4 million of our children and leave as \ ' ( (
many permanently disabled."  > ' '
Guilford College is participating in this it, '' J
effort and you can be a part of it. If you are •i . ' ' t
interested in the run we will have registra- * 1 ( \ ,\'i i i
tion and information between 11:30 - 1:30 and > '• J. , v |l'^. t 1
4:30 - 6:30 today in Founders Lobby. I | J 1 Jr.'.J )
Ii i rri • N ;' v QH ' (Q* 1
__ r -
find, out koto you can heCp!
Mistakes in
Paper, Contest
To the Editor:
I am writing in response to the
two articles written about the con
troversy over the originality of the
Serendipity T-shirt designs. First
of all, my name is Kathryn Spar
acino, not Kathryn Shapiro. Sec
ondly, I am a freshman, not a sopho
more. I do not understand why, if an
original design was wanted, it was
not stated in the regulations for
entering the contest. That is what
Plan Now for
JUST A REMINDER
From Guilford Catering, Marriott
Dining Services: Planning Your Spe
cial Function
Due to a heavy demand for rooms
on campus, we request that you con
firm your reservation with the appro
priate office prior to ordering any
catering service. Reservations for
the Walnut Room, Private Dining
Room, Conference Room, and Din
ing Hall may be made through the
catering office at extension 309 or
292-4723.
When your reservation has been
completed and approved, stop by the
catering office located in the cafete
ria or call for an appointment. Be
prepared to give the time of the func
tion, the approximate number of
people, attending, and any special
2
regulations are for they eliminate
consequent disagreements about the
nature of the entries. In the future,
I think there should be stipulations
to ensure that this kind of contro
versy does not happen again; I also
feel that the Guilfordian should
make sure its information is correct
before running two consecutive ar
ticles with the same mistake.
Kathryn Sparacino
needs. Also, it is helpful to have a
budget in mind for the event You
must give the catering service at least
10 days to plan your catered func
tion.
We look forward to serving you.
Thank You
To the Editor:
All of us in Housekeeping wish
to extend to you, the students, a
hearty thank you for the lovely
Appreciation Day. Yourkindness
will always be remebered.
Sincerely,
Vera Waddell