That Girl from Derwent dwells on the value of religion this Christmas.
That Girl from Derwent has learned a few more things about prejudice since moving up North.
That Girl From Derwent reckons if you're going to be offensive, you should find a better reason.
That Girl from Derwent considers why it is that some words have wider implications than others.
Porno V is just about to rear its uncontested head, and I think this is the time to think about some things that worm their way in to our consciousness, without us having any idea.
That is to say, sexualised women.
We live in a society that relies on half naked women as the most powerful advertising campaign. If there is a way to post an image of a woman in fewer clothes than normal, it will be done. If it were possible to have a semi-nude woman eating cat food to sell it, I’m sure that someone would do it. And yet who are they advertising for?
If it were possible to have a semi-nude woman eating cat food to sell it, I’m sure that someone would do it.
Our Derwent Bar Reps are advertising the St. Patrick’s Day bar quiz with the image of a severely out of proportioned woman, in tiny green pants and a drooping green top. This greatly confused me. Will she be there? Will there be suggestive women reading out the questions? Or worse, is it possible that she could be the prize? I really do not think so.
And so my next point of query. Do they not want me there, as a straight female? Is this quiz specifically for straight men and lesbians? Do I need to attach a penis onto my body to be allowed in? Again, I came to the conclusion that this is probably not so. And so what is her relevance? She is possibly a great fan of St. Patrick’s Day, and she may even enjoy the odd bar quiz. But this tells me personally nothing about why I should attend.
I think that it is down to a severe lack of imagination on the part of advertisers to rely on the bodies of women. But it is rather offensive that as a straight female I am kept completely out of the loop. It feels like my presence is unwanted unless I choose to dress like she is. Possibly I will be allowed in if I wear nothing but a pint of Guinness on my head.
The advertising for Porno V at least makes sense in the way that it is relevant to the theme. But, unless I have been tricked into believing this, the event is about safe sex. Porn does not encourage safe sex. The participants often suffer from STIs, partly because condoms reduce the appeal for a lot of people. A condom bukake may not work. If you know what that is, you will know why.
And apart from a little snippet at the end of the YUSU page for the event, saying, rather inconspicuously, almost as if to avoid detection, “...and remember, use protection”, there is nothing about safe sex, only lots of it and with the most scantily dressed people.
This is closely followed by the screamingly uninventive “CUM ON DOWN”... Right. Firstly, ‘come’ spelt ‘cum’ refers only to men. Secondly, I’m aware that this is a joke. And yet the advertising cannot be called a joke. It is not funny. I do not see anything amusing about a woman’s backside. It seems that at the heart of this seemingly tongue in cheek night, equipped with bucking cock to ride, there is the very real notion that women are the sexy ones in porn, boring unless they constantly have their skirts hitched up.
And to have fun if you are a woman, you must be that sexy woman. There are no other roles for women featuring in the event. There are awards at the end for the ‘kinkiest dressed’, and I’m positive that girls will feel the need to dress sexily and revealingly, whereas the guys will dress to get a funny reaction. This is the incredibly serious distinction. It is acceptable for men to dress as revealing or conservative as they like and still fit into the theme. They could go as Hugh Hefner. And any costume that a girl chooses to wear will have to be sexually attractive. There is no other option, unless they choose to not go, or do not go in costume. And I think this is crucial: should the university be encouraging and supporting events that potentially make people feel so physically inadequate that they do not attend?
A major cause of concern for me at the moment is the amount of young women in education who strive to be glamour models. There is an abundance of Facebook groups started by these entrepreneurs, asking people to vote for them in various ‘Nuts’ competitions. And yes, it is nuts! Most of these young women are at university. Does our society tell them that the glass ceiling is still there, so just lie back, have your photo taken, and think of England? Is this what the suffragettes went on hunger strike for? I do not know enough about psychology to say this and uphold it fully, but I think that they are really lacking in confidence. It may sound like a cliché, but confidence in your mind and personality is much harder to sustain that confidence in your breasts. Surgery can fix it for one thing.
So, at universities where women can be educated into holding top positions for leading companies, can begin their political careers, can become doctors, we have naked women selling things, and students becoming those women. How depressing.
#36 some people enjoy letting their hair down. Similarly some people enjoy wearing very few clothes.
Personal preferences are different- some people (myself included) really don't like how nudity and smut have become the media's idea of how a woman can attract a man.
Yet walk down micklegate on a friday night and you'll see a lot of people having fun by getting wasted and wearing very little. .
Different strokes for different folks. I can't make an objective moral judgement about an entire gender.
I'm thoroughly sick of sweeping statements about men being oppressors, porn addicts, degrading towards women, power-hungry and immoral. As much as feminists try to drive a wedge between men and women, theres far less distinction between the views of men and the views of women than ever before. If all men were such beasts, do you really think womens committee would be so poorly attended?
There was another picture I contemplated using which is, in retrospect, much, much more offensive (degrading, oppressive, blah, blah...). I kinda wish I'd have used that one now. Just to see what would have happened.
I stewarded P.O.R.N.O. V tonight and despite the pre-emptive whinging not everyone was in fancy dress. Not every girl was wearing next to nothing and those who were knew exactly what they were doing and had made a conscious choice to dress that way. No men forced the women to dress that way it was a choice. The same as at any campus themed party. Noone forces anyone to participate in the theme. Its a personal choice.
Simple.
Just a reminder the St. Patrick's Day Bar Quiz will be Tuesday week 10 in Derwent Bar from about 8pm anyone is welcome to come and tell me how wrong/sick/sexist/chauvanistic I am. Remember I will have a microphone so don't be scared if I make you look an idiot in front of strangers.
Much Love!
xxx
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comment deleted by the author If a twelve year old girl dressed in underwear for a night out,and thoroughly enjoyed getting male attention for wearing next to nothing, I would think that she had some severe emotional and psychological issues that needed to be dealt with. A few years later, this is totally legal and generally socially acceptable. I do not think that a few years added onto an age make a great difference in emotional and psychological development. I have noticed that a lot of the girls who dress the most revealing generally end up drunk, complaining about how men had ill-treated them, and complaining about how ugly they are. a person doing something does not mean they are really happy to do it. Sometimes, being appreciated for being sexually attractive is the only thing these girls feel they are good at.
Also, women's committee is poorly attended because the most feminist of girls do not think they are because of the stigma! not once in women's committee has it been suggested that 'men are beasts'. Women impair the women's movement more than men, because if they are sexist men can say "it's not sexist because they're doing it". It is detrimental to the women's movement to have events that celebrate the crude sexualisation of women, even if women go and help run it. If a black person joined the KKK, it would be racist still.
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comment deleted by the author I am concerned that an event such as PORNO V will directly cause women to forget about thier degrees and go into the porn and/or glamour industry.
I am especially concerned because apparently women seem to lack free will, from Hannah's perspective at least, to choose how they dress.
Why could a woman not have dressed as a giant sperm or a condom? Or a sex symbol that isn't ridiculously scantily clad? It's because they're powerless in the face of society.
this is seriously getting a bit stupid-i hope if porno v offended you that much you didn't go and let people just have fun..
plenty of women, including myself enjoy sex, and the sexualised nature of certain aspects of society- including pornography- its not just men you know..im sick of feminists having a huge go at men when in reality there are loads of women who enjoy buying themselves sexy lingerie, wearing it for show and generally enjoying their sexuality in a safe manner.
i think everyone probably secretly likes porn a bit anyway..
if your so offended- its not hard to avoid these events.
love, one porn loving, sex loving female. x
comment deleted by the author wow #43 and #44
just wow
I see this is the place for reasoned mature debate! Have fun attacking people on internet comment boards you sad little people. I hope you feel good this morning. Really good about yourself and how your life is panning out. If you don't agree, fine, just don't resort to pathetic, immature, and frankly weak tactics in an effort to get your point accross!
Hopefully see you at my Bar Quiz if you manage to drag yourselves away from posting useless posts on the Yorker. At least I have the balls to post under my own name and not Anonymously.
You people make me sick and make my day in equal measure because I know exactly how much better I am than you!
Much Love!
xxx
The arguments raised seem to be not completely on par with my article. it was about women in advertising in general. If porno V were an isolated event it would be a different issue. I wrote about the use of women IN GENERAL in advertising, combined with events that potentially alienate people because of forcing quite a controversial costume theme on them.
No, they don't have to dress accordingly, but I do not think that college events should not be so potentially offensive. I know of many, many girls who worry about events such as these. If you do not conform you can be seen as not 'playing along'.
I'm glad that so many people are getting involved, but it's getting a bit offensive and defensive. The sexualisation of women in society can be fun for the individual. I am not against sex. I am against women being seen primarily as sexual objects. I am concerned that Hilary Clinton was most often commented on for what she was wearing, and how she looked. I am concerned that there are a lot of young women considering being glamour models rather than teachers or doctors. For a lot of women, as well, the sexualisation of women in advertising can be alienating.
and why is everyone posting anonymously?
why does a few years difference in age mean a huge spurt in mental stability?
Interesting to note that John Warboys (the taxi driver conficted of 19 counts of rape and sexual assult) was a porn actor. A link between porn and safe sex? I don't think so - more a proof that Porn is the theory and Rape is the practice.
I am sorry Marie but this is a ridiculous assertion.
Ditto, #56 is the craziest thing I've read in some time, and I say that as someone who keeps up to date with most comments on The Yorker. Maybe Marie, you should read up on what a proof is.
It seems that many people here have not even paused to consider how much more commonplace rape would be if porn did not exist.
#56, I think being a porn actor is more practice than theory...
Throughout human history, violence has manifested itself under the mantel of sex. Both before pornography and in parts of the world without pornography. There's no accounting for people with psychological problems, sick fucks, and whatnot. Hitler was a painter, does this mean that there is a link between artistic politicians and genocide? The logic is tenuous, circumstantial, ultimately flawed.
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