Letter to the editor: Whore comment abusive
August 30, 2000
In yesterday’s paper there was a letter titled “You look like a whore.” that I found disheartening. I can’t say my attention has wandered to how people have been dressing during class other than I have noticed women wearing much dressier clothes than the usual T-shirt and shorts. It is a nice change and I hope it continues. I’ve got three male roommates and every single day I have to hear jokes insulting how women talk, act or look. My father, grandfather, brother, and uncles are also guilty of letting a few of these jokes slip from time to time because they were socialized to think it was okay to insult women. For decades, women have had extremely low self-esteem toward their body image. If the women on campus are proud enough to not hide behind clothing that is too big, then I say IT’S ABOUT TIME. Miss Young, I doubt you’ve ever seen a hooker let alone talked to one.Yet you don’t have much difficulty presuming to know what one looks like, acts or thinks. I find it horrific that you’d resort to that kind of verbal abuse to get women to conform to your fashion standards. It’s not a matter of dignity or class that separates your fashion sense from mine, it’s our individuality. I respect your right to dress the way you wish. I expect the same. Individuality is a wonderful thing and I can only hope that we’ll all rejoice in it and learn from it. Angie Chipman
Senior
Psychology, history and secondary education