editorial
Playboy perpetuates
unhealthy stereotypes
Playboy photographer David Chan’s visit to the Univer
sity this week has been the topic of often-heated campus
wide debate. Protesters who oppose the concept behind
Playboy picketed outside Chan’s Eugene motel Monday. But
Chan, who was a judge at Tuesday’s Air Band contest in the
EMU Ballroom, received massive applause when introduced
to the contest’s audience.
Chan says he interviewed more than 100 University
students who want to appear in the publication. But a
similar number of University men and women have stated
their opposition to Playboy. The campus is clearly split on
the issue.
The Emerald’s six-person editorial board also is divided
on the issue. The board discussed the topic several times
between Sunday and Thursday before agreeing upon an
editorial position. The arguments presented by board
members mirrored many of those presented in other campus
discussions.
Throughout the board’s meetings, the issue boiled
down to a number of key questions:
•Does Playboy portray women as objects rather than
people?
•Does Playboy reinforce stereotypes that feminists have
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•Does Playboy perpetuate violent attitudes toward
women?
•Does Playboy's portrayal of women impose an
undesirable self image on women?
•Is posing for Playboy an issue of free self-expression?
•Why does someone read Playboy?
•Why does someone pose for Playboy?
There are no easy answers to any of these questions.
Reading and posing for the publication are very individual
experiences. But women who pose for the magazine must
understand what they are doing.
Many may simply be posing for the money, to fulfill a
fantasy or to simply exhibit their body for others. But the act
of posing in Playboy perpetuates stereotypes of women that
have been established in our society, just as photos of
muscular “macho men” also perpetuate unhealthy
stereotypes.
Women who pose in Playboy, Penthouse or similar
publications are often not recognized for whatever internal
qualities they may possess. Instead, each woman is simply a
bag of desirable bones that has been photographed for male
consumption. Many men can and do view the magazine
without falling into this attitude trap, but too many others
simply see Playboy's women as sexual animals.
If any woman wishes to pose for such a publication, that
is her right. In a country such as ours that places a high
priority on the individual’s right to free self-expression, this
must be a given.
But feminists — both men and women — have worked
hard during the past 20 years to break down the stereotypes
that magazines such as Playboy help to perpetuate.
Playboy’s models send an unhealthy message to
Americans of any age. Young men, by reading Playboy,
learn to think of women as sex objects, while some older
men think of women as solely existing for man’s sexual
pleasure. This is not the image of woman that society should
portray to our youth. Women need to be told and shown that
they are respected as individuals and not as physical
playthings.
Oregon doily _
emerald
The Oregon Daily Emerald is published Monday
through Friday except during exam week and vacations
by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co., at the
University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 97403.
The Emerald operates independently of the Universi
ty with offices on the third floor of the Erb Memorial
Union and is a member of the Associated Press.
General Staff
Advertising Director Susan Thelen
Production Manager Russell Steele
Classified Advertising Vince Adams
Controller Jean Ownbey
Advertising Sales Laura Buckley, Tim Clevenger, Jen
nifer Fox, Michael Gray - Intern, Robin Joannides - Intern,
Carlos Lamadrid - Intern. Marcia Leonard, Rick Martz,
Nancy Nielsen, Brett Pickman, Tim Swillinger, Laura
Willoughby - Intern, David Wood.
Production: Kelly Cornyn, Stormi Dykes, Manuel Flores,
Kathy Gallagher, Dean Guernsey, Jackson Haring, Susan
Hawkins, Kirk Hirota, Grant Keltner, Rob Kraft, Ross Mar
tin, Karin McKercher, Lauri Neely, Kelly Neff, KaraOberst,
Curt Penrod, Michele Ross, Alyson Simmons, Peg
Solonika, Karen Stallwood, Tim Swillinger, Colleen Tre
maine, Hank Trotter, Mary VanCura.
Paop V A
Ethnocentric
Last term I took astronomy
and black history as electives. I
was surprised to find a common
lesson in these two unrelated
disciplines. These courses
revealed to me the dangerous
need of western civilization to
see itself as the center of the
universe.
European astronomy began
with the belief that the earth
was literally the center of the
universe. It took centuries of
gradual erosion to dispel this
belief.
At one point, despite over
whelming evidence, it was a
religious crime punishable by
torture to believe that the Earth
revolved around the sun.
When Europeans began ex
ploring Africa, they held the
belief that European civilization
was the center of the universe.
They not only felt superior to
the Africans socially, intellec
tually, and technologically, but
they also felt divinely chosen to
“lead the savages to salvation.”
As part of this mission, they
enslaved the African people,
raped the women by the
millions, and divided up the en
tire continent among
themselves.
We now know that the Earth
is a small planet revolving
around a small star at the edge
of an average galaxy consisting
of millions of stars in a universe
containing millions of galaxies.
We now have overwhelming
evidence that at the time when
Europe was ravaging Africa,
there were many African
Editor
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Michele Matassa
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Reporters: Sean Axmaker, Kirsten Bolin. Michelle Brence.
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Photographers: Dean Guernsey, Kirk Hirota, Jim Marks,
Ross Martin, Karen Stallwood, Hank Trotter
News and Editorial 686-5511
Display Advertising and Business 666-3712
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letters
civilizations superior to Europe
intellectually, culturally and
technologically.
We know that blacks are in no
way inferior to whites. Yet,
despite this evidence, racism is
eroding unpardonablv slow.
End racism now!
Free South Africa.
Colin Davey
Milky Way Galaxy
Last straw
Michael Cross’s latest letter
(ODE, May 8), is the last straw.
Speaking as concerned
members of the community, we
feel that frank discussions on
bestiality and homosexuality
are inappropriate in the
Emerald.
Explicit references to female
genitalia and unusual sexual
acts are in the worst taste.
We’re concerned that the
Emerald’s editorial staff is fail
ing to live up to its responsibili
ty to the University and to the
community at large, which it
serves.
Arguments about the ap
propriateness of bestiality and
homosexuality are thoroughly
outrageous.
Both topics should be limited
to more private, personal
discussions. Sexual preferences
and pastimes are not the pur
view of the Emerald.
The recent reemergence of the
Students for Bestiality con
troversy makes my point.
That controversy did a good
deal of harm to the image of the
students and their programs at
the University.
Now. once again, we have
discussions about homophobia
— which is pure balderdash, is
it a clinical syndrom? And even
students are proudly announc
ing their gayness or straightness
in your pages.
Discussions that allow
distinctions between Christians
and gays and homophobes and
sperm receptacles can only
reflect a lack of understanding,
which harms the students and
the University and reflects bad
ly on the Emerald itself.
We say edit, cut, refuse, but
don’t subject us to silly, rather
obscene dicussions on matters
more properly discussed in
private.
The Emerald cannot be a
place for the advocation or
denial or proclamation of one's
sexuality.
Chris Lewis
Edward Met/.ler
Tradition
Why does China have virtual
ly no problems with AIDS,
herpes, gonorrhea or syphilis?
Because despite being atheistic,
they see the societal and
biological advantages to pro
moting traditional morality —
with the exception of abortion.
Needless to say no concentra
tions of homosexuals exist like
those we've allowed to develop
in our large urban areas.
If people practiced the moral
principles taught by Christ then
sexually transmitted diseases
(STDs) wouldn’t have en
vironments to multiply in and
would eventually become
extinct.
Actually, the epidemics of
STDs (some which cause sterili
ty and birth defects) testify to
the dangers of promiscuity.
AIDS (the newest and
deadliest STD) wouldn’t exist
in America — and on a
worldwide basis it would be
rare indeed — if not for the
lifestyles of most homosexuals.
Nearly one million people
have been exposed to the
HTLV3 virus, a disease
unknown of prior to 1978.
Why? Because the extreme pro
miscuity of most homosexuals
ensures that the virus will be
passed on to multiple contacts.
In other words, someone
catches AIDS, has sex with a
variety of individuals (who pass
it on) and under such condi
tions the virus is regularly sup
plied with numerous warm
bodies to thrive in.
Oh, by the way. the notion
that “lesbian blood is the
safest" is ludicrous!
The safest prospect for blood
donation would be an in
dividual who, if single, practic
ed self-control or a married
heterosexual couple who were
faithful to one another. The
danger of catching any STD
from them through blood
transfusion would be zero!
Lori Parkman
Lane Community College
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