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College advocates fight the bra-burning
image of feminism that still hovers
over their battle for women’s rights
nn ihr !‘l7fk when the kimien's lights Mingle g-.iiru'd nat»<»nal attentiem. < eillege
students wni .ui tm|xxtant pait of that movement l nivrnsitie-s traditionalh
have* lx-rn viewed as airuas (<»i lirr thought and cm hangc* of ideas, a |xrfet I
forum lot a iii>riai mmrmrm Bin the t eniseivauve Hus. with ns iaee- in
vuppudorn. drew ihr lm us a was limn issues of women s rights \nd tmiav s
college women. w.»n of Ix-mg lain led a hlx ial 01 a feminist.’ have Imtii
hesitant ti»jump hat k «>n the handwagt>n
Not dial all women aie hesitant to piote-st for women s rights \ftei named the
l of \ etrnont one of the top 10 parts s< I roofs in the nation, a photogiaphei visited
t artipiis for interview's with women to Ik- featuied in an him tuning issue Women on the
< ampus i* a* ted funouslv. expressing (lic it displeasure at the maga/me "using women as
ohfe« ts Mote than I ’>0 students gat he i ed for a “\|x*ak < »ut" where women, naked tt»the
waist and toward in Ik kIv paint, wine hags with "silent e*" on them o\ei then heads and
jK tformrd a the atm al prote st
I he\ « all ihnriv hes feminists \nd Ik < arise thrv dee mans college w« mini are* hesitanl
lo foin them m wearing that LiIk I not wanting to Ik- assen laled with a ladit al pait ot the
women s rights meivement
Nit ole ShnjK- is one < »t those women
ShrijH a I of Mulligan senior. tails herself a lemmist h\ definition hut does not
mi p| m u t i atlu a I ta» lie s "Wiv militant women c ontimialiv put men on the defensive*
Nothing meises that wav " she v*vs
But jen ( K Immas a l \A! senior who hel|K<l oigam/e the ralh thete. doesn't lx-l»rve
tlies*- tat tit s are offensive ~ We u *>k off mu t Itithe s, hut I don 11 ail that lathe al
What she would t all it is women taking t ontiol of the 11 live s \nel this c onee-pt of
feminism a lalx*j whie h t ame-s the «oimotahons of hi a -hurtling. align women is
Ik ing pusfreef tents limits hv women whe> see a ne*c*et for < flange
Man Hetfaii a vnioi at die l <>l Mu htgan. went after this < hange hv protesting H/nf*n
when die maga/me inte-i viewed fot its “( nils of the Big I O’* issue Site i iWifan f.uetiouslv
intemeweef and pose d lot a /YeryAnv photogi apfiei. she hatuied him a foldei of anti
poi nogi apfiv liter atm e* and a law t fin ken leg "I gave him a t hie ken leg Iwre arise I
tfteMight he wanted me at." she vivx
I he e-vtensioii«»l the limits of the wold feminism hast re-ale d an olistae le leu achoc ales
of women's rights vs ho shun strrroupie al laliels
Stephanie Bl< >oinmgd.de. field duet ten e»l the I S Student \ssoc lation (a
Washmgii >n. IM l< thlwing group) sav\ v« >ttng wt mien need t* > mtei nali/e the trim and
sh.ifM the n own meaning "llNverv strange 1 his word feminism has lxen eepiated (e>
something had fat h individual has to define- feminism foi ihemselves." she savs
"Ha.su allv It sgot a had tap "
\nd soinetinies those who tiv t«* understand feminist issues air osti.ui/cM foi lx*ing
ursine err ot < »p|* utunisiie
Mike j.u kvim ,i M iiim .it ihr l e>f Misvoim sav* .is one of .» handful of men in .1
women s studies t1 .inn < >f molt than 100 students, men air not wete oineti fullv ( )ri< e
when .1 male stude-ni said he was a feminist. women silting ne.n jat kson laughed anti
passed around a note that lead, “lie s l rung to Ik a male feminist to get a ilate
I hough lemintMii imi 1 meant to e\c hide men. the idea that it does comes horn
Madilional images of feminism \nd them' images. m< hiding the ones that c ause women
to sh\ awa\ hom the temi. is tinned hum vs hat students air taught eat h on
Mam students gtew u|> with feminist motheisoi du.1U.uee1 families, so these* images
aie n«*t foieign saw Shaion Welth. professoi ol wome n s studies at the- l of Misvhjii
Hut the se same* stude nts (fon t call thrmsehes feminists Imairse then don’t want to Ik
la lie led as sue h, she saw
Whit h is e vac ih what SIuijm believes some women aie avoiding "Some women todav
woiikl nc*t }om V >\V [National ( hgam/ation foi Women) Ik < ausr then don’t want the
stigma of lieing c ailed a feminist "
\ngie- W as/kie*w it/. a wiuoi at the l of Missouri, savs all womens ngfits adv nates
have the same goal of iiiipiovuig tlie lifestyle* of women "Whether women t all
the*mv he*s feminists e»r not. then are c one emed al*»ut women s issue s "
Ihc se issues uu lude* disc nmuiation, leproduc uve rights and juv enjuitv Vnd |K*ihaps
tire most volatile coneem is sexual assault. \t the l of ( ahfonua. San Diego. more than
*J00 women took {Mil in a lake !Vac k the Night march Nearlv one-third of tfie women
removed their shirts as part of the prote st Senior Xtuheiia While, a tnemlx*i of the
Women’s Resource ( enter, saw die administration told he r group it had violated the
slue lent c cindue 1 c ode “ I he next dav we got a me 1111 > saving lie»w lewd we were." she saw
Hut the battle Ivemg waged mav Ik- aUurt little more than semantics Donna |ones.
director of Affirmative Ve t ion and ( ompliant r at the I of Wisconsin, saw there is a
word war raging in \inene a While *»me |>eople niit! pu»< Liim thrrnsrhes feminists,
others find the we>id 100confining, she saw
" I he re has hern a lendencv in muvr awav from the trim 'feminist’ and use the
hioadet term ‘women’s issues.” Jones savs
Was/kiewuv saw inanv le al ttie* won! itself lot what feminism irpresent* “I*«u the most
part |K*ople see |f minisnij as something to Ik- feared !>eeause of the |w>iential for
c flange *
Vnd peihapsthis\e*ar of tfie- Woman, with 17M women running 1« >1 pmmment public
of lit ev will Ik- an n.^Ktus loi the* c hange Some hojie the- fin or will spur new gains m the
womens move*ment. I’rrhajM one of these gams will irfute the- hi a -burning image of the
movement to me hick* a dcfimtie >11 of feminism embiac c*d In all
l \ M s < K hutuas saw she believes stronglv that this meaning will < tune, not from a
du tKMiarv hut a lifestyle < hange.
"|feminism| is something vou live, something von lielievr in. vunething that tames
over mioeveiveiav life."
B\ IN kvi SllMl. .Michigan Daily, l .01 \11< iik.w