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Perspectives
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Sarah Kickler
EDITORIAL EDITOR
MikeSchmierbach
NIGHT EDITOR
Carl Yeh
Avoiding a
Suet
Would
Though the power of women has been increasing,
pop culture is doing a lot to promote gender bias,*'
and to push young girls into gender roles vX
___^ ********' .
Americans are masters of
the art of self-deception.
We’ve gotten used to the
idea that if things look
fine on the outside, then they must
be fine on the inside. Consequently,
we sometimes miss the big picture.
For example, when we gaze
around a pop culture landscape lit
tered with female icons like
Madonna and Oprah Winfrey, it is
easy to forget that sexism still exists
in this country. When asked for ex
amples of powerful women, we can
cite Secretary ot
State Madeleine
Albright and At
torney General
Janet Reno almost
without thinking.
And there was, of
course, last sum
mer’s Lilith Fair,
the consummate
example of female
Kameron
Cole
uonnnauon oi a
traditionally patriarchal enterprise.
After all, we say, ifsomany
women are so popular and
successful, then it’s ob- «
vious that sexism
is on the de
America has been giving
its girls the short end of
the proverbial stick for
centuries.
But it's easy for us
who are by now many
years removed from
our preteen days to
overlook that. After
all, the blatant gender
bias of the not-so-dis
tant past is gone. The
Easy-Bake oven is
passe, and Barbie
has a computer.
This doesn’t mean
that things have
gotten that
much bet
ter for ,,
cane.
That
might be a
valid argu
ment if sex
ism simply
entailed the
unequal distri
uuuuu anu cA‘
ercise of power
between men
and women. Furthermore, if that’s
what constituted sexism, then it
would be no problem to fight. The
easiest enemy to defeat is the obvi
ous, predictable one. But like most
other social ills, sexism thrives by
taking on far more complex and in
sidious forms.
There are certain undeniable
facts in this world, things that are
more matters of common sense
than of studies or statistics. And
one of these undeniable facts is that
girls. Now more than ever they are
prodded into gender roles by the
considerable force of pop culture.
Consider, fora moment, this
year’s crop of preadolescent icons.
The Spice Girls, the manufactured
darlings of the 9- to 13-year-old de
mographic, peddle their vapidity
under the guise of "girl power.” The
teen magazine market continues to
expand, with new publications of
fering the same crop of “How to
Make Boys Want You — Bad” arti
cles and self-esteem busting beauty
tips that many post-adolescent
women remember from their youth.
These things exist for one key
reason: They fulfill a need fora
group that is largely ignored by so
ciety.
The three- to four-year period be
fore they reach adolescence is
prime time in the development of
girls. Unfortunately, evidence
shows that this is the time when
most girls fall through the cracks.
If we really intend to change the
way women are perceived in this
country, then it is imperative to ad
dress the needs of young girls. If we
fail to offer realistic, positive female
role models, then we are ensuring
that the young adult media/adver
tising complex will pick up the
slack. And do we really want a
whole nation of Spice Girls?
Kameron Cole is a columnist for the
Emerald. Her views do not necessarily
represent those of the newspaper.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
uneck eligibility
This January, the Oregon Stu
dent Association gained a ma
jor lobbying victory: The Ore
gon Health Plan was once again
expanded to cover students.
Due to this change, thousands
of students across the state are
able to apply tor medical cover
age pending a few restrictions.
If you are interested in apply
ing for assistance through this
program, please take a moment
to look over the guidelines for
eligibility. You may be able to
receive aid and not even know
it.
Full-time undergraduate
students are able to qualify for
OHP coverage if: you are unin
sured or pregnant; you are in a
program serving displaced
workers per section 236 of the
1974 Trade Act; or you receive
AFDC or Poverty Level Med
ical. Although there are re
source requirements that must
be met in addition to the
above guidelines, it is worth
while to further consider your
eligibility for the Oregon
Health Plan.
If you or someone you know
doesn’t have health insur
ance, call Health Choices im
mediately at 1-800-359-9517
and apply for coverage. Cov
erage can go back to the date
of application and may make
a major difference in health
costs.
Sadie Rogers
Sociology