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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 12, 1999)
NEWSROOM: (541)346-5511 E-MAIL ode@oregon. uoregon.edu ON-LINE EDITION: www.dailyemerald.com EDITOR IN CHIEF Ryan Frank EDITORIAL EDITORS KameronCole Stefanie Knowlton t •ou turn the pages slowly. Half naked girls romp freely through meadows, sopping wet for no ap parent reason. Their clothes are se ductively fall off their young, glow ing bodies, drawing you in. Full-bodied men bare it all, glis tening from the sweat dripping off their well-defined biceps. Their pants hardly cover them as they pose for pictures. Sound like a provocative adver tisement or magazine? Here’s more: Advice pages are packed with tips on how to make a perfect rum and coke or super alcoholic mixer. Sex tips tell how to set a perfect mood, so for sure you’ll score. They remind you not to forget the condoms. Oh, it’s just a magazine like GQ or Cos mopolitan, right? Wait, what’s that? Looking a little closer, you see an Abercrombie & Fitch label. Oh my gosh! They’re everywhere! Yep, you nailed it. It’s the Aber crombie & Fitch catalog you just mysteriously received in your mail box. As much as I may think the clothes are cute and stylish, I’m ap Giouantii Salimena/F.nu>m]d ed to preteen and teen-age girls and young men. However, it promotes underage drinking and promiscuity. At first I didn’t really mind it. I would glance through it, pointing out a good-looking fellow or a cute top, but when the winter 1999 issue fell into my hands, I was disgusted. The inside pages instructed these young subscribers ($12 for four is sues) to light the candles, bust out the fuzzy orange shag rug and get down and dirty with the next one who happened to make it into the bedroom. It instructed where to keep the condoms: on the floor, next to the bed — you know, where a normal 12 year-old would keep her condoms. Trying to be cute and trendy, the cata log provided a list of nonalcoholic drinks to guzzle when the parents were around, immedi ately followed by a subheadline something along the lines of “What to Mix When Mom Is Away.” This included a variety of mixed drinks that any sixth-grader should enjoy. The images showed six girls in a bed, three on either side of an obvi ously satisfied male; almost-naked, we-just-had-sex couples on sail boats; and a bunch of wet kids grab bing at each other on a sea-foamy coastline. Apparently, the Abercrombie & Fitch catalog and advertisement team’s goal is to produce active, out there everyday activities that pro mote the clothing in a positive at mosphere. Amy Goldhammer Uh-huh. The catalog uses next-to-nothing skinny girls standing next to muscu lar men. Their hip bones jut out right and left and their clothes are falling off. This presentation of women puts a false ideal in a young girl’s eye. Compared to other teen catalogs, such as Delia’s and Alloy, which use average teen girl models in “normal” teen poses, the female models in the Abercrombie & Fitch catalog end up looking frighteningly skinny and submissive. The male models look much old er and are all the well-built, athletic types. This too presents a negative stereotype that men want little girls. Abercrombie & Fitch should be ashamed for the messages it’s send ing out to readers. I was ecstatic with anti-Abercrom bie & Fitch fliers tacked around cam pus last week. Someone else was ac tually peeved. So, next time you’re flipping through the Abercrombie & Fitch catalog, picking out which model you wouldn’t mind being stuck in an elevator with or circling the clothes you’re going to order, do a double take and look at the catalog in a different way. Or, if you’re still bored with that, go ask your 12-year-old cousin what she’s up to. She just got a new shirt from Abercrombie, and maybe she has a new, more seductive way to do shots that you and your college chums can try. Amy Goldhammer is a columnist for the Emerald. Her views do not neces sarily represent those of the nenxtvioer Letters to the Editor Dixon should resign I have just read the letter written by Michael Dixon as a response to his predica ment (ODE, May 11). I am offended as an Oregon taxpayer and as a former student senator at an eastern college. Michael Dixon admits to being a thief, to stealing from the very people he claims to want to lead, from every person who entrust ed an elected position to him. He whines about the Emerald checking into a candi date’s past and blames the newspaper for each and every one of his problems. The vot ers on campus have a right to know if a can didate is a thief, a liar, a cheat or a fraud. He proved to be one. He needs to realize he has been given a true break by not having to go and spend time in prison for his criminal ac tions. He needs to grow up, take responsibility for his actions and most importantly, if he wants to lead, he needs to resign. He surely does not hold the trust of his constituents or fellow senators and deludes himself into believing he is a victim, not a thief. He no longer has the right, nor does he deserve the right, to represent anyone. He claims to want to show that he is and wants to con tinue to be a community leader. He is not a community leader and never will be. He is a disgrace and an embarrassment. He is also very naive and foolish. It’s time to wake up, Dixon, and it’s also time to do the right thing, which is resign. J. Mason Carver Eugene Letter to a senator Dear Senator Dixon: So you received a slap on the wrist and get to retain your senate seat. A spade is still a spade, and you’re still a convicted felon (ODE, May 11). Don’t try to turn the validity of background checks around on the Emer ald. For if there were a background check for candidates, you wouldn’t have been al lowed to run. I hold student government officers to a higher standard than the general popula tion. I’m sure our fellow students on this campus feel the same. Let me remind you that you’re a thief. You also violated Bean Complex residents. Someone in a position of authority entrusted you with the complex keys. In turn, you treaded on that individ ual’s good faith. Finally, you have figura tively raped your constituency — the stu dent body. Take accountability for your actions. Don’t blame the Emerald. You made the conscious decision to steal $5,000 worth of University property. If the Computing Cen ter didn’t catch you logging onto a stolen computer, you could have gotten away. I don’t believe that you’re sorry for your ac tions. I highly encourage you to begin re building your character — away from the confines of the student senate. Joseph Nicholls Geography Placing blame You’ve got to be kidding me, Dixon! How dare you try to point the finger at the Emer ald for your mistakes. Is it so outrageous the Emerald thinks you should step down after being convicted of stealing more than $5,000 worth of equipment from the school you are supposed to be representing? I think not. You ask who really wants you to quit the senate. I do. Do you really think that you would have had the backing of the students if they would have known that you are a felon? I hope the business students of this University would have more sense than to elect someone who obviously is looking out for his own best interests before those of the students he represents. Then you have the audacity to attack the Emerald for coming forward with the find ings of its background check. You’re forget ting one very important point: You commit ted a crime! You got caught with your hand in the cookie jar and now you want to put the attention on the Emerald to take the heat off yourself. Not a bad idea there, Mikey. The Emerald has come under fire these past months for printing tasteless articles, so v why not take that anti-Emerald sentiment and try to cover up the fact that you screwed up — big time. I don’t agree with the major ity of what the Emerald prints, but they were right on point when they printed the article about you and your misadventures in theft and burglary. And one more thing: How the hell did you escape any jail time for stealing more than $5,000 worth of goods? I guess being a student senator does have some perks. Casey Holdahl Pre-Journalism LETTERS POUCY The Oregon Daily Emerald will attempt to print all letters containing comments on top ics of interest to the University community. Letters must be limited to 250 words. The Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter for length, clarity, grammar, style and libel. Letters may be dropped off at EMU Suite 300.