Inlight of the recent discussion concerning Playboy's impending visit, a few issues need to be emphasized. That Playboy has every right to come to Dartmouth is a given. That women on this campus have every right to choose to pose for Playboy is likewise a given. This is not where we should focus our valuable time and energy. Instead, we should consider the implications Playboy's visit will have for the Dartmouth community.
The positive link between pornography and violence against women has become sickeningly apparent in recent years. Studies have shown that exposure to pornography has had the effect of increasing the acceptance of rape myths as well as the number of men who would rape if they would not get caught.
Many proponents of pornography have questioned the overwhelming nature of this link. Sadly, they are missing the point. The point is not to scientifically dissect the validity and replicability of studies on such a complex issue as violence against women. The point is to realize that even one case of violence that is linked to pornography is one case too many.
Others have considered pornography a viable medium for the expression of female sexuality. However, women are consistently shown in compromising and victimizing positions. They are passive and submissive beings over whom any man can exert his strength and masculinity. These pictures serve to reaffirm the sexist notions that women are inferior to men and that they have a need to be controlled.
Even worse, women are portrayed as enjoying the pain that is being inflicted upon them. It is frightening to realize that some people become aroused by a display which glorifies the rape and abuse of women.Pornography is not about female sexuality. Instead, it is about the degradation and the submission of women.
The solution lies not in repressing sexuality but in eliminating the sexism and misogyny which allow pornography to continue. Indeed, part of the solution lies with us, the Dartmouth community. One unequivocal way to dispel the myths that women desire domination and enjoy pain is to refuse to portray ourselves as such.
In a time when women are fighting for equal pay, equal opportunity and equal education, it becomes increasingly apparent why objectifying one's body is inherently harmful for every woman. It seems extremely difficult to view a woman as a commodity one day and then go to work or school the next day and treat her as an equal. Commanding respect becomes equally as difficult for a woman when she is competing with an image that dehumanizes her body and her sexuality.
The fact that the "Women of the Ivies" issue will not, in all probability, display its models tied up with guns in their mouths is irrelevant to the current discussion. Contributing in any form to Playboy is contributing to an industry whose sole purpose is the sale of women's bodies.
Choosing not to pose, on the other hand, is tantamount to rejecting an inferior status and affirming the notion that women are intelligent and sexual human beings who are worthy of respect. Dartmouth's absence in the pages of Playboy would symbolize more than a refusal to sell one body. Our absence would represent a refusal to sell short the entire fight for equality to which so many women have dedicated their lives.
For the Dartmouth community and beyond, the implications of posing are tremendous. But the impact of collectively refusing to allow our bodies to be sold would be equally as momentous. We, as a community, have a responsibility to recognize the impact our actions will have on other women.
If our campus were willing to join together and resist the institutionalized sexism that Playboy brings, we would be sending a powerful message reflecting our outrage at the objectification and degradation of women everywhere. And more importantly, one more battle would be won in the fight for equality.
