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From: twiss@stolaf.UUCP (Thomas S. Twiss)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Penthouse/Pageant
Message-ID: <1841@stolaf.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 9-Aug-84 13:56:28 EDT
Article-I.D.: stolaf.1841
Posted: Thu Aug  9 13:56:28 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 16-Aug-84 03:34:24 EDT
Organization: St. Olaf College, Northfield MN
Lines: 46

>References:
>
>
>>  	So far, I have only seen one comment on this subject that really
>>  addresses the issue and that was by Sherry Marts.  Both these organizations
>>  are in the business of exploiting women and I think it is kind of
>>  pointless to argue over which one has the right to exploit V Williams.
>
>The Miss America Pageant paid Miss Williams for the privilege of
>exploiting her in a manner that was acceptable to her.
>
>Penthouse is exploiting her in a way that she claims is unacceptable
>and embarassing to her.  Whether we are considering the "Women's
>exploitation" business, the ad business, the moving van business,
>Cosa Nostra or personal computers, I think we should still try to
>distinguish between companies that ride roughshod over the
>considerations of people they deal with, and companies that do not.
>
>The Miss America Pageant was widely criticized for their handling of
>Vanessa Williams, but it's hard to believe that anything they did to
>her will mark her for life in the way that those pictures, published
>against her will, may.
>
>I'm not arguing about who has the right to exploit Vanessa Williams;
>I'm concerned about what we can do to companies as insensitive
>and (I hope) illegally-acting as Penthouse.
>
>- Toby Robison (not Robinson!)
>allegra!eosp1!robison
>decvax!ittvax!eosp1!robison
 
	I do agree with you, Toby, but I think it is important for
people to realize that the Pageant is just as pornographic (in
principle) as Penthouse.  The Pageant is trying to create certain images
of what their concept of the perfect woman is.  It causes women to feel
that they must somehow live up to this image (and they can feel
inadequate of they can't) and it causes men to think that the Pageant's
image is the only acceptable one.  Both organizations serve to objectify
women, they differ only in degree of effect.  You are entirely correct
when you say that Williams was consenting to being a part of the Pageant
and not the Penthouse publication and I won't argue with that.  My point
is that many people seem to have defended the Pageant as something that
is totally in the right, and I don't agree with that.

Tom Twiss
{decvax|ihnp4}!stolaf!twiss