So, CollegeHumor is once again searching for America's hottest college girl ; needless to say, it makes me want to vomit. Where to begin when breaking down and analyzing such a social phenomenon? On the one hand, it can be mighty cliché to be bashing the lookism culture ; on the other, we can't deny that each contest like this can be considered a backwards step for women.
First and foremost, what pisses me off about contests like these is that they normalize the objectification of women. For example, we are already so used to the concepts of Playboy and Maxim; "Boys will be boys," we say, excusing them for their behavior on the basis of biology. Society may roll its eyes but does nothing to make a difference. A woman is seen before she is heard, and although we like to think this ideology is slowly changing, the truth is that her value will most likely rest on her physical appearance. This places a great amount of stress on spending time and energy to look as good as we can. I see it as a vicious cycle of internalizing the need to be pretty and 'doing' beauty. What's sad is that this practice is not being enforced just by men, but by women too. Take, for example, this woman advertising AHCG .
I'm not saying these college girls define beauty, and I don't have a problem with them because they are attractive. What I disagree with is the conventional concept of 'hot'. When I look at these contest candidates, I see the same thing: mostly White, perfect skin, perfect hair, perfect make-up, and slimness. If anything, I am angry because I am jealous - of course I wish I could look like that. But at the same time, we must ask why our socially-accepted definition of 'hot' must remain so restricted. I can understand that perfection is desirable in terms of evolution, but has our intelligence not evolved as well? Are we still unable to see that we can look beyond superficial perfection?
Of course I am making a huge, sweeping generalization when I speak of the effect of something like America's Hottest College Girl. However, I am studying at a university myself and feel negatively impacted by the reinforcement of the aforementioned stereotype. It's not that sex is a bad thing, it's the things that many people will do to get it from a so-called slutty college girl - I'm talking roofies, alcohol, etc - to fulfill that expectation (Girls Gone Wild, anyone?) . More importantly, placing greater value on attractiveness disadvantages women who are not seen as conventionally 'hot' and who may not have the resources to carry out rituals that would otherwise make them 'hotter' (e.g. applying make-up, wearing heels). A further consequence of creations such as AHCG is the fear of aging through the fear of becoming less attractive. We can see how corporations have taken advantage of this phenomenon via the endless supply of anti-aging products. Whatever happened to 'the older, the wiser'?
Such is the lookism culture, and it's so unfortunate our society lives so strongly by it. It makes me a little angrrrry.
There are so many points I haven't touched upon, but I'd like to hear your opinions too. What do you guys think??
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Le Sigh: "America's Hottest College Girl 2009".
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.feministing.com/cgi-bin/movabletype/mt-tb.fcgi/12496
I 100% agree.
I get SO frustrated when people tell me the only reason I complain about the "beauty ideal" is because I'm just jealous. Ok, so maybe I am - because I'm not a thin, leggy blonde with tons of cleavage, but a short-legged, brunette Puerto Rican girl with big thighs and small breasts. Women who look like me (I guess America Ferrara, or Sara Ramirez come to mind) rarely get public attention, and certainly don't appear on the cover of men's magazines. Heaven forbid!
But why don't I see women like me in these kinds of contests? Why don't I see them more often on the cover of magazines, or starring as the love-interest in TV shows? I am an attractive girl too, I have always been told I have a pretty face, and I have a great shape to my body, though it isn't the most fit - I just happen to be short, with small breasts, and a wider body. Big friggin' deal.
God, I just want to feel good about myself. Not a day goes by where I don't worry about something. And I know waaaay too many other women who can say the same thing.
This idea that the "hottest" women look like the kind you described is not only sad, it's ridiculous. It doesn't make sense. There are SO many amazingly beautiful women of all different shapes, colors, and sizes. The public really misses out.
I wish I had entered this competition, just to change the look up a little. Chances are I'd never win though, because I don't feel comfortable baring my stomach, and what breasts I have, to the world. That seems to be a necessary part of a woman's hotness these days. Not her brain, not her actions, just how little clothing she has on.
Also.. I think brains are hot. I think kindness is SUPER-hot. I wish those traits were publicly appreciated more often than people's bodies, or even equally as often.
Sigh.
Yeah, it makes me tempted to apply too . . . I'm white, but I share the big ass/thighs and small boobs. And I'm only 5'1. I also have glasses, several facial piercings, and a buzz cut :P God knows I don't exactly typify the beauty ideal, though I know I'm generally still considered to be attractive by the people that I know.
Thankfully, I am pretty secure in my appearance (thank you Feminism!), and probably wouldn't have an issue revealing the required skin. I'm sure I would be disqualified by the body hair and acne scars, but it would be interesting to try and see if I can make those inclined towards introspection think about these things. But then again, I'm a bitch like that.
But what really makes me froth at the mouth in rage is the fact that no matter what, it seems, a woman is always, always to be seen and not heard. Her appearance will always speak more audibly to the world than anything she says.
I completely agree with you. I myself, am half Puerto Rican, very short (only 5 ft), and happen to have wider hips and thighs than most girls (shopping has always been a terrible ordeal). But I have always felt bad about myself around other girls, or guys etc. I instinctually, and habitually always cross my legs when I sit, wear longer shirts apologetically for having such huge thighs and but. I always feel like some mockery, or a caricature of a woman walking down the street.
Mind you, I am not much overweight, and I exercise and have an average diet. I simply have big hips. Why should I have to feel like any less of a human being or woman because of it? Why should I have to pay more, or have trouble finding clothes that I feel comfortable in? Why should I even have to wear clothes that hide my, GASP, shameful thighs.
You know, I am quite the opposite. I have boyishly small hips, regular sized thighs, but my boobs are unproportionately big compared to my little 5 foot body.
I always wished I had round, womanly hips. I ENVY women walking down the street with curvy hips! It makes me so mad. I HATED and still do, the fact that I have man hips. My feminism has helped a little bit, but I still wear stuff that makes my upper body smaller, and my lower body bigger.
Maybe the grass is always greener on the other side.
You're difinitely right. I have learned my lesson a few times in life that the grass is always greener, and should be greatful for what I have. And I have learned to accept myself better. I do have to point out that they're not just curvy though, but out of proportion with the rest of my body. And my small chest, and short stubby legs don't help much. I always envied women with the long, slender legs and physique, and of course always wished I had a little more up top to balance out the rest.
I've lived my whole life as a short, curvy (read slightly overweight) woman. Growing up in LA, I was always painfully aware that I did not have the "right" look. Somehow I managed to have decent self-esteem anyway, and I have been pretty satisfied with my life. As it happens, I married a tall, skinny guy and we produced a daughter who is tall, leggy, blonde, you get the picture. She is a 19 year-old beautiful accident of nature. Well guess what? Guys objectify her every single day. They make rude, sexually graphic comments to her when she goes out. They view her as a conquest and lose interest as soon as they perceive she likes them. She is literally miserable because of the way she looks. She feels that people can't "see" her. Of course, I like to think I raised her to have self-respect. She would NEVER be part of any Girls Gone Wild scene. I guess I always envied those girls, but now I can see that all they are getting is a lot of empty adulation.
First of all, let me commend you as well as the other poster for having the courage to admit to feelings of jealousy. It isn't often that someone can acknowledge that. Most people would rather cut off their arm than admit that they feel envious of someone else. I also find that for myself at least, admitting to feeling jealous or envious helps take the ‘sting’ out of it a bit if you know what I mean.
This beauty ideal is a double edged sword for all women. Isn’t it ironic how we reject the sexual objectification of women while at the same time feeling ‘left out’ or unvalued when we aren’t objectified because we aren’t ‘hot’ enough.
First of all, let me commend you as well as the other poster for having the courage to admit to feelings of jealousy. It isn't often that someone can acknowledge that. Most people would rather cut off their arm than admit that they feel envious of someone else. I also find that for myself at least, admitting to feeling jealous or envious helps take the ‘sting’ out of it a bit if you know what I mean.
This beauty ideal is a double edged sword for all women. Isn’t it ironic how we reject the sexual objectification of women while at the same time feeling ‘left out’ or unvalued when we aren’t objectified because we aren’t ‘hot’ enough.
That sort of thing is horrible for everybody save through-and-through masochists. You get dreadfully insecure and self-flagellate if you don't approximate an ideal. And if you do, people constantly look you over for your pricetag and shipping information, many women are reluctant to form friendships with you, and you get anxious about falling off the face of the earth when you turn 40. No matter what she looks like, Beauty can make any woman feel like a wretched non-entity.
Nevertheless, you can harness those insecurities to do something wonderful, to defy the ridiculous expectations the world puts on women according to our appearances. My insecurities were a big, if unaknowledged, driving force behind my grad school applications. Now I'm lucky enough to have been accepted to a top program for my area of interest, so besides emphatically showing the world that I'm a viable person with a real brain, I get to do something I love.
... and then there's the irony that it's a hot college (where the focus is supposed to be on the intellect) girls contest.
Great point. At a time in history when women are able to take their intelligence and education a bigger step further than ever before, they are even more objectified. The idea of the "college girl" is totally sexualized. Just look at Girls Gone Wild, and all the porn sites featuring "hot college girls". What a slap in the face.
Unfortunately, they will crown the wrong girl as the 'hottest college girl.' Why? Because I'm not entering the contest, of course : P
But in all seriousness, I'm so tired of this, and I feel so horrible for all the girls who enter because they want their hotness to be validated, and will probably cry over not being the hottest. It's so horrible. There is just nothing good about this for women, and nobody cares, because the 'natural' sexuality of men must be catered to at the expense of women.
What is the big deal?
If there was a hottest college male contest I would have absolutely NO problem with it.
All of the girls in this contest VOLUNTARILY signed up for it... They are competing for a $$$ prize, $10,000 I believe. If anything, it is unfair that collegehumor.com doesn't have a contest for males to win $10,000.
This contest is an example of sexism towards males, and for you to complain about it, is absolutely ridiculous
where is her profile?