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Women create themselves

To the editor,

I respectfully disagree with the issues presented in Kelly Coolbaugh's letter on Nov. 18 concerning an electrolysis ad. While I am certain that Ms. Coolbaugh's "annoyance" with this advertisement is merely an assignment for her Women's Studies 100 class, I believe that this is an issue that needs to be addressed.

In her letter she claims that an ad in a newspaper is not only a reflection of a bigoted society, but an insult to women in general. While I wholeheartedly agree with the assertion that society has unrealistic values when it comes to physical appearance, I cannot stand by with the argument that we as females are "commanded" by society to look a certain way. You use the example of Marilyn Monroe as a reflection of the more tolerant society that existed in "the good ol' days." Marilyn Monroe was no more accepted for her body than Cindy Crawford is today. She had to chop off her nose and dye her hair blonde to become a sex symbol. And the fact that she was looked at as nothing more than an airhead sexpot says a lot about where conforming to society's beauty standards will get you.

Feeling victimized because there was an ad in the Wildcat about electrolysis is possibly the worst thing you could do to improve your feelings of self worth. You only feel insecure because you allow yourself to feel worthless in the eyes of some nebulous "society." It speaks more to your intellect to become an individual who lives a life that is acceptable to you, than to give credence to these ads by claiming they command you to be beautiful.

No one can make you feel bad about yourself without your permission. The trick is to be strong-minded enough to know you are a beautiful, intelligent, worthy person without it having been reflected to you by some opportunistic plastic surgery ad.

Veneranda Aguirre

International studies senior