My Response to The Appalachian's "PSA: Ladies, stop dressing up as cats"
My university’s newspaper published this article recently, which you can read here. This is another problematic article that has been brought to my attention that The Appalachian has published this semester. The following is my response. For the record, the writer of this article is male (I had a class with him last semester).
To Contributor, Casey Wiltgen, and to whomever else it may concern at The Appalachian:
Please allow me to begin by saying that Ebola had, in fact, not run rampant through Boone. A woman dressing up as a cat for Halloween is not worse than Ebola. The trivialization of a deadly disease that is killing a large amount of people in Africa and very few people in the United States is uncalled for, and though used as a lede and also for humor, it is problematic and insensitive statement. As a news publication, I would expect more from the editors, who should have seen through this puerile attempt at humor and saw it for what it was—which is sloppy and lazy writing on the part of the contributor.
Second of all, a large portion of women who choose to wear makeup use mascara. In this pitiful excuse of journalism, the contributor essentially equates the use of mascara to the act of dressing as a cat. In the micro sense, this may seem like an impertinent detail, but in the grand scheme of things, women have been criticized for their use (and even lack thereof) of makeup. This contributes to the overarching reason why this article is problematic, and ultimately why this article should be taken down: men trying to police what women choose to wear is not only offensive, but also insinuates that the hard working and intelligent women on this campus exist only to pander to the male gaze, especially during Halloween.
Do you see how this is a problem?
The article also insinuates that women who dress up as cats do so to be “sexy.” Saying that “Halloween has evolved into being a sexy holiday at the college level” is beyond ignorant. Look through the costume section and see the change from female children’s costumes to the ones offered to adult women. The only options supplied are ones that are “sexy” this and “slutty” that (which is on another level of problematic because “slut” is a slur) and all of this goes back to women being over-sexualized in society and especially during Halloween (have you seen the “sexy Ebola nurse costume? I mean come on, what the hell?). Halloween has always been a “sexy” holiday for women above the age of 14 because that is honestly all that is offered to us. All of this being said, if a woman wants to dress in a way that makes her feel sexy, it’s none of your damn business. If you have a problem with the costume a woman wants to wear, here’s what you do: keep your mouth shut. She is a free human being with an independent will, which she will exert to look fabulous in whatever costume she decides to wear. It is nobody’s business but her own. If a woman wants to dress up as a pencil, she can. Flowerpot? Hell yeah she can! Bubblegum dispenser? Absolutely! Taco Bell sauce packet? She can! Cat? She most certainly can!!
Benjamin Jones, no one cares if you don’t think of sexy when you think of a cat. A! Woman! Does! Not! Exist! To! Make! Her! Decisions! Based! On! What! A! Man! Feels! Is! Sexy! (And if she wants to make her decisions based on what a man feels is sexy, that’s totally her choice too but her motives are not your concern. Her body, her costume, and that’s not up for discussion or debate.) Men do not have the right to even try to attempt to police what women wear. And Emily Mercer, I too miss the days where one could dress up as a washing machine and no one would give two shits. But see, if a woman did dress up as a washing machine, she would be criticized for being a prude or not being “sexy” enough for this “sexy” holiday.
The women on this campus worked hard to get in to Appalachian, work hard in and out of their classes, and provide significant contributions to the community. This piece of journalistic trash undermines the fact that the women on this campus are hard workers and valuable members of the Appalachian community. By making a big deal out of the costumes that women choose to wear one night of the year, you systematically undermine the meaningful contributions they make daily. It’s a freaking holiday, not Boone Fashion Week. Get over it. Some women dress as cats and some women dress as washing machines, but all women will be judged for their costumes. Wow, don’t you just love the perpetual no-win condition of being female identified?
Whether or not this article was meant to be satirical, it’s incredibly offensive and degrading to the women in the community and it needs to be taken down. Women in this community do not exist to pander to the desires of the men of this community and it’s disgusting that this pathetic excuse for an editorial was published by a “news” outlet. The Appalachian has the resources to publish stories that matter. I encourage The Appalachian to take a long, hard look at their content and try to economize on their wealth of resources and make the most of what little dignity the paper has left and publish content that is meaningful to college students, the faculty, and ultimately the Appalachian community.
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