The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 6, Ed. 1, Friday, September 10, 1993 Page: 2 of 8
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Women's TV
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Opinion
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roles big on legs
short on brains
Although Daisy Duke no longer jaunts
across the TV screen in her cut-off jean
shorts and her halter top prime-time tele-
vision still has room for improvement in
its depiction of women.
Several years ago a study was done on
women and the media. The results report-
ed that 33 percent of the characters on
prime-time television are female and 67
percent arc male. Networks need to cast
more women in their evening broadcasts.
Maybe wc need more shows in which
the central character is a talented strong-
willed and successful woman who knows
'Networks need to
cast more woman In
their evening
broadcasts.'
she
jew
Casey
Matzke
Think About It
what she wants out of life
A study about women and the media
also found female characters on prime-
time shows are 10 times more likely to be
wearing provocative clothing than males.
When it comes to casting females for
older parts what about casting women
who look like real American women
women who are trying to juggle the kids
the job the house and who don't have per-
fect hair and perfect wardrobes?
When it comes to women portraying
teenagers scenes from Beverly Hills
92010 come to mind. The biggest con-
cerns of these high school students por-
trayed by 20-something-ycar-old actress-
es involve clothing or boyfriends. I can
only hope that impressionable adolescent
girls watching the show don't feel like
they have to acquire a back-to-school
wardrobe that includes skimpy shirts and
tight dresses.
Along with other steps toward responsi-
ble broadcasting TV shows need to repre-
sent a more accurate picture of reality
which would include more women in
sirungcr ruics. uier uu. wumcii wc pcu-
pic too. So as Marianne Williamson says
in her best-seller A Woman's Worth
"Feminine beauty is not a function of
clothes or hair or makeup ... beauty is an
internal light a spiritual radiance that all
women have."
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Superficial beauty means nothing
Parking permits need
improvement
Students should have the option of
purchasing parking permits that hang
from rearview mirrors.
Faculty and staff can use this type of
permit and many have found it useful.
Many students share cars with other
family members and a removable permit
would eliminate the need to get tempo-
rary stickers or multiple stickers. Also
many times other family members do not
want an ACU sticker on the front wind
shield of the cars they are driving.
The hanging permits would only be
valid on automobiles registered with the
Security Department. Students would
assume responsibility for this easily
removed permit and to pay full price for
a replacement.
This small change in policy would be
helpful to students and coincide with the
university's policy of improved service
to customers.
Students should talk
with God every day
The day turns difficult and long. What
can refresh you? A hot bath? A few
hours in front of the TV? Some quiet
time alone with the Lord?
When the masses affected Jesus he
left. He awoke early in the garden to
pray He left the crowd to get in touch
with his true mission to serve God and
to spread the word. In the same way
taking time to be alone with God can
benefit the Christian greatly.
A Christian's relationship with God is
sacred yet often the Christian docs not
take the time to stop and be alone with
Him. God is a jealous god and demands
our attention. But often we put daily
devotional time in a category with clean-
ing out a closet. You know it will do
good but getting started isn't easy.
The beginning of the semester is a
good time to develop the habit of having
a few minutes of quiet time with God
before breakfast. Then the good habit
may survive during the school year.
Naps help the weary
. -
The daily napping trend popular
among preschoolers needs to be prac-
ticed among college students.
f Because college-age minds digest
kenonnous amounts of information stu-
dents require more rest to compensate for
the mental stress our bodies must endure.
Also socializing deprives college stu-
dents of the average eight hours of sleep
needed each night.
About nn hour of napping can provide
students with energy to stay alert and
functional until bedtime and it enables
students to avoid the drooping head syn-
drome commpnly found during studying.
Napping also can diminish required
study time because alert students can
focus on the task rather than waste time
trying to tame n wandering mind.
Although naps do not substitute for
quality nighttime sleep they can help
revive the weary college student. Wake
up sleep-deprived college .students -?
take a nap.
"The Man Without a Face" did have one.
Actually he had half a face.
Apart from Mel Gibson's ability to draw
crowds to cinemas the movie's theme is
'both thought-provoking and poignant.
The tragic theme of outer grotcsqucness
that overshadows inner beauty has been a
fascination with writers almost as old as the
art itself.
From Mary Shelly's Frankenstein to
Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera the
plight of delicate souls aching to shatter
their repulsive masks has enthralled readers
and made literary classics of their talcs.
The sadness of being physically ugly still
plagues our society. Somehow outward
packaging blinds us to qualities far more
important than the eye can sec. We deter-
mine the worth of someone based on how
he or she is put together equating goodness
of heart with a perfect face.
But a handsome face or perfect figure
can never compensate for a deformed soul.
Unfortunately Frankenstein's monster the
Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Phan-
The Optimist encourages and
appreciates reader response through
letters to the editor. However we
reserve the right to refuse to print
any letters that contain personal
attack obscenity defamation erro-
neous information or invasion of
privacy.
The Optimist refuses to print any
letters that do not include a signa-
ture or letters that bear requests for
the writer's anonymity.
We reserve the right to limit fre-
quent writers and edit letters when
length or grammatical errors
become a problem.
Letters submitted to the (Jptlmist
should be limited tq 350 words or
less.
Please address letters to;
"Optimist Editor"
ACU Box 7892
or bring the letters to Room 308 of
the Don H. Morris Center
-jnaMmmmmmmr
"We have a difficult
time bollevlng that
physically beautiful
people have the
ability to be cruel
dishonest or
crooked.'
Serene
Goh
Megawhat
torn of the Opera were the ones doomed to
live in catacombs sewers jungles and for-
saken bell-towers simply because they were
all physically unattractive.
The fictional character Dorian Gray
however portrayed in Oscar Wilde's The
Picture of Dorian Gray was a social demi-
god. Gray was admired for his charm and
(lawless features. It did not matter that he
was corrupted inside.
We have a difficult time believing that
physically beautiful people have the ability
to be cruel dishonest or crooked. Why is
that? Especially when we know outward
beauty only lasts as long as the forces cjb
gravity allow.
In the Disneyficd version of Charles
Lamb's Beauty qnd the Beast the solution
for ugliness was to find someone who
could sec past a hairy snout and fangs. In
modern society the solution to correcting a
crooked nose is plastic surgery at th
expense of becoming exactly that plas-
tic. Ideally wc believe everyone should
look like Cindy Crawford or Luke Perry.
Wc arc eager to pair wickedness with a
scarred face physical deformity or the
color of someone's skin. We bank on val-
ues that fade appearances that deceive. No1
wonder we've become superficial and dis-
satisfied. Mel Gibson's character in the movie was
a tutor. Towards the end of the movie his
student remarks "It's funny. Now that I
look at you I don't sec the scars." A
"The Man Without a Face" had a face.
People just didn't like what they saw.
Optimist
Sharia Stephens Editor in Chief
Serene Goh Managing News Editor
Richard Stevens Opinion Page Editor
Dr. Charlie Marler Faculty Adviser
Editorial Board
t Serene Goh Kathy Colvett Casey Matzke Brian Shaw Mark Houston
JcJin Carroll Stephen Jacobs Richard Stevens
Marty Reves Shaila Stephens
The Optimist is a twice-weck publication of the students or the Department of Journalism
The signed columns cartoons and letters to the editor are the opinions of their cn-ai. ni
do not necessarily reflect the views of the 0itoSS
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 6, Ed. 1, Friday, September 10, 1993, newspaper, September 10, 1993; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth92190/m1/2/: accessed May 21, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.