Preface: Whenever I criticize Shinerama I feel the obvious counterpoint coming on “but its charity!” Ya, its charity. That doesn’t mean you are hence entitled to use any means to your end to raise money for said charity. There is no mathematical equation that says charity + misogyny = totally okay.
So, my first and most appropriate gripe with Shine for a feministing blog comes from the way we play the alcohol soaked game that is “out-shining” the our fellow universities (i.e. raising the cash). My beef is the untouchable “Sucker Run” where we hustle as many exec volunteers off into the bar scene with the task of selling as many suckers and condoms as their hot little hands pass out. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not against selling condoms or suckers, especially to drunk people who might be hoping to get laid. But there is definitely something wrong the mantra that says the exploitations of women’s bodies is justified in the name of “charity”. You might be wondering what I’m talking about. Well, I’m talking about a culture where women are encouraged cut their Shine t-shirts and sex them up so the boys at the bar will hand over as much cash as possible (i.e. women use your body to make us cash – note the gender specific noun “women”.)
Every time we play this game we feed the machine – that patriarchy monster that tells a woman her value is in her body and not for the pleasure she can enjoy from it but from what this misogynistic culture can suck from it. So lets quit it. Let’s get creative; Shinerama and gender equality are not mutually exclusive.
Oh and ps: If charity is about helping people, how about we help the 1 in every 2 people who suffer everyday with misogyny.
2 responses so far ↓
flookster // July 31, 2008 at 5:31 pm |
it’s also a certain ‘type’ or ‘experience’ of woman who is asked, and who goes along with this kind of thing.
i mean, im not so sure if the sex appeal thing would work at the more diverse universities, where, oh say, muslim women may get elected to positions [ and depending on their own interpretations of modesty and such things] and may opt not to even allow such events to be run in such ways. good luck running a foam party…
the question of representations of selves for shine is very interesting. at the critical disability grad studies conference, a consistent theme running through some presentations was a throwback to an old disability rights slogan: “nothing about us without us!”.
We have to wonder what portraying disability-as-helpless does to also reinforce patriarchy and oppression. Because when human rights issues turn into simple matters of charity, when doing the right thing is optional, the passivity of disability and the passivity of some crapped up double-bound notion of femininity are held up in the same way in these efforts. Plus, when women still perform the majority of free labour (in the form of care) for people with disabilities in society, the ‘charity’ principle is extended through patriarchy. And it means the state never has to spend much on disabilities, care, educational programs, and the like, because it falls on women to do most of that.
patti // August 1, 2008 at 1:12 pm |
i always thought a much better approach to fundraising during frosh week would be to get all the students to not drink for one week and donate the money to shinerama.
That would not only be a goldmine in terms of $, but would involve a world where corporations no longer have the power to entice young people to their products through addiction. and possibly (i’m an idealist, i know) a world where young people could actually face and live in a reality where they didn’t have to alter themselves or their state of mind to be confident, engage in meaningful relationships and “have a good time