That’s the header of a recently dug up Stanford Review image (from 2004) that has been the center of some internet controversy. The image, seen below, is advertising a competition held by the Stanford Review for the “most beautiful conservative woman.”
So, Cornellians, what do you think? Would this kind of competition be offensive to some subgroup of a student population, or is this a deserving recognition of a truly marginalized minority?
I would posit that at Cornell the intersection of the subsets “conservative women” and and “attractive women” is the empty set, for all intents and purposes.
Well, I’m not a Cornellian, but my main thought is, when trying to push the envelope in one way, it’s best to be careful about all the other details so you don’t unnecessarily expose yourself to being dismissed on spurious grounds.
Conservative beauty contest? Not exactly my cup of tea, but I’m not offended by it in principle. But using a picture of a random non-conservative model under the text “Yeah, she’s a conservative”? Seriously uncool.
This is a fantastic idea and we should definitely begin the preliminary stages of planning such an event.
While I’m sure it is harder for a beautiful woman to be taken seriously as a “brain”, I really don’t think a competition to find the prettiest conservative women is anything but objectification… which certainly seems to be counterproductive to including ALL women in a category to be taken seriously. I really don’t think it’s totally offensive, but that was my only “no” choice. If you want a competition, have a debate among all conservative women and put the “tiara” on the winner, pretty or not.