Friends,

I’ve been meaning to write this for a while now, but I guess I’ve been busy being ‘oppressed’ by society…

My term of office is over, but I remain adamant on this issue, one that has opened a complete Pandora’s box on women participation, a welcome discussion. But before that happens I think a few home truths are needed. I don’t mean to patronise you all, but I merely wish to clearly spell out the inconsistencies in your approach. I begin as so.

This double standard of hating the way you think society treats you, while at the same time loving things that only reaffirm it, needs to seriously stop. How do you feel about fashion shows? If there was a show tomorrow in the Astra Hall where people strutted around wearing the latest Prada gowns or Fendi handbags, would you be there campaigning against the practice of isolating people who are not considered ‘pretty’ and therefore useless at displaying clothes? Or would you be sat in the front row wondering how great you’d look heading out on the town with one of their bags under your arm? Is it alright for a woman to feel objectified as an item of desire when she’s out if she dresses with the intent of creating that very feeling? You seem to hate the idea that a woman might ever want to stand on a stage and enter a competition where the winner gets a modelling contract. What’s the difference between a woman standing on the stage hoping to be considered attractive, and a woman standing on a dancefloor hoping the same thing?

Question: What 2008 UCD-based event involved women taking part in a process where they were judged depending on looks or shape?
Answer: The UCD Fashion Show.

Unless you campaigned against the Fashion Show (which nobody did publicly!) then you shouldn’t complain now.

Another thing. Sorry if this comes as a bombshell but believe it or not, men (as a whole) don’t set out every day, thinking to themselves, “Oh, I feel like making women feel pigeonholed today, or to ruin their self-esteem.” Disagree if you want but they just don’t do it. There aren’t conferences where men set out their tactics for digging holes they hope women will trip into. How does society keep knocking people? By producing glamour magazines with “beautiful” women on the front? By making six series - and then a 150-minute film - about four women who separately are bad friends, emotionally stunted, professionally successful but personally unfulfilled, and nymphomaniac? Well guess what - women write, edit and buy glamour magazines. Women watched, bought DVDs of, and munched popcorn through, Sex And The City. Society didn’t make it that way - women did. And yet somehow we’re supposed to love SATC when, in your own words, it’s “merely a reflection of how society views women so its not satc thats degrading and demoralising to women,its society”? Why, if SATC is a consolidation of the way society treats women, do you endorse the thing so much?! I didn’t see anyone of your persuasion boycotting the premiere, did you?

There are two possibilities - UCD’s population is truly represented either by:
a) Its Council, elected by a franchise process involving around 9,000 people, after a nominations process involving 22,000 who voted to support the competition or,
b) The couple of cranks - who, to my recollection, were mostly academics, and hence have little right to imply representation of students - who opposed it.

It was not my responsibility to stop this to ‘protect’ women. Was I elected by women? Did I put myself forward for election at an I.C.A. meeting? Did I run for election based on my gender? Did I pledge to stand up for the rights of one gender or one school of thought about another? I don’t think so. How come nobody else seems to be responsible? Imagine, electing a woman to a job and then expecting her to do something entirely unrelated to it just because of her gender! In any other circumstances you’d be in uproar.

What’s the difference between an SU encouraging women - should they want to - to stand on a stage and enter a modelling competition, and encouraging women - should they want to - to put their face on 8,300 pieces of literature for a fortnight in February? What’s the difference between a woman who wants to be recognised for something over which she is proud - her body - and a woman who wants to be recognised for something over which she is proud - her political motivation or her desire to effect change in her surroundings?

What’s the difference between feelings of personal inadequacy when you see people who are proud of how they look, and feelings of personal inadequacy when you see people who are proud of their eloquence, or physical ability, or mental capacity?

Would it be ridiculous for a woman with only a Group Cert to walk into the Centre for Equality Studies and ask them to stop making contributions to academic and to society because she feels it only outlines her own inability to do so?

Would it be ridiculous for a man to ask Cristiano Ronaldo to stop scoring for Man United every week because his doing so only makes the man feel worthless because he can’t do the same thing?

Would it be ridiculous for the hurlers of Carlow, or the footballers of Limerick, to demand the dissolution of the Kilkenny hurling and Kerry football teams, because their dominance is unfair on the weaker counties who simply can’t beat them?

Would it be ridiculous for a man of 21 to demand that this recent Calvin Klein ad be pulled because it only reinforces the idea that men should be muscular and his average physique is useless as a result?

The world is full of different ways in which people can get to show off their talents or things that they’re proud of. We have sports of all different types, and clubs, societies, and competitions of every type imaginable. We have galleries and shows and concerts of infinite number. They all exist, aside from their social functions, to allow people to indulge in the things about themselves they enjoy - their taste in art, their choice of music, their favoured games, their intellectual capability. The world is full of them, and they’re there to suit anyone who wants to be part of them. I mean, for God’s sake, Gav has represented his country at maths! Does anyone think any less of him because he only made the Maths Olympics and not the “regular” sporting one?

Listen, if you don’t like sports, don’t play them. If you don’t like looking at art, don’t go to a gallery. If you don’t like film, don’t show up to a cinema. And if you don’t like beauty pageants, don’t enter them. If you don’t want society to judge you based on your gender, don’t identify yourself by it. And if you don’t want to be judged on your looks, then stop wearing clothes that only draw attention to yourself. Stop wearing make-up. Stop appearing to the world as if you want the world in your bed and the world will stop treating you like it. Anything else is just pure hypocracy, isn’t it?