The “Women’s bodies have beauty with shape, not weight-loss regimens” column that appeared Sept. 6 appalled me. It sent such conflicting messages I became nauseated.

While I understand and agree with the writer’s position on needing to accept oneself, the sarcastic manner in which she described gaining weight or even feeling self-confident nullified the insight. I believe all people, not just women, should feel good about who they are inside, regardless of physical appearance. But we should also try to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I was horrified to read, “Look forward to the ‘freshman 15.’” Perhaps, we could instead urge students to watch what they eat and to exercise, so as to be healthy, not to mimic a media image or attain an unrealistic figure. There’s no sense gaining the freshman 15 if you don’t have to.

Even worse was the statement, “Last I checked, men liked women with some meat on them.” The idea that a woman can accept herself for who she is should not include validating the acceptance with a male’s opinion, or anyone else’s. Further, I would much rather celebrate my brains, my talents, my personality or my faith than to “celebrate your hips and the thickness of your thighs.” Give me a break!

By far though, the most atrocious and ignorant statement came in the concluding paragraph: “After all, it wasn’t just an ugly person who said inner beauty is more important than outer beauty. It was a smart ugly person.” Sure, this may get a chuckle, but is the rate of eating disorders among college-age women something to laugh about?

The well-intentioned message of this article was lost in jokes that contradicted the seriousness of the topic. I applaud the sentiment, but please be more careful in how you describe it next time.

Jennifer Lamb
English freshman