UCLA students are the future leaders of the most powerful and
influential society in the world. It would be a crime to waste our
intelligence, in which society has invested so much, on mere
self-fulfillment.
Enter the Daily Bruin Viewpoint section. Every day I open The
Bruin and read the heartfelt opinions of my fellow Bruins on issues
ranging from abortion to the Israeli occupation. Many articles are
simple reiterations of the decidedly leftist dogma that pervades
both the editorial board and the UCLA campus, but some are truly
unique and fresh. Though I often disagree with the political
content of the letters in Viewpoint, what really makes me sad are
those articles’ lackadaisical approach to the pragmatics of
the issues with which they deal. How many fiery arguments have you
read that end with “and someone should really do something
about it!”?
Take things in perspective. UCLA students are the cream of the
crop. As some of the most intelligent and driven people in the
United States, we are the people others look up to. It is,
therefore, not only our prerogative but our moral responsibility to
speak out for those who cannot find the words. Sadly, we sometimes
forget that.
To illustrate my point, consider Alina Varona’s column
“Impossible ideals plague women” (Viewpoint, Feb. 6).
Her argument is nothing but self-fulfilling; she laments the
American ideal of feminine beauty and blames everyone from fashion
magazines to a patriarchal society and even herself and other women
for establishing and maintaining such an unattainable standard.
This is all well and good, but all her points have already been
made ad nauseam by both social academics that perpetuate political
correctness and disgruntled teenagers angry with their bodies. I
see nothing wrong with her reiteration ““ it is an easy and
safe way to formulate an argument. I do take issue with her shying
away from giving a meaningful conclusion.
She poses powerful rhetorical questions such as “Why do we
tear each other down?” and “Beauty “¦ will make
you whole, right?” and then totally ignores them, while at
the same time bemoaning others for doing the same.
Let me not be a hypocrite and propose a solution myself. I
believe such ideals will only remain in place so long as they are
financially profitable. Cosmetics suppliers are near akin to
cocaine pushers in their profits. You tell me another business in
which one can take five cents worth of easily made goo, bottle it,
and sell it for $10. Just as a hustler on the street creates an
addiction in his users for the sake of profit, an industry must
also create an addiction in its customers. Only through women
collectively spending their money on Newsweek instead of
Cosmopolitan will the hand of economics sweep away that image of
perfection which has been so profitable in the past.
As a white male, I doubt that I have an equal amount of
perspective on the culture of feminine beauty as does Varona. Yet,
despite my inferior background, I was able to produce a possible
avenue for rectifying the situation. Imagine what someone as
qualified as she could have come up with.
Hutchinson is a UCLA student.