Letter to the Editor: Stop blaming media for social problems

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    Dear Editor,

    I think the editorial on the Miss America Pageant was severely misguided. Although I agree that it is time for America to stop trying to create a Barbie image for women, it is also time to stop putting so much blame on the media. If we want to truly liberate women we must stop trying to assign blame to a few women in a stupid contest and concentrate on finding a solution. While I acknowledge that men sometimes suffer from discrimination and pressure to fit into that perfect image, statistics show that the majority of the victims are women. Women suffer from the most eating disorders and other image related problems. I don’t think these problems can be blamed on watching too many pageants though. We need to empower these women by trying to help them find their own worth.

    When we blame the media for all of our problems we are giving too much importance to the image we say we are fighting against. The Hollywood image is too assimilated into our culture for us to get rid of it.

    We need to find new ways to empower women. The first steps are to stop assigning blame and to stop labeling every girl who opens her mouth about women’s rights as a Nazi feminist. Until they know what feminism is, people should keep their mouths shut. Wanting women in this country to have equal rights and to be healthy and happy is a wonderful thing and we should encourage rather than suppress it.

    Jordan Knight

    Draper, Utah County

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