4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, February 24, 2000 Gbe dithigui &ziIg Why I love Lil'Kim and thoughts on celebrity skin 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 daily.letters@umich.edu Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan MIKE SPAHN Editor in Chief EMILY ACHENBAUM Editorial Page Editor Celebrity skin: It's always extreme. Currently, the media can't stop talking about how painfully thin actresses and singers are becoming. A few seem to be naturally thin, but many Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Dailys editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. are wasting away by seemingly unhealthy means. Anyone who saw "The Birdcage"' can attest to the fact that Calista Flockhart, as slight as she natu- rally is, did not always look like she was a lol- lipop. Likewise, Jennifer Aniston was not always the tiniest friend on the block, but now she's practi- cally floating down the sidewalk. But amongst the narrowing of waists and minds, a Sweet move Camille Noe Call age proportion. According to studies, the average woman in America is 5'4" and a size 12. That's more than 120 lbs, and a lot more than an average model, actress or singer, who is likely to weigh in at around 110 lbs. Many famous women of average body types strug- gle to rid themselves of "extra pounds." Jewel, the yodeling poet wonder, is a great illustra- tion of a yo-yo dieter. One minute she's at the Grammy Awards, looking svelte in a revealing dress, the next she's singing on VHI, visibly larger and trying to disguise it by tricky cam- era angles In my opinion, there are simply too few truly normal women in the spotlight. On the same note, women who come in looking what I'll call "healthy" end up burning extra pounds off as quickly as they can. Fueled by agents, agencies and their competitive coun- terparts, women such as Courtney Love, who has made fun of her own transformation and extensive plastic surgery, and Miss Butt her- self, Jennifer Lopez (who has lost more than twenty pounds in the past few months, according to interviews), have shamelessly shed their fat before our very eyes. Enter Lil' Kim, the notorious rap star famous for her wild child ways. Admittedly, I'm biased - I like any short woman with a big mouth. But Lil' Kim stands out in my mind. She's a woman of small stature who has a small bit of meat on her (she's not large by any means, but she's no Kate Moss). That doesn't stop her from having absolute confi- dence in her body. She parades around in out- fits that make Madonna blush, and doesn't blink an eye if she accidentally reveals a. stretch mark or a little cellulite. If you didn't catch her outfit at the MTV movie awards,, you must not watch T.V, because it received more coverage than the show itself. It was half a dress - and a circle to cover the other half of her chest. Lil' Kim had no worries whether she was the thinnest or the prettiest - she was there to have a good time. She wore a similar out- fit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume exhibit opening, and although I can't give her points for good taste, she gets kudos for loving the way she looks. Little Kim's not alone, either. A few actresses, including teen favorites Drew Barrymore and Kate Winslet, are daring to be beautiful and healthy. And there's no better way they could be using their influence. Why does size matter? Personally, I don't think that skinny celebrities cause women to have eating disorders, but I do believe they're a factor. Countries who do not emphasize low body weight to women have few episodes of eating disorders, whereas millions of women in the U.S. suffer from them. The occasional plus-size woman in the media spotlight will not end the idea that "dangerously thin is in", but it might help. More importantly, I think more "average" women like Little Kim need to be as prevalent as the uber-skinny figures if women are ever going to stop suffering for a dress size, and start loving themselves. - Love, loss and what I wore: Camille Noe can be reached via e-mail at cnoe@umich.edu. GRINDING THE NIB Diabetes center adds jewel to 'U's crown A lthough AIDS and cancer receive more public awareness, diabetes is a serious disease that affects more than 16 million Americans, according to the American Medical Association. There is no known cure for the disease, but that could change some- day, thanks to partnerships such as one between University Health System and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. The University's new $6 million diabetes center is money well spent. Centering on a few of the many complications stemming from diabetes such as heart problems, vision loss and kidney failure, research produced will undoubtedly make life at least a little eas- ier for diabetics. Nearly 200,000 Americans pass away each year from the illness. Many of these deaths could have been prevented with prop- er treatment. Sadly, many cannot afford insulin, or live in areas with no medical sup- Dort to treat diabetes. Regardless of whether a cure is found, simply improving the quality of life for thousands of suffering patients is a step in the right direction. The University deserves appreciation for their effort to combat the disease. The editor of Journal of the American Medical Association described the University as "a special institution in the history of American medicine." There may be no finer way to prove this statement true than to continue to be a leader in medical innovations. Yearly $100 billion yearly is spent on treatment for diabetics. The center's potential is considerable, and could save the life of a close friend or family member, not to mention extend the lifespan of millions of diabetics. Furthermore, numer- ous students at the University require treat- ment for diabetes. They will directly benefit from any advances in treatment. We applaud the University's initiative in promoting progress in the science of medicine. plethora of larger women are succeeding. Missy Elliot, for example, is a plus-size woman who's not trying to get any smaller - and leading the female rap charts. Carmyn Manheim , who won an Emmy for her role on "The Practice," speaks adamantly of the beau- ty and the challenge of being a heavy-set female. The presence of plus-size women in the public eye is a good start towards revers- ing the weight standard, but it leaves me with one question: Where's the middle ground? By middle ground, I mean women of aver- CHIP CULLEN Sunny and safe Take precautions during Spring Break omorrow, much of the University's stu- dent body will be boarding planes and cruise ships for their well-deserved week of spring break fun. But students also have a tendency to take a vacation from common sense. There are many dangers that exist on the beaches of Cancun and Acapulco, name- ly blistery sun burns and alcohol poisoning. The sun is a silent predator that can ruin an otherwise great vacation. It is important to bring sunscreen and leave the baby oil at home. More than 700,000 Americans will Ievelop skin cancer this year. It is the most -ommon form of cancer in the world today. The University Students Against Cancer ias been handing out pamphlets and sun- screen in the diag. They advocate avoiding ?eak exposure hours of 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and staying in the shade during extreme temper- atures. Annual visits to the tanning booth should be avoided because unlike the lay belief - tanning booths are just as danger- ous as the sun. Alcohol is another potential danger. Binge drinking and continuous consumption of margaritas often leads to accidents. Students have fallen off patios and walls when partying too hard. As well as making frequent visits to emergency rooms, in order to get their stomachs pumped because of over-consumption of alcohol. Don't drink on an empty stomach and pace oneself if plan- ning to consume a large amount of alcohol. Heavy consumption of alcohol and other kinds of drugs can leave one out of control and especially vulnerable to sexual preda- tors. Spring break is supposed to be a time for fun and relaxation. Have a good time, but come back to school safe. Faculty members condemn society TO THE DAILY: As members of the University's academic community, we object to the University's sup- port of the Michigamua Society, a closed organization long engaged in the appropria- tion and misrepresentation of Native American objects, imagery and practices. Granted exclusive use of a privileged space in the Michigan Union, the Michigamua Society links the University to practices demeaning to Native Americans and their histories. The Society's meeting space decor, songs, graph- ics, hazing, and pseudo-Indian names utilize stereotypical images of Native American peo- ple and cultures to promote Michigamnua's identity. These images and actions have been integral to the Society's history as an all-male (until 1999) and predominantly white organi- zation representing itself as being the best of Michigan student leadership. The Michigamua Society has. long been aware of the Native American community's objection to these practices. It signed an agreement with University officials in 1989 to cease these activities and free itself of all objects associated with them, an accord which it has violated despite minor changes. In recognition of the principle that University support for any organization debasing another culture is objectionable, we ask that the University dissociate itself from the demean- ing practices and privileged position of this group. FERNADO CORONIL ANTHROPOLOGY AND HISTORY DEPTS. RICHARD FORD ANTHROPOLOGY AND BIOLOGY DEPTS. LEMUEL JOHNSON ENGLISH DEPT. THOMAS WEISSKOPF RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE AND ECONOMICS DEPT. Daily dissed- women's basketball TO THE DAILY: One of our basketball teams has been on a seven game losing streak. The other has enjoyed a seven game winning streak. Both teams won. One blew a 20 point lead and eeked out an overtime win against a mediocre opponent while having home court advantage. SINiCE I YiK hCIS isTE ttLY CLASS YOU hu.. TAUS, M'L GIAE YOU A COMASE%~K RV 'TO O WRILF .., -' £TucNING FO OUR r-1~R M If C,..Q~.- . " - . * .A . r-a+a w« ~ff . Free to be smutty Libraries should not censor Internet access The other won in double overtime against a formidable opponent in a less than friendly atmosphere. The scores were practically iden- tical (89-87 & 90-87), yet the circumstances surrounding the two games were anything but. One team is fighting for 8th place in the Big Ten while the other just clinched second place. One team is composed of men, the other, you guessed it, is our outstanding women's basketball team. One team is given the head- line of the Daily's sports page and extensive coverage on an ensuing page. The other is allotted a small article at the bottom of the front page of the Sports section and minor coverage on the last page. Give credit where credit is due. In the three years that I have followed our women's team, they have been doing nothing but improving. Now they are one of our confer- ences best team yet still don't receive ade- quate support from the student body or the media. Maybe Crisler can rival the Breslin Center in attendance once people realize what they are missing. Let's put the spotlight on the less than apparent strengths in our athletic department rather than our glaring weaknesses. If you write it, they will come. MATTHEW WILLIAMS LSA JUNIOR Club sports teams need care too TO THE DAILY: In response the possible review of athlet- ic transportation policies, all I have to say is*, What about everyone else? Now, I don't want to sound like one of those whiny club sports players who com- plains that every club chess tournament isn't covered in full in the Daily, because . know why: We're not as important. I'm a club volleyball player and I know that no one wants to see us play and that no one cares that we won a tournameuit at Wisconsin last weekend. What I thikjis, tragic, though, is that the University fees w that varsity athletes are entitled to more safety precautions than all other types of clubs. Granted, we don't bring in any revepue, but does that mean that our lives aren't as important? Personally, I take the risk as a driver for our team every time we goto a game. I mean, someone has to. And, since we don't have professional drivers (orven the opportunity to hire them), what else-are clubs supposed to do? If the University wants to make a point to ensure the s~'ety of its students, they need to make it fatr. In all honesty, I don't care if we'get someone to drive us. But I hate reading in the paper about the administration fretting about our oh-so-precious varsity players, while they overlook the rest of the stu dents. If the Athletic Department wants to review the travel policies of its students, I'm all for it. But they shouldn't pretend to be humanitarians when they're really only trying to protect a few select people. KATE CAPOTOSTO ENGINEERING SOPHOMORE he issue of filtering Internet sites seemed I.to have disappeared from the national scope ever since the e-commerce-dot-coms came along and transformed the Internet into the newest marketplace. The Internet, often vilified with stories of minor's access to pornography by major media at the beginning of its popularity, has been transformed. What once seemed to parents like the equivalent of allowing their children to play in middle of the street or be left alone with sex offenders has become the domain of Disney and Nickelodeon. In some conservative areas, though, the thought of allowing kids unfet- tered net access in public libraries has been enough to send family groups into a tizzy. And we need look no farther than the western side of the state for the evidence. In what is being hailed as a victory for the fight against censored public Internet access, voters in Holland, rejected a precedent-setting initiative to install Internet filters on public library computers Tuesday. Holland is the first city in the nation to confront the issue of Internet censorship in a local vote. The ordi- nance, which was spearheaded by Holland Area Citizens Voting YES! to Protect Our Children and subsidized heavily by the Mississippi-based American Family Assnciation would have cut off funding to filtering software. The local libraries, which maintained their policies adequately protected children from questionable material, refused to install filtering software that could stamp breast cancer research sites as pornographic just as easily as the real porn sites. This effort to "protect the children" was little more than a deplorable attempt of censorship. Taxpayers should have the right to view any material they wish when they visit the library. In Holland, taxpayers spoke against restricting access with questionable Internet filtering software. Censoring the Net may have been voted down this time, but the fight to restrict access continues. Commenting on the fight to censor the Internet in Holland area libraries, LoriJo Schepers, a member of Citizen Voting YES! told the Associated Press after the results of the city-wide vote, "This is not a stopping point. We consider this a journey." The fight against censorship is also a jour- ney. Local governments should not be allowed to withhold funding for public libraries because of an issue as minor as censorship disagreements. Society's ills cannot be blamed on the Internet, pornography, or any other scapegoat. We have made enough progress with preserving free speech and reforming censorship laws that restricting Internet access to the taxpaving public should Marry a multimillionaire and sell out a whole nation v it's unbelievable that a country in which one out of every two marriages falls apart and ends in divorce would turn a wedding into a game show. Even more staggering, nearly 23 million viewers would turn on their TVs to watch the spin-a-wheel get-a-bride bonanza hoping for disaster. Yes, don't try k to deny it. You watched "Who Wants to Marry a x Multimillionaire" just waiting for the gold. digging tryst to turn into a Jerry Springer episode. And when the honeymoon, both liter- ally and figuratively, ended a week later we ai- 2 . - public, pretending to be naive, eats it up: It's a spectacle, sparking huge debates on marriage, the media and women's rights. Some say he's a jerk or she's a flake and responsible for pushing the women's move- ment back 20 years. Some say broadcasting networks have to be more responsible. Some place blame with the viewers. I didn't watch FOX's broadcast last Tuesday night. I wish I could say it was because I was not interested in it or was upholding a deep moral objection to a show mocking the sanctity of marriage, but in truth I just missed it. I was interested. Often, I pay $8 at the movie theater to watch two imaginary people fall in love in the course of some ridiculous plot. Who'd miss a real-life TV drama about two strangers entering into a marriage almost .io.nto . to ai, ha. s ofrnimp if.th for the advancement of women in the 21st Century. How is it possible that an educated woman would sacrifice her integrity anda marriage based on true love for a large wallet? How can a marriage be worth no more than the money involved? And young women were given a pretty horrible message - the rich guy picks the girl that looks best in a bikini. I mistakenly thought marriage was an institution of trust, love and partnership. Apparently, we have moved bck to the days of dowry. You'd think the ultimate game show would be entitled "Who Wants to# Marry a Man with a Heart of Gold." I know. I know. It's TV We shouldn't take it seriously - except that it's real. And so in turn is the ending. Unlike most television shows, these two newlyweds will not ride off into the sunset, which is maybe the best lesson nfal Aia wat,.; in ni l fm te~the