OPINION Page 6 The Michigan Daily Tuesday, May 10, 1983 Glamour girls of the '80s By Barbara Misle The ideal woman' of the '80s is supposed to be cosmopolitan, chic, assertive and independent. The pages of Glamour, Vogue and Cosmopolitan magazine each mon- th reinforce this unattainable stereotype. Not only are many women expected by friends, family and coworkers to fit this mold, but they unfairly demand it of themselves. Just pick up any of these so-called women's magazines and you can read about "dressing for success." The philosophy is that if you don't know what you're talking about you can at least look good. The modern dogma tells women not to send mixed messages to their male coworkers. This guarantees they'll be taken seriously. For example, at a job interview or an executive lunch with the boss, women should wear a conservative blue suit, making certain the skirt doesn't have a slit, and for heaven's sake, no perfume. When a woman is on the job she should divorce herself from her femininity. The Michigan Daily Vol. XCIII, No. 3-S 93 Years of Editorial Freedom Managed and Edited by students of The University of Michigan Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily Editorial Board Dear diary .. NOW THAT the infamous Hitler "diaries" have turned out to be bogus, what new and important historical discovery can the world look forward to hearing about? Perhaps a video taped recording of a jovial Henry VIII claiming he only had one wife? That ought to be worth at least five million on today's market. Or how about a letter from Richard Nixon to J. Edgar Hoover telling the F.B.I. boss to leave his good friend, John Len- non alone? In today's news-hungry society, it is under- standable how journalists and historians in- volved with the case jumped the gun when presenting their findings to the public. By treating the "diaries" with just a little more care, however, and by being more conservative before pronouncing them authentic, a great deal of trouble could have been avoided. What's more disturbing, however, is the im- portance the media placed on the "finding" to begin with. What if the diaries were authentic? Are we to believe that just because Hitler pen- ned the words himself they are the truth? Since when has it been proven that people who keep diaries only write in them truths? If this were true, then why do we look at Nixon's memoirs skeptically? Moreover, although there would be some value in knowing more about Hitler the person, the most important thing we should remember about him is what he did. No new historical discovery can change the fact that Hitler and his henchmen nearly destroyed the Jewish people; nearly destroyed Europe; and nearly destroyed the free world as we know it. Diary or no diary, the civilized world ought not to forget that. The woman of the '80s, according to the magazines, is also supposed to be unafraid to move ahead in her career, but daring enough to be soft and feminine af- ter five. Television commercials and magazines have finally given up the image of a woman who is possessed by fears that the toilet paper shade she chooses will clash with the color of the bathroom tile. The days are long gone when women worried if they could find a multi-purpose cleaner to shine windows, floors, and countertops while leaving a fresh lemon scent. A trend has started, however, that is just as unrealistic as the anti-dirt crusader of the '70s. Com- mercials now portray a superwoman who has it all; career, family, loving husband, and spare time to pursue her interests. Today's woman is the one in the Aviance perfume commercial. Home from work at 5:30 p.m., she rips off her blue business suit and slides into a slinky evening gown. She throws dinner in the oven, gives her body a quick sprav of perfume, and opens the door to find a flower-bearing-six-foot god, who was busy modeling bikini underwear all day. After the Equal Rights Amendment was defeated and Phyllis Schlaffley and her crew went home to contentedly pick up their husband's dirty socks, women were left with undefined roles. Many women are now torn between being traditional suburban housewives and bold, single-minded career women, fending for themselves. Despite all the proclaimed freedom career-women have now, many are still struggling with the attitudes and ideas they learned when they were children. In elementary school, girls and boys lined up separately to march out to recess. In junior high, girls are sum- moned secretively to the auditorium to see the big film on the wonderful feat their ovaries will soon per- form. They are taught to feel ashamed or em- barrassed about their bodies. Even in college, when it is supposedly acceptable for women to call men to go out on a date, there are still very, unspoken limits our past experience tells us we should obey. Many women fear that if they are too assertive other men or women will consider them to be bitchy or overly ambitious. Other women fear their femininity or more traditional ideas about being a housewife will label them as dependent or even a failure. But whether women are housewives or career- minded, there are too many afraid to speak out in even the most simple situations. When women are scared to be responsible for themselves and express what they want or need from other people, many resort to childish tactics such as crying, nagging or acting helpless. There are more alternatives available than the two extremes of acting helpless or being a superwoman. Most women fall in between the two, but many feel inadequate for not living up to their own unrealistic expectations. In the struggle to be someone a magazine or com- mercial tells them to, women sacrifice finding and developing their own identity, which will far surpass any superficial rewards of being a glamour girl of the '80s. Misle is the Daily's Editor-in-Chief. 4 4 { 4 ," y l e r . a t 4 4 4 "NOW -R 4AT hroyrM5I& VJGV AGED O Ot.4 cfioQJOF WALWEAD5. Lgi