Over Valentine’s Day weekend, The Scout produced a number of offensive articles in the Voice section which aimed to be comedic, but were executed in an offensive manner. As a student run organization, Feminists at Bradley is disappointed in these recent articles; we have grown to have high expectations of the Scout and feel let down by the harmful contents in the issue which included homophobia, transphobia, body shaming, sex shaming, and promotion of rape culture.
The lack of representation in the article, Stripped Down, was emphasized by the photo of a thin white model. Along with the body shaming language in the text of the article, readers were left with the idea that there is a “right” body type and a “wrong” body type. The language also assumes the position of being a thin woman telling larger women what they need to do in order to be more appealing to men. The entire article is extremely heteronormative and enforces the belief that the best thing a woman can give a man is her body, not to mention the implication that candy and flowers should be ‘repaid’ with sex. This article gives in to a culture that believes that there is a certain mold a woman is required to fill.
The crossword puzzle clue for number 25 across was also a disturbing contribution to rape culture. The idea that a man having blue balls meaning that he has an excuse for, and is therefor, entitled to sex is problematic. The only “excuse” one should have to have sex, is that both partners are consenting adults.
This edition of The Scout was irresponsible journalism and wasn’t what Bradley’s population considers news. There is nothing wrong with expressing sexuality, and nothing wrong with talking about it in The Scout. There is also nothing wrong with a comedic approach to news. However, it does need to be addressed carefully in a way that educates and does not make light of serious social issues. As an organization, Feminists at Bradley understand that mistakes are made and people say problematic things. The least that The Scout can do is issue an apology for a paper that most of Bradley’s campus found to be offensive. We look forward to working on The Scout and making improvements for the future. Feminists at Bradley believes that this is a learning experience and we can all do better as a school.
– Feminists at Bradley Club