LETTER: ‘We should seek to support one another, not rate.’
I was walking to the Marshall Center last Thursday, when I overheard a fellow student loudly say the women at USF are below average-looking and that girls at other schools like UF and FSU are way better-looking. He continued, saying he didn’t know why USF has so many below average-looking girls and that most of them “rate a three” on a scale from one to 10. I turned around, outraged, and proceeded to tell him not to objectify women and rate them like pieces of meat. Perhaps it was not my business as he was not talking to me, but I could not stand these insults. Beauty is objective, and no one can truly grasp its meaning. More importantly, as a community, we should seek to support one another, not rate one another. This is a message to all students, for I know that regardless of gender, we are all guilty of judging others on appearances. However, please seek to respect one another and to think before you speak. I know that as Americans we all value freedom of speech, but do so respectfully. Respect women, respect each other.
— Marisol Silva is a senior majoring in political science.
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