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From: stein@gt-cmmsr.UUCP (Carolyn P. Steinhaus)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: IEEE cover containing nude
Message-ID: <118@gt-cmmsr.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 25-Oct-85 11:32:40 EDT
Article-I.D.: gt-cmmsr.118
Posted: Fri Oct 25 11:32:40 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 26-Oct-85 04:36:57 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: Center for Man-Machine Systems Research -Ga Tech
Lines: 36


Sigh. It does seem like some people catch on slowly. 
 
First, let me say that, as a piece of art, the IEEE cover was
nicely done. To my eyes it was sensuous, but not pornographic.
 
However, that alone does not make it non- objectionable. 
We are in a field where women are underrepresented and have been so
historically. I think it unlikely that a male nude or even a couple
would have ever been so used on a cover of a technical publication.
 
So. What does it mean that they did use a female figure that way.
That everyone in the intended audience would appreciate a subtle
erotic message? That no one would identify with the nude? 
To me it is a subtle message that I as a women am related to 
IEEE as a subject for erotica rather than a buyer of books.
I suspect that actually some "naughty boys" somewhere did this
just to see if they could get a rise out of nearby feminists,
and *prove* how unreasonable they are. Sigh. There are plenty
of feminists who love sex (yes, even hetrosexual sex) and still
think feminist issues are not ludicrous or trivial.
 
Frankly, I think most men would recognized the inappropriateness
of erotica in this context if it were not so onesided. How about
a nice graphic of a penis? Or a couple appraoching copulation?
Perhaps an improved future would allow for casual references to
sexuality, but the point here is that females are exposed while men 
are not. Think of what it would be like to be the only naked person
in a group where everyone else was wearing clothes. While not taking
things that far, the IEEE cover was in that direction. Its the
context in which it appears that makes it objectionable, not the
art itself.
-- 
Carolyn P. Steinhaus
School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA 30332
uucp:  ...!{akgua,allegra,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo,ulysses}!gatech!gt-cmmsr!stein