[Publib] Mud Flaps in Wyoming

Sat Sep 29 12:29:00 EDT 2007

The drawing of the women on the restroom (in a dowdy dress that reveals no 
shape) is very different from the drawing of an apparent nude girl that 
brings to mind the sexist mudflaps that emphasize the physical attributes of 
a woman. I wonder how men would feel if there were a nude male with his 
attributes showing.

I agree with Diedre. They can change the image by coyly removing the upper 
attribute with an arm, but we all know what it really means. Are we really 
going to go the route of trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator 
in order to be cool? With our collective brains, can't we do better than 
that?

PETA has run some very embarrassing campaigns in an effort to be cool, 
including recommending college students drink beer instead of milk or using 
sexist ads with scantily clad women. It backfired on them. We need to tread 
carefully.

I think we would get more trucker types in the library by telling them we 
have Chilton's and books on how to trick their rides than mudflap girls. Get 
a good ole boy trucker with a book on tricking their truck in a read type 
poster and a simple line like trick your ride @ the library and you will get 
attention without demeaning women.

(By the way, I lived in Wyoming for five years.)

Judy Anderson
Washington
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>From: "Lise Chlebanowski" <lchlebanowski at avondale.org>
>To: "Diedre Conkling" <diedrec at charter.net>,"PUBLIB" 
><publib at webjunction.org>
>Subject: RE: [Publib] Mud Flaps in Wyoming
>Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 16:54:40 -0700
>
>If that drawing of that skinny flat-chested girl denotes sexual harassment 
>then why don't the pictures of women outside the ladies room do the same? 
>Have we gotten to the point where even a drawing of a woman is sexual 
>harassment? Sexual harassment in its infancy was defined as a woman being 
>asked to perform in a sexual manner to get a job, raise, etc. Now a simple 
>drawing achieves the status of sexual harassment. Does it have the adverse 
>effect of diluting and undermining the very purpose of sexual harassment 
>law in its purest form? Just asking...
>
>Lisë Chlebanowski
>Library Manager
>Avondale Old Town Library
>328 W. Western Ave.
>Avondale, AZ   85323
>lchlebanowski at avondale.org
>623-333-2611
>623-333-0260 Fax
>
>Now Reading: Literacy & Longing in LA by Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack
>Now Listening: The Good Guy by Dean Koontz
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org 
>[mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Diedre Conkling
>Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 9:38 PM
>To: PUBLIB
>Subject: [Publib] Mud Flaps in Wyoming
>
>I know you thought that this discussion was over but here is one more post. 
>  (I can hear the collective sigh from here.)  I know some of you think 
>this has consumed me and it is all that I can think about.  However, most 
>of us have very busy lives and are very capable of having many interests 
>and thinking about many things.
>
>I have been collecting a lot of the discussion just because I was 
>interested and because I thought that the ALA Feminist Task Force (FTF) 
>might be interested.  I have put copies of what I have collected to date 
>here:  http://ftfinfo.wikispaces.com/Mud+Flaps+in+Wyoming .  If you think I 
>should add anything to this collection please just send it my way and I 
>will add it.
>
>One thing that surprised me overall in the discussion was how few people 
>brought up the concept of sexual harassment in the work place and whether 
>or not the image of the woman used in the design could be an issue.  Karen 
>did touch on it and one or two others may have as well but it was a very 
>limited part of the discussion.  I wondered not only how appropriate it 
>would be to have them in one of our offices but also whether or not it 
>would be an issue in any of the stores being supplied with the bumper 
>stickers.  The Feminist Majority Foundation has a good list of things that 
>MIGHT constitute sexual harassment.  It is, of course, something that would 
>be decided in court but these are possibilities and it would seem that the 
>image might fit into this list in some instances.  The list is here: 
>http://www.feminist.org/911/harasswhatdo.html .
>--
>Diedre Conkling
>(Who believes that there are more similarities in our communities than 
>differences and that some things are just important no matter where you 
>are.  I think where we live has very little to do with this discussion.  
>But since we must justify our thoughts with where we live here it is.  I 
>have lived in Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Illinois (while 
>getting that library degree).  Mostly I have lived in small towns.  And, 
>though I have never lived in Wyoming I have spent a lot of time there.   
>These are the places I remember being:  Afton, Casper, Cheyenne, Cody, 
>Dubois, Evanston, Fort Laramie, Gillette, Green River, Jackson and the 
>whole Jackson Hole area, Kirby, Lander, Laramie, Medicine Bow, Pinedale, 
>Powell, Rawlins, Red Butte, Riverton, Rock Springs, Sheridan, Thermopolis 
>(sp?), Wapiti, Worland and, of course, all over Yellowstone National Park 
>(which is tourist territory and doesn't count).  I have spent a fair amount 
>of time traveling Hwy. 89 and Hwy. 26 from Idaho.  I have spent many, many 
>hours on I 80 in sun, wind, rain, snow and blizzards (not a fun place to be 
>in a blizzard).
>
>
>   Lincoln County Library District
>   P.O. Box 2027, Newport, OR  97365
>   Phone & Fax:  541-265-3066
>   http://lcld.library-blogs.net/
>   Work:  diedre at beachbooks.org
>   Home:  diedrec at charter.net
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