What makes a woman beautiful or drop dead gorgeous? Odds are, my definition of beauty is significantly different from your definition, and that your definition is significantly different from your best friend’s definition.
I’m pretty sure we’ve all heard of the phrase “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” at some point in our lives.
Despite the fact that we cannot pinpoint one universal textbook definition of beauty, many women change their appearance daily and enter numerous beauty contests or pageants in order to determine who is the prettiest.
Even young girls have been subjected to such subjective competitions. (“Toddlers and Tiaras” anyone?) There’s no doubt that most people believe that the prettier you are, the further you will go in life.
Tempe12, an organization unaffiliated with ASU, sorts through numerous applications and holds casting calls in order to select 12 of the “hottest” female ASU students to model for their website and the infamous Tempe12 calendar in swimsuits and scantily clad outfits.
Tempe12 isn’t completely based on physical appearance though. On their website they brag about how the Tempe12 girls aren’t just picked because of their physical beauty.
The organization prides itself for selecting girls that are both “smart and sexy”. In order to be a 12, you must have a minimum GPA of 3.0.
The website also goes on to brag about how the 12 often have ambitions to run Fortune 500 companies and have opened pre-schools. “A 12 is an educated, driven and down-to-earth college girl. Oh yeah, she also happens to be absolutely gorgeous,” the website said.
As if that wasn’t superficial enough, their tagline certainly is. “12 reasons to transfer to Arizona State University,” it reads. Is such objectification necessary?
I mean, who has the authority to say that one girl is a “12” just because she is “absolutely gorgeous.” Who determines what absolutely gorgeous is anyway?
There are over 70,000 students at ASU and about 50 percent, or 35,000 of these students are women. The 12 girls who are a part of Tempe12 represent not even one percent of the female population at ASU. You would need a Tempe350 in order to do that.
These girls can’t even begin to represent the female population at ASU; it’s basically impossible. Besides, why do we need to single out the prettiest and smartest girls at ASU?
Last time I checked this was a university, not a beauty contest. What is the point of having a calendar of 12 “smart and sexy” students? If you want a calendar of women, get one from Sports Illustrated.
There is absolutely no need separate the female population of ASU, yet, many girls still aspire to be part of the Tempe12. On the Tempe12 website, there are photos of “hopefuls” that pop up on the side for visitors to vote on. Talk about objectification. Why any girl would subject herself to that is beyond me.
With almost 71,000 likes on Facebook and over 8,000 followers on Twitter, it’s clear that Tempe12 has a great following. It definitely seems like there will be a couple of more calendars in Tempe12’s future. Just don’t expect me to apply any time soon.
Reach the columnist at agales@asu.edu
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