College Women

The discussion on college women that took place several weeks ago was quite interesting and very informative. It provided me with a critical lens in which to view the portrayal of college women in popular media. I had never considered that college women were so sexualized until the discussion centered on the "Girls Gone Wild" tapes and the picture of the scantily clad young women in the library that she displayed. Furthermore, it was interesting that there were no women of color in that picture, and most images of college women, do not reflect women of color, even if it's degrading and disrespectful. Thus, the messages that popular media sends is that 1) women who go to college are freaky, hypersexual, and fun and 2) women of color don't attend college. Both notions are erroneous and might, in and of itself, contribute to the many crimes against women that occur on college campuses. When the facilitator showed the television program clip, "The Onion", it was very comical; yet, a realistic portrayal of how the media will sensationalize a story to garner viewership and ratings. I thought it was a perfect addition to the discussion.

One of my favorite television shows of all time is "A Different World." I remember watching the show as a kid and adolescent, imagining myself being in college and experiencing their lives as I saw it on television. My only collegiate reference point was this show, as no one in my immediate family had gone to college. I left the first institution that I attended because it did not remind me of my favorite television show. I appreciated the facilitator bringing this show to the forefront of our discussion because I find that this show is overlooked by society, at large, as one of the most influential television shows in the past two decades. 80% of college enrollment for Black students increased during this show's tenure. Not only is that a remarkable leap for the Black community, but society as a whole, that more citizens are college educated and able to effectively contribute to our economy. The college women in this show came from different backgrounds but fed off of each others' desire to be educated and successful. This show also raised important societal issues, such as AIDS, rape, pregnancy, and racism, whereas, like the facilitator mentioned, other popular television shows only raised these issues as "special episodes." Though "A Different World" has been off the air for more than 20 years, there has yet to be another show that positively encapsulates the experience of being a college student of color attending an HBCU, or any other higher education institution, for that matter. "A Different World" certainly allowed me to get a glimpse of what my college experience should be like and gave me a positive image of what a woman of color, who attends college, should conduct herself like.