A beauty pageant winner and a gay-rights activist?
The differences between these two women are exactly what feminism today is about.
That’s the message Kate Shindle, Miss America 1998, and Alix Olson, a renowned and widely-published slam poet, want to impart tomorrow night. Both are slated to speak at the Rose Theatre at 7 p.m.
The Student Activities Council-sponsored event is titled “An Evening of Enlightenment,” and is being held in honor of Women’s History Month.
Shindle, a musical theater actress and a Northwestern graduate, said that with her presentation, “Miss America: A Feminist Role Model?” she intends to dispel criticisms that the Miss America pageant is sexist and demeaning to women. She said the program is much more than a swimsuit competition. Young women can use the limelight of the title to advocate prominent social causes. The program also hands out thousands of dollars in scholarship money.
“The platform issue is the most valid aspect of the program,” Shindle said. “If you’re going to do something with (the title), then I support it.”
Shindle used her crown to advocate AIDS awareness. While she was Miss America, she traveled over 20,000 miles per month, speaking to students and others across the country about AIDS prevention. She went to Geneva for the World AIDS Conference. Both the Ryan White Foundation and the AIDS Action Council honored her for her contributions.
Shindle said that with such opportunity for activism, there’s no reason why Miss America can’t be a feminist.
“I’ve looked and couldn’t find a consecutive definition for feminism,” said Shindle. “I decided for me it’s about supporting women and our varying abilities to follow our own choices.”
She said that in one way the title actually brought her closer to understanding feminism. Once crowned, she was suddenly confronted with sexism. Some people assumed that since she was an attractive Miss America, she must be stupid, she said.
“It’s a stereotype like any other in America. One that is unfounded,” she said.
Shindle said there is room for change in the pageant. She said she wouldn’t mind if the swimsuit competition was done away with all together.
“When someone says ‘Miss America,’ the swimsuit competition comes to mind,” said Shindle. “It’s the first thing that undermines our credentials. The time for that type of celebrity is gone now.”
Alix Olson, who is also to make an appearance, was not available for comment. Her agent, Felicia Gustin, is co-director of Speak Out!, a non-profit organization that sponsors artists. Gustin said those seeing Olson are in for a real treat.
“Her poetry is rich and powerful,” said Gustin. “She’s so theatrical. Her voice is silly and giggly, then she coming at you, so powerful.”
Olson was on the first national slam-poetry team in 1988, when the movement was just beginning. Since then, she’s accumulated a large portfolio of accomplishments that include spots on the stage, on TV and in magazines. Her poetry won her the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow in 1999 and a 1998 “In Your Own Write” award.
Gustin said the primary subject matter of Olson’s poetry is social justice.
Latrell Armstrong, Ideas and Issues chair for SAC, said that SAC chose these two performers, who together will be paid $5,000 for their appearances, for their differences.
“We thought they would be good to address women’s issues, because they are two totally different women who can talk about the same thing,” Armstrong said.
