Por Mariana Coimbra*
After reading Eline’s posts on the miniskirt, I decided to write about my perspective on this whole situation.
As a loud and proud member of Generation Y, and a person who questions things, I think that I can talk a bit about this episode. Though the reactions have been exaggerated and blown out of proportion, we must recognize that the other students felt disrespected. I’m not going to get into the debate on whether the reactions Geisy received were disrespectful. But I believe that the sentence, “Respect yourself, to be respected,” applies here.
Unlike most people, I believe that values are immutable. Values are universal concepts, and their truth remains constant and intact throughout generations. Purposely hurting someone’s feelings and disrespecting other people, will always be synonymous for the absence of values.
Generation Y is constantly analyzed, studied, criticized, molded, and labeled. All the time. As if we are an immutable generation. Yet, we must take into account, that the oldest members, born in 1980 are at least 29 years old today. We are no longer spoiled children who got trophies and played around in shopping malls. Today, we are growing up. This process is slow, perhaps a bit overdue, and difficult. Yet it’s easy to see that often the values are there and intact.
We are capable of understanding how many things work, and most of us have values. It’s not rare to find someone for Generation Y citing some lesson that they learned from their parents or grandparents. They have values.
The Uniban revolt doesn’t have anything to do with the micro-skirt Geisy wore. It does have to do with the image and reputation of our generation. We have values, and we are conscious that Geisy’s act was simply a confrontation towards her University. Freedom does have limits. As my mother says, “One’s freedom stops when it starts to impede on another’s rights.” Adapting this to the case of Uniban: The freedom a student to use an indecent article of clothing stops with the right of thousands of other students having their image preserved.
I can choose whether I want to go to certain clubs where women with short enough skirts don’t pay the cover. I know that at the moment that I enter that club, my image will be compromised. Of course, this doesn’t apply to a University setting where all individuals should be respected. For me, respect is the act of considering other people, and putting yourself in their shoes.
In the same way that students from Estácio de Sá, don’t want to be labeled for the incident in 2001, when an illiterate student actually passed the vestibular (the exam required to enter Brazilian University,) the students of Uniban don’t want to be seen as people without principles, and don’t want to be labeled. They want to preserve their image. Not respecting the institution where you study, by using inappropriate clothing, is a lack of values. It’s irresponsible towards thousands of other Uniban students. I mean, think of the consequences if the first lady, accompanied President Lula dressed in Geisy’s miniskirt?
Let’s not be demagogues to the point where we actually believe that image doesn’t count. The example of the Estacio is living proof. Students still suffer prejudice from that incident today. In regards to Uniban, in the Folha article, one girls actually said, upon seeing the outfit, “Oh god, it can only only be a girl from Uniban!”
In conclusion, is it Geisy’s right to use that sort of clothing, exposing her body in this way? Is her personal freedom larger than the right of all of Generation Y, to show that they have values? The question remains…
*Mariana Coimbra was born in Belo Horizonte (MG), spent her childhood in Ouro Branco (MG) and her teenage years in Palmas (TO). She is currently living in em Recife (PE), but also has a small house in New York City (her mother lives there). She has already been a bartender, a store attendant, a Christmas tree decorator, a snowboard apprentice, and has also tried to be an athlete. She has been a babysitter, a bakery employee and an intern. She is a Gen Yer, wants to be a future trainee and is a persistent, adaptable and flexible person. She is also the superintendent of her building, currently having to be a housekeeper, a blogger and, at the same time, a Law student and her mother´s little princess. She dreams of being knowledgeable about everything someday, even though she knows it´s impossible. She prefers to dream big and for her there is only one thing better than learning: to share what she has learned! Follow Mariana on her blogs: http://porquenaopassei.blogspot.com and http://pontodotrainee.blogspot.com or on Twitter.
