Editor,

This is in response to the article about the Motherruckers rugby team calendar and how it “objectifies” women. I have been on the women’s rugby team for years and appearing in the calendar since I was a freshman. The point of the calendar is not to objectify women at all. We are very proud of who we are and of our bodies. The notion that if you need to have clothes on your body all the time or you will be objectified is in fact disempowering.

The women’s rugby team celebrates that anyone, no matter their shape, size or ability can play rugby. No matter who you are, you have a place on our team.   Women who didn’t believe in this calendar or didn’t want to be in this calendar didn’t have to participate. Only those who want to be in this calendar are.

So it pisses me off to think that someone can see a mostly naked woman who is acting out of her own volition and automatically think that it objectifies all women. Why do we always have to come to that conclusion? We are celebrating women. Taking these pictures has been a bonding experience with my team. These are beautiful women and every year our teammates and alums tell us how beautiful and well everything came out. This makes you feel really good about yourself.

I am proud of all of my rugby girls and I will proudly stand in the calendar next year, my senior year, and will continue to buy this calendar until I am too old and forget who the Motherruckers are. Bringing up the point that more guys flip through our calendar than come to our games, well, we had one home game this semester and in fact we had pretty good turn out thank you. Nakedness is not always sexual, it’s a fund-raiser. People are supposed to look at the product. Grow up.

Thanks for objectifying women by assuming the image of a naked woman is sexual rather than an image of athleticism or self confidence.

– Kristianne Chavez ’10