FRESH FACED Students go a week without makeup to teach girls about natural beauty
BY THE NUMBERS
LINDSEY GELWICKS FEATURES EDITOR | features@bsudailynews.com
R
osnellys Perez’s morning routine usually consists of the perfected application of foundation, concealer, powder, eyeliner, mascara and a dap of lip-gloss. Depending on her mood, eye shadow gets thrown into the mix. But on March 18 and the seven days that followed, the junior criminal justice major headed to class, feeling selfconscious and leaving the stash of makeup untouched on her vanity. That Monday marked the start of Perez’s project to go a week without makeup. Over the next seven days, more than 200 women supported her endeavor by foregoing their makeup for at least a day. THE CHALLENGE Perez’s project began with a conversation she overheard between her friend’s 7-year-old cousin and other young girls. The seven girls, ranging between 7 and 9 years old, were flipping through a copy of Seventeen Magazine when one girl said she didn’t feel pretty. “Why don’t you feel pretty?” Perez asked. “Because everybody who’s pretty wears makeup and our parents don’t allow us to wear makeup,” Perez recalled the young girl saying. Although Perez tried to convince
DN ILLUSTRATIONS MICHAEL BOEHNLEIN
the girls they were beautiful, none of them believed her because she was wearing makeup at the time. “What can I do to prove to you that you do not need makeup to feel beautiful?” Perez asked. The girls gathered around for a minute and came up with a challenge. “You need to go a week without makeup,” they said. “And for us to know you’re actually doing it, you have to send us pictures.” That night, Perez tweeted and posted on Facebook about her experience, asking for others to help by sending pictures of themselves without makeup.
See MAKEUP, page 6
High court could avoid ruling Defense Against Marriage Act, Prop 8 hot topics in capitol | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court suggested Tuesday it could find a way out of the case over California’s ban on same-sex marriage without issuing a major national ruling on whether gays have a right to marry, an issue one justice described as newer than cellphones and the Internet. The California case is one of two challenges to laws barring gay marriage that the Supreme Court is hearing this week. Today, the court will hear the first challenge it has accepted to the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Recent polls suggest a rapidly growing number of Americans support allowing same-sex couples to marry, but there is no guarantee the conservative-leaning court rule in a similar direction. Gay marriage foes have expressed confidence that the justices will rule their way, and even some gay rights activists have worried that the court has taken up the issue too soon. Supporters of same-sex marriage hope for a ruling that will be the 21st century equivalent of the court’s 1967 decision in Loving v. Virginia that struck down state bans on interracial marriage. Several justices, including some liberals who seemed open to gay marriage, raised doubts during a riveting 80-minute argument that the case was properly before them. And Justice Anthony Kennedy, the potentially decisive vote on a closely divided court, suggested that the court could dismiss the case with no ruling at all. Such an outcome would almost certainly
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THE TRUTH OF THE HIJAB
Muslim graduate student compares life in United States to life in Saudi Arabia SEE PAGE 6
18 percent
of girls age 8 to 12 use mascara on a regular basis
15 percent
of girls age 8 to 12 use eyeliner on a regular basis
15 percent
of girls age 8 to 12 use lipstick on a regular basis SOURCE: NPD Group
DN WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013
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SGA adviser seeks code revisions
Organization members leave senate, making changes difficult DEVAN FILCHAK NEWS EDITOR | news@bsudailynews.com
MCT PHOTO
Qween Amar, of Orlando, Fla., dances as demonstrators gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. Court justices worried it was too early to discuss California’s Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in the state. The court will hear the first challenge it has accepted to the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act today.
allow gay marriages to resume in California but would have no impact elsewhere. The court is considering a legal challenge to Proposition 8, the gay marriage ban that California voters approved just five years ago. Justice Samuel Alito appeared to advocate a cautious approach to the issue, describing gay marriage as newer than such rapidly changing technological advances as cellphones and the Internet. “You want us to assess the effect of same-sex marriage,” Alito said to Solicitor General Donald Verrilli. “It may turn out to be a good thing. It may turn out to be not a good thing.”
BY THE NUMBERS
9 million
The number of Americans who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, according to a 2011 study
30
The number of states, including California, that ban same-sex marriage in their state constitutions
18,000
The number of gay couples that married in California during the window when it was legal
See PROP 8, page 3
Just weeks after one of the most controversial Student Government Association elections in recent memory, none of the senators who vowed to make revisions to the organization’s elections code is working on making changes. Jennifer Jones-Hall, SGA adviser and director of Student Life, said she hopes senators correct the elections code, but she isn’t hopeful because students haven’t talked to her about revisions. “I think the sad thing right now about once elections are over, everyone retreats out of senate,” she said. “You’ve got your die-hards that are going to stay forever, but if your slate did not win, then they [typically] all drop out and the elections board is dissolved, so nobody is looking at the elections code.” Zeyne Guzeldereli, Cardinal United presidential candidate and president pro-tempore, said during the election that he would work on the elections code. But last week he said no one is working on the revisions now because senators and executive board members are transitioning, and he won’t return to SGA in the Fall Semester. He said senators need to work on revisions for the elections board, nonetheless. Some elections code revision suggestions include tightening restrictions, such as campaign members carrying laptops or iPads around campus and asking students to vote with them. The elections code only prohibits that activity in residence halls.
See SGA, page 3
MEDIA COVERAGE AFFECTS PERCEPTION Sociology professor says news can promote, highten fear CHRISTOPHER STEPHENS CHIEF REPORTER | castephens@bsu.edu
The media has a profound effect to shift concentration, and the recent media attention on guns could have contributed to reports of potential gunmen on Ball State’s and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis’ campuses. “The media shows people where to focus their attention,” Melinda Messineo, Department of Sociology chair, said. “When stories or trends are popular they heighten awareness.” When something like mass shootings are the focus of several media stories, it changes the perceptions of actions that would otherwise be ignored, Messineo. People then look for activities that seem malicious because they are looking to protect themselves from a supposed threat. Seven mass killings in 2012 had more than four victims in a single location, with a total of 138 people injured, which could lead to an unhealthy fixation on gun violence when reports of mass shooting saturate the media, Messineo said.
Sophomore exercise science major Ashton few accounts of children being harmed through Freeman said he abstains from watching Halloween candy,” she said. “Turns out it was not television news because he believes it leads prominent at all, but parents were scared and to hysteria. now saw a torn candy wrapper or misshaped “I don’t want to get caught up in the overreac- candy as a threat.” tion,” he said. Messineo said people need to be aware of their Freeman said his mother ability to allow the media becomes concerned based to change their percepon television news stories tion of actions but that over events he doesn’t think doesn’t mean they should should be a big deal. allow real threats to go “She will talk to me and undocumented. be really concerned sayGene Burton, director of ing, ‘Oh my gosh, they Public Safety, said he does are talking about this,’ or believes there is a heightwhatever, like the snow ened sense of awareness two days ago, and I have to on campus. tell her, ‘No, Mom, it’s go“I wouldn’t be suring to be OK. We have had prised if we had more MELINDA MESSINEO, Department of calls like this because, snow before,’” he said. Sociology chair Messineo said one examquite frankly, people ple of overconcern is when are more aware,” Bura couple of incidents of Halloween candy tam- ton said. “Not that you want to make anyone pering led to nationwide hysteria. paranoid, but any time you can take an acSeveral news organizations picked up the tive role in your safety it’s a plus.” story, which led to a saturation of stories urging Burton said when there is an incident at anothparents to be on the lookout for potential signs er college campus, it is prudent to look at how of tampering, Messineo said. it would be handled if it happened at Ball State. “After the blast of news stories there were camSee GUNS, page 3 paigns and concerns, even myths, based on these
« Wquestioning hy are we not all of
the violence in the world, instead of just the acts the media highlights?
»
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