劍橋女生評選“年度美臀”惹爭議
While their predecessors have amassed dozens of Nobel prizes and other intellectual accolades, the current crop of undergraduates is focusing on a rather less taxing competition – rear of the year.
Female students at the university have submitted risque photographs of their behinds in the hope of clinching the title.
They insist it is innocent fun – and male classmates are quick to agree – but critics have accused them of harming the feminist cause and the university’s reputation.
The pictures have been sent to independent student website The Tab by women using pseudonyms and hiding their faces from the camera to protect their identities.
Each gives a brief tongue-in-cheek biography with her photograph. While other students are using the university library to revise for their impending exams, one going by the name of Meredith stripped down to her underwear to be pictured on tiptoe taking a book from a shelf.
Bella, who poses in frilly knickers and nude stilettos with her long dark hair tumbling down over a tight-fitting jumper, said: ‘The trick to looking good in knickers is to wear high heels.’
Elizabeth, from Homerton College, whose alumni include actress Cherie Lunghi, claims her ‘first sexual thoughts were of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’.
The entrants were found through ‘word of mouth’ at the university and the photos sent in through anonymous email accounts.
A university source added: ‘We can’t stop what they’re doing but it would be fair to say we don’t approve of it. It is not the kind of image we would want to project.’
Male students were generous in their praise, however. Comments posted online included: ‘High-definition pics from multiple angles would’ve provided a better comparison.’
And ‘Leila’ joined the debate herself, saying: ‘It’s given me a bit of a confidence boost. I don’t think it’s got anything to do with feminism really.’當前輩校友們多次斬獲諾貝爾獎，取得令人刮目的學術成就時，如今的劍橋大學學生卻更熱衷於不太費力的競爭——評選“年度美臀”。
劍橋大學一些女生最近向一個獨立學生網站提交了她們的“美臀豔照”，以期奪得這一榮譽。
女生們堅稱純粹是“爲了好玩”，男生們很快表示肯定，但批評者認爲，這有損女權主義運動，並傷害了大學聲譽。
女生們使用假名把照片上提交給了獨立學生網站The Tab。爲了保護個人隱私，拍攝照片時特意隱去了臉部。
每張照片都附上半開玩笑的個人簡介。當其他學生都在用圖書館複習備戰即將到來的考試時，一名自稱“梅瑞狄斯”的女生身着三點式內衣，拍了一張踮腳去書架上方拿書的照片。
另一張照片上，“貝拉”身穿鑲邊短褲，腳蹬裸色高跟鞋，黝黑的長髮披肩，上身穿一件緊身套衫，她說：“穿着短褲還很美的絕招是腳蹬高跟鞋。”
來自霍默頓學院的伊麗莎白聲稱，她的“第一次性想法是關於‘忍者神龜’。”女星切瑞•朗西也畢業於該所學院。
參賽者是通過大學中的“口口相傳”找到的，照片以匿名方式通過電子郵件發送。
而校方人士表示：“我們無法阻止學生的行爲，但可以說我們並不贊成這麼做。這不是劍橋大學想發佈的照片。”
但學校的男生們卻樂於讚揚此事，網上有評論稱“多角度拍攝的高清圖片會讓大家有個更好的比較。”
參賽的“利拉”自己爲自己辯護說：“這讓我提升了自信。我真不認爲這和女權主義有什麼關係。”
