Tag: Nicole Patano ’22
Adding Science to Sex: Why Porn Is Not a Prerequisite for Sexual Empowerment
by kwheele4 on March 4, 2021
Opinion
Adding Science to Sex: Why Porn Is Not a Prerequisite for Sexual Empowerment
By Nicole Patano ’22
Asst. Head Copyeditor
Content warning: Discussion of pornography and sex
As the pornography industry grows into a nearly $100 billion worldwide business, the consumption of pornographic material has become a dangerously common societal indicator of whether or not a person is in touch with their sexuality. In some feminist circles, pornography can be employed as a tool of female sexual empowerment, for both women participating in and viewing porn videos. For these women, openness about their porn consumption is empowering, as women are often excluded from conversations about pornography. However, pornography is not a prerequisite to feeling empowered; women do not have to watch or enjoy porn to be empowered individuals.
There are a number of reasons why women watch porn, including to act out fantasies, for sexual gratification, and for learning how to give and achieve pleasure. For some women, the experience can be empowering. Yet, while porn can promote positive depictions of female sexuality, qualitative research on women’s feelings towards pornography has found that most women feel conflicted about their relationship with pornography. For example, in one study, a woman remarked, “I feel angry and demeaned by the whole, you know, experience of seeing pornography, and yet also being aroused by it.” Other women in the study also admitted to feeling guilty while watching porn.
This phenomenon results from what scientists call the mind-body gap. According to this theory, the conscious arousal of the mind and the unconscious arousal of the body in women are dissociated. In layman’s terms, a woman will feel physically aroused even if she is not psychologically aroused. This explains why women may have an orgasm while experiencing or watching unwanted or coercive sex.
Consent in pornography is a gray area; it is almost impossible to know if the actors in a porn video have consented and are willing participants. Porn sites feature fantasies and fetishes which are murky at best when it comes to consent. Women watching porn to learn more about their fantasies and sexual desires may find themselves simultaneously aroused and disgusted by videos depicting violent or aggressive behavior towards the female actor. Even worse, the ubiquity of these kinds of dubious videos can trick viewers into thinking that violent behavior is normal in sexual relationships.
The current state of the pornography industry is more harmful to women than it is empowering. Not only that, there are biological and psychological reasons why women do not enjoy porn as much as men do, if at all. So, women who do not watch porn, or perhaps watch porn but feel guilty or troubled by it, should not be made to feel like outcasts for their feelings and decisions. Not enjoying pornography is completely normal, valid, and, frankly, natural for women. In fact, all women are likely to experience some level of discomfort, however minor, with pornography because of the disocciation between our bodies and minds when it comes to arousal.
Women who are aware of the dark side of pornography, whether consciously or subconsciously, know that porn videos may include non-consensual acts. Without knowing for certain if the actors are engaging in a consensual sexual act, the woman will feel guilty while watching, even if, and often because, her body is aroused.
While the recent introduction of ethical porn to the industry has sought to ameliorate this aspect of pornography, it has only created two more problems. The first is that “ethical porn” has become somewhat of a buzzword in the industry, so that even porn videos which are not produced with the performer’s pleasure and boundaries in mind are being branded and marketed as ethical porn by production studios. The second problem is that adding “ethical” to the word “porn” suggests that erotic content that is not ethical is still porn. Daya Dare, a sex-positive writer and educator, explains, “In reality, X-rated content that isn’t ethical isn’t porn. It’s abuse.”
Additionally, the mind-body gap theory posits that women require a psychological stimulus in addition to a physical stimulus to truly feel at one with their sexual bodies. This is because women, specifically heterosexual women, have to consider the long-term consequences of their real-life sexual encounters—for example, pregnancy and raising a child. Sex with the wrong person can result in single motherhood or an abusive spouse. Thus, just like in her real life, a woman is more likely to become aroused when she knows and is attracted to the person’s nature than when she is only physically attracted to them.
Although pornography can feel empowering to some women and there have been improvements in the industry—namely the creation of feminist and ethical porn—women who do not watch pornography have legitimate reasons for not doing so. Women do not have to watch or enjoy pornography to feel sexually empowered, or to be respected as a sexual being. Regardless of whether a woman enjoys, dislikes, avoids, watches, reads, writes, produces, or acts in porn, she deserves respect.
The Reality of Cancel Culture Is that it Is Not Real
by The Cowl Editor on October 1, 2020
Opinion
The Reality of Cancel Culture Is that it Is Not Real
by Nicole Patano ’22
Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences. When people make comments that are offensive, bigoted, or vile, they deserve to be held accountable. In recent years, all calls for holding individuals accountable for their statements and actions have been oversimplified to one term: cancel culture.
While cancel culture is not a new concept, it has gained particular notoriety in the past few years, with celebrities like R. Kelly, Kanye West, and J. K. Rowling falling victim, although victim may be too strong a term. Despite being accused of, charged with, and arrested on numerous counts of sexual assault and child pornography, R. Kelly still made $200,000 in royalties from January to April of this year. Kanye West was “canceled” after suggesting that slavery was a choice, yet his album Ye debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts just one month later. Instead of apologizing for making transphobic comments, J. K. Rowling published a book which features a man who dresses as a woman to kill people. Troubled Blood topped the United Kingdom’s book charts, selling 64,633 copies in five days.
There are several myths surrounding cancel culture, the first being that it is an attack on free speech. Free speech is protected by the First Amendment against government regulation (with exceptions, of course). The First Amendment protects you from the government, not from public pressure. This is why the government could not make Dan Snyder change the name of his football team from the Washington Redskins, but public pressure could. This is why people can get “canceled” on social media.
The second myth about cancel culture is that it punishes innocent people for statements they never made or ones they made several years ago. In most cases, a person’s guilt is rather obvious—a public tweet, a YouTube video, DNA evidence. The question is not about whether the individual intended for their statements to be racist or homophobic, but that they had the impact of marginalizing or oppressing others.
There are three reasons a person may be “canceled.” First, the person said or did something offensive or harmful. These cases are often the most controversial because individuals may be canceled for something they said or did 10 years ago—Kevin Hart stepping down from hosting the 2019 Oscars after his homophobic tweets from 2009 resurfaced is just one example.
Sympathizers of those canceled may claim that the person was just a kid or that times were different back then and such statements would have been appropriate. However, if a person is never held responsible for their actions and the harm they caused, it will set the precedent that there is an expiration date for the harm caused by a person’s actions.
The second reason is that a person said or did something offensive or harmful and did not apologize. In this case, the person knows that what they did is offensive but does not care. Their public apology may sound something like this: “I am sorry that my statements hurt your feelings.” The person apologizes that you feel hurt, but does not apologize for their statements being the reason you are hurt. It is a denial of their culpability and deflects the blame onto the person who calls them out.
Oftentimes a person who fits into the first or second categories will respond by saying that they are not racist, sexist, or homophobic. This is often the case; a person can say something racist without being a racist or do something homophobic without being a homophobe. As long as the person understands why their words or actions were harmful, apologizes for the impact their actions had, and vows to do better, they should be safe from “cancellation.”
The third case arises when a person fully intends to say something offensive or harmful because the person is a racist, sexist, homophobe, etc…These individuals repeatedly show they feel no remorse for such statements and the harm they cause. They are repeat offenders who are wilfully ignorant about the harm their statements cause. For example, Mel Gibson has been caught on tape making anti-Black, antisemitic, sexist, and homophobic comments; yet, he is still an active and prolific actor and director. Despite the evidence against him and the fact that he has been “canceled” twice already, the list of people supporting Gibson’s career has only grown.
This brings up the third myth about cancel culture: that cancel culture is real. Based on the current status of the aforementioned victims of cancel culture, it is accurate to say that none of them have been canceled. In almost all cases, the individual is able to keep their career, status, and fan base without any repercussions. “Cancel culture” is a term used by privileged people to delegitimize the criticism and silence the actual victim.
“Cancel culture” is cited to prevent a discussion about the harm done and how those who caused the harm should be held accountable. It is a way for oppressors to play the oppressed, re-centering the sympathy on those who already have privilege and authority.
Instead, “cancel culture” must be viewed as a form of holding people in power accountable for their actions. “Canceling” is an act of withdrawing support for a person that will impact their revenue, public image, and privilege. If you continue to support a person because of what they offer you despite the fact that they are causing harm to others, you are effectively telling that person that you can excuse their behavior because you need them. You are giving that person permission to continue causing harm. Holding them accountable by refusing to support them is the only way to prevent them from marginalizing or oppressing others.
Tangents & Tirades
by The Cowl Editor on September 17, 2020
Opinion
Preparing for the “Real World”
“College will prepare you for the real world.” This is what teenagers hear from the time they enter high school to when they walk across the stage at commencement as adults. Why, then, is it that so many college students enter the real world with no idea how to adequately exist in it? Sitting behind a desk in an office is not the real world, even if you can see the real world from your skyline view.
College students would be remiss thinking that a career is the real world. If you have a free elective or need to fulfill a core curriculum requirement, take a course on contemporary social issues, like Dr. Kara Cebulko’s immigration course. Or learn about historically marginalized communities with a course like Race and Politics in the Americas or Race and Racism. Maybe study abroad for a semester to learn about African, Asian, or Latin American cultures.
Do not do it simply to satisfy a core curriculum requirement. Do it so that you are prepared for the real world. Do it so that you know how to respect your coworkers of different ethnicities. Do it because your future child’s best friend could be undocumented. Do it so that your five-dollar bills go into an empty hat on the sidewalk instead of an empty glass at the bar. This is the real world: you could be the richest attorney, accountant, or engineer in America and still not know how to make a fat cat well-rounded.
—Nicole Patano ‘22
The Novelty of Masks
Looking around one’s house, you are likely to come across items that were once exciting or important to you, but no longer are.
All of that Reebok CrossFit apparel you bought when it was popular in 2014 collects dust in the basement next to the treadmill you seldom use. Stuffed in the back of your kitchen cabinet is that once-trendy soda machine thing you bought from Bed, Bath and Beyond.
It is becoming apparent that another item, while not a discretionary one, is facing a similar fate and going out of style.
Masks on campus are visibly being worn less and less, as the novelty of wearing them is quickly waning. Students who were presumably nervous about disciplinary consequences for not wearing masks were surprised to see that you can get away with neglecting to wear one.
However, the important question is not whether you can get away with not wearing masks, but why you should wear them.
Providence College has invested large amounts of time, energy, and resources in order to prevent outbreaks on campus.
Thousands of disinfecting wipes, reconfigured class release times to stagger the departure of students from buildings, and even a website dedicated to informing students about COVID-19-related updates has been created.
All of these efforts are monumental in respect to the simple act of wearing a mask, yet these efforts are all for naught if masks are not worn.
Wearing a mask is the most effective means that students can contribute to continuing this semester on-campus.
—Joseph Kulesza ’22
Treat the Pandemic with Sensitivity
The loss of a loved one is no joking matter. In this time of unrest for so many, Providence College students, faculty, and administration need to recognize the immense burden the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on everyone’s personal lives. We must strive to foster a community of compassion, self-awareness, and consideration.
Hundreds of thousands offamilies have lost loved ones to COVID-19; it is sad, but true. Recently, however, many people have made COVID-19 the subject of memes. There seems to be a palpable disconnect between these memes and the fact that death is serious and the virus that runs so violently around us can take hold of anyone at any second.
Although you may not have been personally impacted by the pandemic, it is insensitive to assume that your experience is universal. It is a privilege to be able to say that COVID-19 has not significantly impacted your life beyond having to follow new guidelines and take classes over Zoom.
Simply put, everyone on PC’s campus needs to take a step back, realize their place in the grand scheme of our world, and recognize that words and actions can affect others so much more powerfully than they assume.
—Olivia Bretzman ’22
The Bachelor’s Fantasy Suites: Not All That Sweet
by Andrea Traietti on March 5, 2020
Opinion
by Nicole Patano ’22
Copy-Editing Staff
“Was Madison wrong for giving Peter an ultimatum?” Anyone watching the current season of The Bachelor needs no further prompting before launching into their opinion about Madison Prewett’s conversation with Peter Weber leading into Fantasy Suites week. One side—which includes Peter—thinks that Madison was right for “sharing her heart.” The other thinks Madison should have known what she signed up for by being on The Bachelor.
The second argument raises a much more important question about the nature of the show. Is the purpose of The Bachelor to actually create a solid, lifelong relationship between two people, or is that simply a byproduct of the producers’ desire for better ratings? Considering only eight out of 38 Bachelors and Bachelorettes are still with their final choices, it seems to be the latter.
The Bachelor espouses some questionable ideals about love and relationships. First is the premise of the show: a man must date 25 women in order to find his spouse, to whom he is expected to propose after only three months. Love cannot adhere to the regimented schedule which accompanies three months of filming or to the quota of kisses and conversations that ensure each woman has enough time with the Bachelor.
The most crooked aspect of The Bachelor? It tells the Bachelor and the women he is dating when it is appropriate to be intimate. According to the producers, the appropriate moment is the week before the proposal, when three contestants remain. This is known as Fantasy Suites week, and “almost every Bachelor has sex with everyone he goes into the Fantasy Suites with,” said former Bachelorette Andi Dorfman.
Bachelor contestants are expected to not have sex with the Bachelor until they are invited into the Fantasy Suite. In the Australian version of the show, there is a ban on sex outside of the Fantasy Suite; in the American version, enforcement takes the form of slut-shaming. Undeniably, both methods demean the woman and the natural progression of intimacy in a relationship.
It is wrong to set restrictions on when a person may be intimate in their relationship. Given the reputation Fantasy Suites has earned over the years, most Bachelors and contestants expect the overnight date to include sex in some capacity. Chris Harrison has even admitted that “[Condoms]…are easily the biggest expense” when it comes to Fantasy Suites.
This causes problems for contestants like Madison, who is waiting to have sex until marriage and objects to her potential husband sleeping with another woman (or two) less than a week before he would be proposing to her. As this is her relationship, first and foremost, she deserves to have a partner who will respect her and the sacred unification of two people through sex. Peter’s decision to “be intimate,” as he says, is his alone. Madison should not be blamed for having certain expectations for the man she is dating and may marry.
On the other extreme, female contestants and Bachelorettes have been historically slut-shamed if they have sex outside of the Fantasy Suite. During the 2014 season of The Bachelor, Juan Pablo slept with Clare Crawley before Fantasy Suites. The next day, he called the act a “mistake” and told Crawley not to tell anyone about what happened between them. In defense of her actions, Crawley said that she simply did what she would have done had the cameras not been there.
However, slut-shaming is not limited to female contestants on The Bachelor. Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe was slut-shamed by Bachelorette fans after sleeping with Nick Viall prior to Fantasy Suites. She took to the internet, saying, “Because I’m a woman. I think it’s a double standard, for sure.” She later told People she felt guilty about not waiting “10 more days” until Fantasy Suites.
Bachelor-watchers should not shame any contestant or Bachelorette for the decisions they make regarding their bodies and their relationships. It does not matter how scripted the show is or that it is meant to be a competition. The Bachelor contestants are real women who have feelings and desires.
Should she choose to be consensually intimate with the Bachelor, it should not be limited to the Fantasy Suite. Should she choose to abstain from sex while on the show, her decision should be respected by the Bachelor, producers, and viewers. Should she choose to uphold her moral standards rather than do “what she signed up for,” she should be praised. Bachelor Nation must respect every woman and the choices she makes in cultivating her own relationship. She is a woman before a contestant.
Featured “Friar ”: Fr. Isaac Morales, O.P.
by The Cowl Editor on November 7, 2019
Campus
by Nicole Patano ’22
Featured Guest Writer
Under the white robes, every friar has a unique story. Katie Burdick ‘22 and Sahrah Rajeh ‘22 have been sharing these stories on their WDOM radio show, “Beyond the Habit.”
Fr. Isaac Morales, O.P., appeared on the show on Oct. 20 to discuss his identity as a Dominican friar and as a member of the Providence College community.
Fr. Isaac is a relatively new addition to the St. Thomas Aquinas Priory. He was ordained in May 2018 and began his professorship that autumn. Despite this, he is well-known on campus; a fedora is his staple accessory, and he even wears a Marvin the Martian wristwatch.
Fr. Isaac’s name encapsulates his character perfectly. While he first said he chose “Isaac” as his religious name for practical reasons, such as being able to transition easily between English-and Spanish-speaking ministry, there appeared to be more to the story.
Not only does Isaac represent the characteristic of obedience of the Dominicans by willingly offering himself as a sacrifice in Genesis: 22, his name means laughter. Anyone who knows Fr. Isaac knows he does a lot of that.
The full religious name Fr. Isaac chose is Isaac Augustine, with Augustine as his devotional name. Like Saint Augustine, Fr. Isaac attempted to oppose God’s will for a good portion of his life. Although he suspected he was called to priesthood in college, he did not want to be a priest at all; he wanted to get married and have a family. He said in one sense discerning his vocation was a gradual thing, but “in other ways it was like a lightswitch flipped on.” When he told his mom he was looking into joining the Dominican Order, she told him, “It’s about time.”
Most of Fr. Isaac’s family is supportive of his vocation, and he tries to visit them whenever he can. He is Latino, but most people do not know that his great-grandmother was Lebanese.
When Fr. Isaac did an AncestryDNA test, he discovered that he was 11 percent Middle Eastern. He joked, “That’s how I got the schnoz.” People will often mistake him as Jewish, which is hilarious to him as such a devout Catholic.
The one word Fr. Isaac used to describe himself was “goofy.” He does not find goofiness and the life of Catholic devotion to be mutually exclusive. In fact, he said they are necessarily related. “The goal [of religious vocation] is happiness and human flourishing,”he said.
One of his personal goals for PC students is for them to see that faith is not opposed to human flourishing and happiness.
Fr. Isaac is primarily a faculty member of the theology department, but he has three “moonlighting gigs” as chaplain of McVinney Hall, the women’s soccer team, and the Board of Programmers (BOP). He finds being part of this formative time in students’ lives to be the most rewarding aspect of his role at the College.
Visit him at a BOP event, take a class with him, join him for Baking with Fr. Isaac every month in the McVinney kitchen, and you will see that his love for God and his students comes through in everything he does on campus.
Regardless of your religious background, if you are interested, ask him about attending vespers in the priory. It is sure to be an experience you will not soon forget.
photo courtesy of Abigale Kiernan ’21
Simone Biles: The Golden Girl
by The Cowl Editor on October 10, 2019
Professional Sports
Gymnast Sets Record for Most Medals in History
By Nicole Patano ’22
Guest Writer
Simone Biles has one medal for every year she has been alive—and then some. During the 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, which started on Oct. 4, Biles won her 21st world championship medal. Taken together with her five Olympic medals, the 22-year-old has a total of 26 medals, making her the most decorated female gymnast in history.
The title for most World Champion medals was previously held by retired gymnast Svetlana Khorkina, who had 20. With 21 under her belt, Biles is only two medals short of the all-time record for men and women. And the week is not over yet. If Biles were to medal in the Women’s All-Around Final, as well as four individual event finals—vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise, her total count of World medals could get up to 26. While this week is full of successes for Simone Biles, it is nothing new to her.
Biles has been training in gymnastics since the age of six. She made her national debut at the American Classic only five years later, where she placed third in the all-around competition and first in the vault. From there, her career took off. Still too young to perform in the 2012 Olympics, Biles trained six to eight hours a day in preparation for the 2016 Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Biles’s inaugural Olympic performance led her team to victory and won her four gold medals, setting a new American record for most gold medals in gymnastics at a single Olympic Games. Her team elected her to carry the American flag in the closing ceremonies. Since then, Biles has been the face of U.S. female gymnastics, appearing on the covers of Time, Sports Illustrated, and Teen Vogue.
Recently, Simone Biles has been in the news for being the first to execute a perfect double-double dismount off the balance beam and a triple-double on the floor. She nailed these two moves at the world gymnastics championship, and they are now known as the “Biles” and the “Biles II,” respectively. With the addition of these moves, Biles now has four moves named after her. If her performance this week continues, we may see more history being made.
But it has not all been gold medals and perfect dismounts. At an early age, Biles was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While this was difficult enough, after the 2016 Olympic Games, Russian hackers accessed the medical records of some Team USA athletes, including Biles. They revealed that Biles had tested positive for methylphenidate (Ritalin) and tried to use this information to discredit her performance at the Games. Biles took to social media, saying, “I have ADHD and I have taken medicine for it since I was a kid. Please know, I believe in clean sport, have always followed the rules, and will continue to do so as fair play is critical to sport and is very important to me.” By opening up about her experience with ADHD, she encouraged many young people in similar circumstances.
When Team USA members began accusing team doctor Larry Nassar of sexually abusing them, Biles added her name to the list. While she does not carry Nassar’s guilt, Biles says, “It’s not easy coming back to the sport, coming back to the organization that has failed you…I feel every day is a reminder of what I went through and what I’ve been through and what I’m going through and how I’ve come out of it. I try just not to think about it.” In August, Biles told reporters that she could no longer trust USA Gymnastics, and that she feels anxiety whenever visiting a doctor or trainer now. “We had one goal and we’ve done everything that they’ve asked us for, even when we didn’t want to, and they couldn’t do one damn job.”
In addition to the emotional pain Biles feels, she admits to constantly being in physical pain. In an interview with Daily Mail, Biles says, “I joke to my friends a lot that I am going to be in a wheelchair at 30.” She adds that it is unusual for her to not be in pain. A calf that has been torn repeatedly, a broken rib, and a shattered toe, and Biles claims she has been fortunate with her injuries. Less than 24 hours after spending the night in the hospital with kidney stones, Simone Biles was leading her team to first place at the 2018 World Gymnastics Championships and securing them a spot in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The 2020 Olympic Games may be Biles’s last ever. The champion says that her body is “just kind of falling apart.” While she has been out breaking records, she is also healing—emotionally and physically. Admitting that there is little keeping her in the sport besides herself, Biles feels she does not have to prove herself anymore. It is about time that she experiences a break that will not result in a hospital visit.