The Issue: Reynolds poses for controversial cover
What we think: Response overheated, unnecessary
In this month's issue of Barstool Sports, Adrienne Reynolds, BC Law '09, posed seminude on the cover and inside spread - boasting only her briefs and a carefully placed maroon-and-gold pennant. These photos, along with the use of the Boston College logo, have caused many BC law students, alumni, and others in the law community to raise some severe criticism. One visitor on abovethelaw.com, a legal tabloid, went so far as to say, "This is why women shouldn't be lawyers." Although a situation like this can certainly allow for constructive dialogue, critics must be respectful of Reynolds and realize that this is a personal decision - one that does not necessarily reflect poorly on the University as a whole.
The pictures that ran in Barstool Sports were certainly racy, but not over-the-top. One reading of blog posts or comments in local papers would believe that she was posing in an overtly exploitative manner.
In an interview with the Boston Herald, University spokesman Jack Dunn emphasized that while the law school "reserves the right to discipline students for inappropriate conduct, it does not believe that this incident rises to that level. We trust that our law school students can make appropriate judgments on their own."
In fact, Sen. Scott Brown (R-Wrentham), father of BC student and former American Idol finalist Ayla Brown, told the Herald, "It's all jealousy," adding, "She should be proud of how she looks and stick to her guns." Brown himself is familiar with the controversy that can accompany such pictures.
He posed in semi-nude pictures in Cosmopolitan magazine, in part to pay for his education at BC Law, after being named one of the best-looking men in America by the magazine.
In light of this situation and others like it, many have asked whether a woman is capable of being respected for both her intellect and her appearance. As Reynolds' circumstances have proven, pursuing both can cause controversy and raise harsh criticism. As long as critics treat Reynolds with courtesy and respect by refraining from making personal attacks, and realize that modern women can reconcile personal and professional endeavors, there should be no cause for controversy.
