Letters: Aug. 21, 2006

• Share

(2 of 2)

Barbara Ehrenreich's Essay about boys goofing off at college while girls are overachieving was nothing more than the flip side of the stories during the 1950s and '60s that claimed women went to college only to find husbands [July 31]. I didn't care to be stereotyped that way back then, and as the mother of 18-year-old twin sons who are honor students, eagle scouts, Young Democrats and all-around solid citizens, I deeply resent such a demeaning picture of the current crop of young men. Surely there are also plenty of unfocused, lazy, binge-drinking young women on today's campuses. CHRISTINA M. KAPMA Springfield, Ohio

Many American men shy away from careers that require glowing academic records. But why? Ehrenreich didn't say. In our feminized culture, when it comes to higher education, the average guy is truly left behind. PAUL V. PHILLIPINO Falmouth, Mass.

Iconic Wannabe

TIME's Verbatim column quoted rich socialite Paris Hilton, who said, "Every decade has an iconic blond like Marilyn Monroe or Princess Diana, and right now I'm that icon" [July 31]. Was she kidding? Hilton couldn't hold the handbags of those women. They were just as beautiful on the inside as on the outside. Hilton is no more than a lifeless doll. TIFFANY SERVICE Utica, N.Y.