Shadee Malaklou's column, "Happily Ever After, Part II" (Feb. 7), provides a thoughtful yet misguided critique of the Duke woman who "desperately want[s] the dream to be real." The dream Malaklou refers to is the Disney Fairy Tale of "love, marriage, the white picket fence and 2.5 kids," which she says is a distraction and an unrealistic fantasy. Malaklou erred in her criticism of the dream. The fault lies not in the dream but in the Duke woman she describes, who easily gives her body, believes the flattery and hopes that Prince Charming will be her next drunk hook-up. Last time I checked, Cinderella did not fit this description. Let's face it: Prince Charming is probably not the guy we pick up at Shooters. This is not a message on morality, nor a condemnation of the Duke social culture. My point is merely that women have a choice, so let's stop blaming Duke's "party-hard reputation" which supposedly doesn't foster the Fairy Tale. The lifestyles we choose for ourselves, and the dreams that we choose to pursue, dictate our attainable reality.
Natalie Barber
Trinity '09
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