Until Friday, Sept. 18, the West Chester University bookstore sold Sensational Inflatable dolls as “gag gifts,” which caused students and faculty members to speak out and express their frustrations.
The dolls, which must be punched in order to activate, were first brought to attention on Thursday, Sept. 17 when a student in Dr. Lisa Ruchti’s Intro to Women’s and Gender Studies (WOS 225) class used them as an example of sexism.
The packaging describes the dolls as the “perfect female specimen,” with its features including “self-inflating,” “non-talking,” “no headaches,” and disposable or reusable.”
Both male and female dolls were sold in the bookstore, with the difference in the packaging being that the male doll is advertised as “not smelly” and the female doll advertised with “no headaches.”
In an article published on The Philadelphia Inquirer, WCU spokesperson Loretta MacAlpine said, “It is a tasteless gift, and unfortunately we did have it briefly on the shelf. There was never any intent to promote anything other than a joke for Valentine’s Day.”
Some view the inflatable dolls as not being a big deal, but Dr. Ruchti, Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies program, strongly disagrees and explains that systematic oppression is often invisible.
“It feels like it isn’t really there,” said Dr. Ruchti. “It’s happening all around us, but we can’t quite touch it. We can’t quite articulate it until we connect individual acts and show how they form a collective experience.”
Dr. Ruchti goes on to describe how the inflatable doll represents “the kind of equity that we’re trying to fight on this campus.”
“We want to make sure that women students are not dehumanized, that women students are not seen as sex objects,” said Dr. Ruchti. “I’m encouraging all of us to convey this message that the doll is just but one example of a larger culture that promotes the subordination of women.”
Psychology student Eric Xavier, who is also a peer educator for the Women’s Center, concurs.
“While there was a male doll and one could argue that this makes everything equal, there is a power dynamic that comes into play,” said Xavier. “This power dynamic is one where men have the power and can use that power to their own personal advantage. This can very easily include using that power to objectify, dehumanize, and lead other men to believe that, as sex objects, women can be raped, and it is okay.”
Senior women’s and gender studies student Lauren Conwell is also one of many upset by the inflatable dolls.
“It is harmful because it’s blatantly sexist and was proposed to the campus as a joke,” said Conwell. “It is presented as the perfect female companion, so does this also mean that the perfect woman is not only silent and subject to abuse, but only blonde, petite, and white?”
Conwell believes the doll is “highly problematic,” and “it is insulting that the university would try to pass it off as a mere ‘joke.’”
Ian Gallagher, a student who is a part of the Students for a Democratic Society, conveys his anger with the school.
“We never expected that the administration would be so open and blatant in their support for violence and sexual assault on women,” said Gallagher. “And if it’s true that the University thinks it’s already issued an apology then they’re wrong. They need to be held accountable and not serve as an accomplice to the misogynistic and patriarchal society in which we live.”
On Wednesday, Sept. 23, approximately 40 students and faculty members gathered by the Frederick Douglass Statue in a rally where they discussed their feelings surrounding the inflatable dolls and how they would move forward.
Students at the protest expressed their dissatisfaction with President Greg Weisenstein’s email, which was sent to the WCU community on Wednesday, Sept 23. In his statement, President Weisenstein mentioned: “The management of Student Services Inc., who owns and operates the bookstore, removed this product from the bookstore shelves and issued an apology to the University community.”
Many viewed it as a non-apology, and those who attended accused President Weisenstein of “bending the truth.”
At the rally, students brought up two “apologies” that President Weisenstein could be referring to in his email. The first was issued by the official bookstore account, which was published on Friday, Sept. 18 after a student tweeted: “For just a mere $7.99 you can get the ‘perfect female specimen’ from our very own @wcu_boookstore!”
In response, the bookstore said: “We apologize for any offense this may have caused. We have removed the 6in ‘inflate-a-date’ from the sales floor.”
The second “apology” President Weisenstein could be talking about was an email sent by the SSI management to a select amount of people, including Dr. Ruchti and Alicia Hahn-Murphy, Director of the Women’s Center.
In the email, they “apologize[d] for any discomfort this has created.” Dr. Ruchti wrote back asking who ordered the product and why, but she never received an answer.
According to the students at the protest, both of these were insufficient apologies. The bookstore Twitter is followed by 653 people, so students declared that the Twitter apology was not enough.
A sit-in at President Weisenstein’s office was planned for Thursday, Sept. 24, but students were told that President Weisenstein was out of town that day. Three students scheduled an appointment with President Weisenstein for Friday, Sept. 25, which left them even more dissatisfied.
Baxter was extremely disappointed after their meeting with President Weisenstein.
“This made me concerned about the administration’s accountability for student voices and needs,” said Baxter.
According to Baxter, President Weisenstein “definitely derailed the conversation” and did not “feel that this doll being sold on campus by the WCU bookstore is his responsibility.”
“I think it is fair to state that the president does not feel a need to apologize and will not be doing so,” said Baxter.
In the Facebook group To Plan Action Against Misogyny and Gender-Based Violence at WCU, Dr. Ruchti mentioned her plan to craft a letter from the faculty to address the situation on what to do next.
Casey Tobias is a second-year student majoring in women’s and gender studies. She can be reached at CT822683@wcupa.edu. Her Twitter is @Casey__Tobias.