Ariel Levy, author of Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture, will speak at Scripps College on Tuesday, March 2nd, at 7:30 p.m. in Garrison Theater, as part of the Alexa Fullerton Hampton Speaker Series: Voice and Vision. A book signing follows in the theater lobby. The event is free and open to the public.
In Pigs (Free Press, 2006), Levy explores a mainstream culture saturated with thongs, strippers, and porn stars — elements once left to red light districts. She challenges readers to ask if this “raunch culture” shows how far women have come or if it is proof of how far there is left to go.
“With Female Chauvinist Pigs, Ariel Levy becomes feminism’s newest and most provocative voice,” according to best-selling author Malcom Gladwell, “brilliantly laying bare the contradictions and evasions and self-deceptions that pass for empowerment.”
After graduating from Wesleyan, Levy worked as a contributing editor for New York magazine for 12 years. She currently is a staff writer for The New Yorker, and has appeared on The Colbert Report, Oprah, and National Public Radio’s “Fresh Air.”
Levy’s talk takes place during the inaugural year of Scripps College’s eighth president, Lori Bettison-Varga. The Inauguration theme is “The Genius of Women.” Throughout the 2009-10 academic year, guest speakers, writers, scientists, artists, and other thought leaders will engage students and faculty in discussions about the transformative power of genius, and how creative and intellectual genius are so essential in today’s changing world, especially from women, for women.
The Alexa Fullerton Hampton Speaker Series – Voice and Vision was established through the generous bequest of Scripps College alumna Alexa Fullerton Hampton ’42. The series brings a broad range of renowned presenters and artists to Scripps College each year to share their unique voice and vision, as well as to enlighten and inspire the audience — exposing them to new ideas and perspectives.