Sexism and the Careers of Actress Kathy Bates and Comedian Diane Ford

Bates is not alone. Most of us share her fate in our own way. After spending a lifetime hating myself for not being physically perfect, it finally hit me that the people I should resent are those who would judge me for my looks.

Society, particularly the movie industry, does not realize that its bias against women who are not Madison Avenue icons cripples and ruins lives. We should all be judged for who we are, not how much we conform to physical stereotypes. However, this would require raising society’s conscience, a feat no more easily done than extracting Saddam from Kuwait.

BARBARA ISRAEL

Yucca Valley