Playboy Photographs Attractive Blond Woman.

 

-Today's Daily Tarheel gives a front page headline to the UNC School of Law 3L Stephanie Christine (aka Stephanie Haney)who will appear, partially nude, in some "girls of the acc" issue of Playboy. The whole thing has a salacious/slut shaming undertone. Is it really worthy of front page coverage? Imagine this headline, instead. "Student Pursues Extracurricular Interests." O RLY!!!?


Some might argue that it's worth sharing with the rest of campus when a student gets national media attention. Professors and students at UNC get attention from national media sources all the time, and for reasons that comport with the university's mission and are more relevant to students, faculty, and staff, but it doesn't make the front page of the DTH. It didn't make the front page when one of our law profs was interviewed on Fox News when Sotomayor was nominated, or when two of our law profs got a shout-out from Richard Posner in the Atlantic for a piece they'd written about the financial crisis.

This has a distinctly gossipy appeal to it, yet it shares front page space with the story of 5 current/former UNC students arrested on cocaine trafficking charges, and a piece on how the budget crisis has drastically reshaped priorities for UNC administrators. If this story is newsworthy at all, it sure doesn't merit front page coverage (another imaginary headline, "Playboy Photographs Attractive Blond Woman.").

(I don't have to like the coverage, even if she IS dumb for wasting all that money on law school simply to have her JD as something to "fall back on" after her "modeling" career ends--why put yourself through the expense and torture!?)

There was quite the hubbub about it on Above the Law when the story broke in March, everyone in the comments sniping at her and at UNC Law in general and talking about the attractiveness of the student body at various universities. As despicable as the ATL commenters are, I kind of want to give some of them a sort-of pass for taking interest in this. I talked to a student here who was kind of "eehhhh" about this whole thing because of the attention it brings to UNC Law. And some of the professors sort of shake their heads and say, "bad career move." In the douchebaggy world of law schools and lawyers, that stuff matters (even if it shouldn't). ATL has a more recent story up about this, too. WOW their commenters are repulsive. But I guess I can see how it might shock/interest/mystify you, to learn that a fellow law student was doing this whole Playboy thing, given the way this might affect her job prospects.

In other news, one of my co-workers just came by to say that they've figured out which professor's class she's in right now. I wonder what it must feel like to be in school right now, the halls abuzz with chatter about your (DUMB) choices. I guess she doesn't care much or she wouldn't have talked to the DTH in the first place. Shit, she probably sent them a press advisory.