Several Notre Dame sponsors presented a panel discussion called "Sex, Music and You" to focus on music's effects on society, relationships and individuals. The three panelists shared their views on topics ranging from music videos to beauty to rap music.

Early in the discussion, the panelists reacted to clips of popular music videos featuring glamorous, yet scantily clad, women, and discussed whether it was beauty or exploitation.

Maynell Thomas, an entertainment attorney and producer, said music videos were products of commercialization, taking the place of music tours, and that the women are "a promotional tool to use…to sell music." She also said many women chose to perform in music videos "to take the next step" in their entertainment careers.

Le Alan Jones, a college student and author of "Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago," emphasized that many of the youth watching music videos do not realize that the flashy videos don't represent real life.

"[The video] creates a vision, but falsifies how to get to it," said Jones.

Abe Thompson, famous radio personality, entrepreneur, educator, author and motivational speaker, said that people are attracted to the flashiness of music videos, but that they have the choice whether or not to buy what they sell. Thompson said many people are affected by music in ways of which they are unaware.

"What you put in your mind affects you more than [what] you put in your stomach," said Thompson. "It stays there."

Reactions from the student audience focused on topics such as beauty versus exploitation, the double standard for women in entertainment and society, and competition.

Part way through the discussion, a video by fourteen-year-old rapper Little Bow Wow was shown with girls and women, dressed in trendy clothes, dancing around the star. Many of the students in the audience were appalled by the video and by the ideas of sex and money such videos put in the minds of today's youth. They wanted to know ways to change the moral standards of today.

Jones suggested that in order to make a difference, people have to become more than reactive, but proactive.

"You find something that is real … tangible … and do it," said Jones.

The panelists discussed the effect of image and stressed the importance of the power of an individual. They encouraged students to work for their goals and to make a difference.

"Be an individual. You have the option to do what everyone else does, but it is your choice. One step at a time," said Thompson.

The discussion's sponsors were the Notre Dame NAACP; Multicultural Student Programs and Services; the Film, Television, and Theater Department; and the Junior Class.

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