When I think of Princeton University, I think of rigorous academic standards, bad sports, and dead white men. I do not ever think of modeling. My thinking changes now that Princeton offers a course called “Model Memoirs: The Life Stories of International Fashion Models.” The class comes from the comparative literature and African American studies departments and includes in-class visits from world-renowned models. This may all sound like a waste of time, but I say we can learn something from models under the right circumstances.

Models have difficult jobs. They need to starve themselves, wear crazy clothes, and live their lives in hotels. While they are paid ridiculous amounts of money, they still have stories to tell. Many come from underprivileged backgrounds and they are discriminated against because of the jobs. All models are dumb bimbos, right?

In the hands of a capable professor, a model’s thoughts and experiences could challenge even Ivy League minds. All you have to do is apply a little critical theory and voila, a seemingly vapid piece of modeling schlock turns into a fascinating look at gender roles and women’s sexuality in the late 20th century.

These days professors turn to some pretty crazy sources to try to get their students going. At the University of California Berkeley and at the State University of New York at Buffalo, classes on the deconstruction of pornography fill slots in the curriculum. Naturally, the students look at the philosophical and aesthetic properties of the porn, but nonetheless it’s porn.

I think the quality of the subject matter all depends on the professor. A professor with imagination and a vision can take modeling books, porn, or any number of seemingly ridiculous subjects and teach their students ways to see parts of the world under a fresh light.

I feel like some professors and schools get bogged down with what they “have to teach.” Never mind that. Shock me, teach me something new, broaden my horizons.

Models and their memoirs may seem like a waste of time. But I think they have something valuable to contribute to society with their experiences and knowledge. People who live under so much pressure and under such a bright spotlight could teach us all something. In the hands of the right professor, this could be a provocative and interesting course.