Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Feminist Rant



Yes, I'm a feminist.

For clarification, the definition of a feminist is not: A Militant Ball-Busting Emasculating Bull Dyke Biatch.

No, feminism is simply the pursuit of equality for 
all people.

The other day, after several events in succession, I began pondering the following questions:

*  When was the last time a man was featured in an ad for cleaning products?

*  Why is it considered hilarious when a man dresses up like a woman with a huge ass and breasts?  Imagine a woman dressed as a man with a huge penis.  Would that also be a comedy hit at the box office?

*  How many men do you know that are struggling with 'perfectionism?'  

*  Why is it referred to as 'babysitting' when children are with their fathers?

*  If men began starving themselves to emaciation to fit the equivalent of a size zero, wouldn't society become alarmed? 

*  Why aren't women speaking up, as if feminism died in the 70's and further self awareness is unnecessary?

Just askin'.

picture from fixitwithwine.wordpress.com

6 comments:

  1. How true everything you mentioned. But women have to face first some issues between them. I didn't see, till the moment we're speaking, any effort in that direction.

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  2. I HATE that cleaning product ads are only directed at women. Also that I have to beg and plead and nag to get any help with cleaning.

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  3. Hi nulla - thanks for your comment! You're right that women can make a difference through talking to, and working with, each other.

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  4. Hi Elisa - thanks for stopping by! I hate that, too. Your comment made me wonder why men aren't begging women to help with the cleaning...

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  5. THANK YOU!!! I could not agree more with you. *SO* frustrating. These are problems I struggle with daily. I get upset seeing scenes in movies that, to me, are blatantly sexist. The problem is that they are so ingrained in our culture that even many women do not notice them and when such issues are pointed out, many do not see the sexism because "that's just the way things are." I point out the sexism to my boyfriend and he thinks I'm overreacting. "It's just a movie..." (It is true that I overreact a little at times - I turn toward him and pummel him with pillows to get out my frustrations, as though he did something wrong. Well, he is a man... :P) Movies, all media, create, promote, and reaffirm beliefs, as does language. Hello, "you guys" as a phrase used for males and females. "You girls" would never come to be a "unisex" phrase.

    Regarding the cleaning, I do think many men tolerate more mess for a longer period of time than women. If they were left to the chores, women the world over would go mad.. Well, some might be perfectly content. At least my guy does the dishes if I cook. If he does most of the cooking, I do most of the dishes. We don't live together, so we'll see how things go once we're married. We may need a calendar, but he has freely said on many occasions that the workload should be shared 50-50 (unless one member is not working, in which case they should do more of the house work. I agree. His older brother did part-time work for a while and his wife was full-time. He did almost all of the house work).
    -- AnneMarie

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  6. Hi AnneMarie - yes, the small ways that sexism creeps into our lives is troubling if we take the time to think about it. Hopefully, boys are being raised to think differently about what it means to equally share in housekeeping, child rearing, all of it. My son grew up cleaning, doing his laundry, taking care of himself in every way that he could. I'm convinced that what a mother expects of her son is what a wife can expect of him as a husband. The change has to begin somewhere.

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