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Megyn Kelly Ripped for Baring Flesh
During Convention "Coverage" Double
entendre?
The most sexist and antigay places in
America, according to Twitter
Toy choices for boys and
girls.
Kristen Stewart asks Jesse Eisenberg
insulting questions to prove a point about sexism in the
media.
Female Software Engineer 'Too Pretty'?
Isis Wenger Faces Heavy Criticism
48 surprisingly damaging things that
men hear all the time.
5-year-old boys are given the
same restrictions girls face around the world. They're not
pleased.
This dad knew exactly what to say
when his son asked for a mermaid doll for his
birthday.
FIFA article draws criticism
for referring to Morgan's looks
How ‘religious
liberty’ has been used to justify racism, sexism and
slavery throughout history
Do Sexist Men Like Big Boobs? Male
Attitudes May Predict Breast Size Preference, Says
Study
Apology That Doesn't
Work
Those Claiming Sexism can only be
Perpetrated Against Women
Men Are from Mars (Earth), Women Are
from Venus (Earth)
Daily
Acts of Sexism Go Unnoticed by Men, Women
Congresswoman Attacked as 'Ugly
as Sin' by Vicious Male Politician
Male birth control
is a racist, sexist mess
Sexism
and Gender Inequality
'Benevolent
Sexism' Is Not an Oxymoron and Has Insidious Consequences
for Women, Experts Argue
Sexism:
Cat-Calls Are Detrimental to Everyone
Rethinking
Sexism: A Daughter-Father Team Examines How Society
Maintains the Status Quo
That Kind of Sexism is
Sexist
My Week With
'Michelle'?
10 Concrete Ways to End Sexism as
Men
The West Wing on
Sexism
UNICEF & Gender
Equality
KFC Advertises on College Hotties
Buns - Girls Gone Wild is Next Probable Promotional
Vehicle
Slut Walk
Appalling Examples of Sexism in the
Media.Sexism in the Media
13 Perfect Responses To Street
Harassment
Rush Limbaugh Advises Men How to
Sexually Harass Women
Don’t believe women are
endlessly harassed?
Incels
Related Issues: A Real
Man, Manliness,
If Women Ran
the World, Sex
Roles, Misandry;
Songs
Books: Sexism,
Sex
Roles, Facebook's
Fear of Nipples
It's Only Sexist When Men Do ItFacebook COO Sheryl Sandberg discusses what inspired her to write her new book, 'Lean In,' and how working women can stop unintentionally holding themselves back both professionally and personally. She recalls a particularly troubling incident in which she spotted alarming phrases on t-shirts that were being sold at a major retailer. The shirts marketed to boys read, 'smart like daddy' while the shirts marketed to girls read, 'pretty like mommy.'
Megyn Kelly Ripped for Baring Flesh
During Convention "Coverage" Double entendre?
Fox News anchor “looks like she’s working for an escort agency,” one Twitter user writes
The Fox News anchor was bashed on Twitter Wednesday evening for wearing a form-fitting, spaghetti-strapped top that left her shoulders and upper chest uncovered. Many viewers found the clothing inappropriate for a news anchor.
“Megyn Kelly’s halter is not appropriate dress for a professional lady at the convention, especially an anchor,” wrote one user.
“Can’t Greta [Van Susteren] teach that freak not to dress like an escort?” asked another, referring to Kelly’s on-air colleague.
Kelly, one of Fox News’ biggest stars, has also been in the headlines this week for her role in the scandal engulfing her boss, network chief Roger Ailes. Former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson sued Ailes on July 6 claiming that he sexually harassed her.
Kelly has reportedly told lawyers that she was also
harassed by Ailes and also encouraged other women to come
forward with stories about the Fox News boss. Kelly has been
conspicuously silent about the reports.
Source: www.sfgate.com/entertainment/the-wrap/article/Megyn-Kelly-Ripped-as-Flesh-Baring-Escort-8399767.php
The old and maybe some of
the new feminists will decry society attacking how women
present themselves. A hollow precept in these days of the
cleavage obsessed culture, especially on the covers of
nearly all women's shelter magazines. I understand and
support women choosing to wear revealing clothes if they
choose. What I don't understand is why some intelligent,
attractive women, whom I'm sure know something about brain
research and what is wired into male and female brains,
choose to present their cleavage during presentations in
high-powered business meetings, much like the situation
Megyn found herself in here. The wiring causes most men to
look. It distracts me and I'm not a big cleavage desiring
guy. In my 35 years in the Mad Men business I learned to
keep focused on the rationale for what was being present.
But, none the less, cleavage was a distraction. Are these
women acting out their wired in idiosyncrasies unknowingly
or are they operating on the old belief that kids and sex
sell? - Editor
The most sexist and antigay places
in America, according to Twitter
When searching for the perfect city to live, you might consider cost of living, job availability, and whether you're willing to endure winter months with below freezing temperatures. Apartment finder site Adobo thinks that its tenants might also like to consider the level of racism, sexism, and antigay sentiment in a potential hometown.
Adobo searched tweets with 154 terms that reference race, gender, and sexual orientation in both neutral and negative ways from June of 2014 to December 2015. With 12 million tweets containing one of the terms, the group went on to categorize states and cities with the most and least derogatory Twitter feeds.
According to a 2014 survey from the Pew Research Center, about 23 percent of Americans use Twitter. While tweets may not tell the whole story, Adobo argues that its findings offer a snapshot into a region's cultures and values.
Overall Offensive Level
Louisiana had the highest instances of all forms of derogatory language, with about one tweet per 87 containing some form of slur. Texas and Nevada came in second and third for tweets containing offensive language. Wyoming and Montana are at the opposite end of the spectrum, with the lowest amount of derogatory language used on Twitter.
Women Have it the Worst
Most of the offensive tweets were against women, using the terms b---h, c--t, hag, bimbo, slut, and twat. Recognizing that bitch can have both positive and negative connotations, Adobo also offered a list that omitted this term, but still found that gender-based insults were the most common.
When including "bitch," researchers at Adobo found that New Orleans had the highest percentage of derogatory comments against women, with about 1 out of every 27 tweets containing a sexist insult. Louisiana also has the widest gender wage gap in the nation, with women earning about 65 percent of what men make, compared to the national average of 78 percent.
A Surprising Leader in Homophobic Comments
Antigay language was next most common form of abuse on Twitter, although tweets containing the terms fag, faggot, homo, dyke, sodomite, lesbo came in a distant second to sexist terms. Adobo found that Buffalo, New York had the highest rate of antigay tweets, with one out of every 625 tweets contain a gay slur. As one of just a few states to offer non-discrimination protections to LGBT people regarding adoption, employment, and housing, a city in New York might seem like an unlikely hub of antigay sentiment. Adobo researchers noted that they did not differentiate between positive and negative comments and that they were "uncertain how much this may reflect more neutral in-group reclamation."
Repeat Offenders
While Adobo didn't rank cities by overall derogatory
comments, there were a few locations that poppsed up
multiple times. Arlington, Texas ranked in the top 10 for
its frequency of antigay, sexist, anti-black, and
anti-Latino tweets. New Orleans was also in the top 10 for
all the aforementioned categories, save for slurs against
Latinos.
Source: www.aol.com/article/2016/03/08/the-most-sexist-and-antigay-places-in-america-according-to-twit/21324660/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl3%7Csec3_lnk3%26pLid%3D746324112
Toy choices for boys and
girls.
Shopping for toys might not seem like an important parenting moment, but it is.
For example, when my wife and I are looking online or at a shop somewhere, our 7-year-old boy frequently chooses toys that have been traditionally considered for girls, like pink backpacks and sparkly purple creative things that are clearly marketed on gender.
Some parents might steer him over to a different set of toys, but we've make a point not to pass judgment. We do caution him that he might have some kids teasing him, but that doesn't bother him one bit. In fact, that kind of peer pressure doesn't affect his decisions at all (Proud Papa moment there!).
Toys are still very gendered and it's often in a way that's unfair to girls.
Many of the toys that toy makers typically assign to girls point them in a certain direction, often associated with homemaking and pleasing men, a point recently made by comic artist Christine Deneweth, who published a fantastic cartoon about kids and gender discrimination.
Deneweth says she was watching TV when she saw toy commercials featuring boys conquering the world while girls stayed at home. She realized that the toys weren't just gendered, they were limiting girls to a few roles in society.
"Boy toys market that boys can be anything: scientists, dragon masters, sports stars, superheroes and so much more," she said. "Girl toys limit girls into being moms and cooks. And while it is good to be a mom or a cook, toy marketing doesn't show girls in a variety of roles. This can be damaging because girls need to see that they
Stereotypical toys can be harmful to boys, girls, and those who don't identify as either.
For example, I am the family cook and my boys do the laundry. These are not gendered roles at all in our house.
But I'll be damned if I can find a cooking set in the boys' section at the toy store.
There are companies that are breaking these molds, such as GoldiBlox, which offers toys that can inspire girls to be engineers, to build things, to dream beyond traditional roles.
Even bigger companies like Hasbro have received enough pressure to offer gender-neutral toys when previously, Easy-Bake ovens were only offered in pink and purple. Who made them consider changing? A 13-year-old kid.
Perhaps we're decades away from gender-neutral being the norm, but every time we talk about this, we make progress.
And parents (or kids) ... if you find a toy that bugs you
because it's blatantly sexist, feel free to have a
conversation about it, or start a petition, or just refuse
to buy into the stereotypes.
Source: www.upworthy.com/a-simple-8-panel-cartoon-on-toy-choices-for-boys-and-girls-bw2-2a?c=click
Female Software Engineer 'Too
Pretty'? Isis Wenger Faces Heavy Criticism
According to some social media users, female software
engineer Isis Wenger is “too pretty” to be a real
engineer. It all started with an advertisement by OneLogin,
a company responsible for creating the software of the same
name that allows users to safely enter all web applications
from a smartphone or tablet, where we see an attractive
engineer, Isis Wenger, sporting a smile alongside the
caption: “My team is great. Everyone is smart, creative
and hilarious.”
According to a report from Yahoo!, the ad was met with heavy criticism and negative comments from social media users.
“I’m curious people with brains find this ad remotely plausible and if women in particular buy this image of what a female software engineer looks like.” one person wrote. “What does a female software engineer look like?” another said.”If their intention is to attract more women then it would have been better to choose a picture with a warm, friendly smile rather than a sexy smirk,” a Facebook user posted in the comments section.
After receiving negative comments about her appearance,
the Platform Engineer aims to spread awareness about
diversity in the technology industry through a hashtag on
Twitter, #ILookLikeAnEngineer.
Source: www.inquisitr.com/2318681/female-software-engineer-too-pretty-isis-wenger-faces-heavy-criticism/
5-year-old boys are given
the same restrictions girls face around the world. They're
not pleased.
You never know what will come out of a 5-year-old's mouth.
Kids can be unpredictable little creatures. Their imaginations run wild, and they can be so curious, so fearless, and so brutally honest that it catches you off guard.
They can also be so on point.
A group of kindergarten boys were asked some important questions.
Global Citizen went to a classroom in Brooklyn, New York, to get the perspective of some young boys. It started out fairly normal:
"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
Boys: Cop, dentist.
But then it took a turn. The questions that followed put them in a different situation — a situation that many young girls face around the world. They flipped the "roles" of boys and girls:
"What if I told you that only your sister was allowed to play football and learn math and become a president. And you weren't allowed to do that because you are a boy?"
Boys: That's not fair because you're saying onlooy7 girls can play and not boys."
This social experiment touches on an important point: Millions of girls aren't allowed to do the things boys can do simply because they're girls.
According to The Girl Effect, 31 million girls of primary school age around the world aren't in school. 17 million of them are expected never to enter.
There are many reasons for this: They are forced into child marriages, they become young mothers, they are expected to work and to be at home, their culture doesn't see them as equal to boys, and more. Whatever the case, this gender divide has serious consequences for our world.
What kind of consequences? In Bangladesh, for example, $69 billion potentially could be added to the national income if just one million girls were able to delay marriage and becoming young mothers. $69 billion. And that's just one country.
Restrictions on girls keep them from reaching their full potential — but we're seeing progress.
While the numbers above might seem a bit overwhelming, we are seeing improvements in the treatment of girls and women through the work of many organizations and governments and by our next generation being pretty dang inclusive.
When boys like the ones in this kindergarten class view girls as their equals, it's a step toward a more equal world!
"Girls can do whatever boys can do.."
Right on, little man. I like where your head's at. GIF via Global Citizen.
These boys think girls should have the same opportunities as they do.
1:53
If you do too, consider sharing this or taking action
with Global
Citizen.
Source: www.upworthy.com/5-year-old-boys-are-given-the-same-restrictions-girls-face-around-the-world-theyre-not-pleased?c=upw1&u=07fa0e7f2d23f338b4a3b29d16b2a71a4c4e496b
Kristen
Stewart asks Jesse Eisenberg insulting questions to prove a
point about sexism in the media.
Imagine you can ask Kristen Stewart ANY question you want. Ready? Go!
Here are some reasonable choices:
1.What's your favorite role you've ever played?
2.What was it like working with Jodie Foster on "Panic Room" and who are the actresses you look up to the most?
3.Which script was funnier, "Adventureland" or "Breaking Dawn — Part 2"?
Sadly, all entertainment reporters seem to care about is:
1.Who are you dating?
2.No, but seriously, who are you dating?
3.C'mon, tell us who you're dating!
A person can only take so many questions about Robert Pattinson, am I right?
But this is just the way it is for most actresses. While Stewart's male costars get insightful interview questions about career and craft, women are forced to talk about their latest hairstyle and walk the "manicure runway" — yep, that's a real thing.
But! In a new skit from Funny or Die, Kristen Stewart gets a little revenge by turning these sexist interview questions on Jesse Eisenberg, her costar in "American Ultra." (Suggetion: Watch the whole video before reading on.)
2:47
In the hilarious video, Jesse and Kristen sit down to interview each other, only to find out they've been given each other's question cards.
Jesse: How did you bulk up for this role?
Things get interesting when Kristen starts asking Jesse all kinds of inane questions usually reserved for, well, her.
Kristine: Do you have any favorite designers?
Jesse: "Levi's," Eisenberg says. But "I don't know if that's a person."
Stewart moves on to the next question, a classic:
"Are you pregnant, though?
EIsenberg, shockingly, is not with child.
And, of course, no interview of a Hollywood actress would be complete without at least one mention of breasts:
Kristine: Do you have a favorite boob?
Finally, Eisenberg's had enough.
"I just feel like a lot of the questions you're asking me feel like they're ... not about the movie," he says.
Exactly!
Eisenberg: Now I know what it feels like to be a cwoman.
There's a difference between trying to humanize an actress and reducing her to the most basic of female stereotypes.
Sticking only to questions about the movie or her career could probably get a little boring, but how about we show a little creativity and insight? How about we go a little deeper than what dress she's wearing or whether she feels like her biological clock is ticking?
Or, at the very least, how about we start subjecting men to the same kinds of vapid interviews women have endured for so long?
If this video with Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg is
any indication, this kind of red carpet equality is long
overdue.
Source: www.upworthy.com/kristen-stewart-asks-jesse-eisenberg-insulting-questions-to-prove-a-point-about-sexism-in-the-media?c=upw1&u=07fa0e7f2d23f338b4a3b29d16b2a71a4c4e496b
How ‘religious
liberty’ has been used to justify racism, sexism and
slavery throughout history
There has been an enormous backlash from Indiana’s decision to enact a law that would allow businesses to discriminate if they invoke religious liberty. Responding to a flurry of boycott threats, Republican Governor Mike Pence signed a “fix” to the bill he says would prevent it from being used to discriminate.
But for the religious right, the battle lines have been drawn. 2016 presidential contenders like Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum, Ben Carson and others have all rushed to defend Indiana’s legislation, as a number of state legislatures continue to debate enacting similar measures. In Louisiana, one Republican lawmaker is introducing a narrower bill specifically taking aim at marriage, with the intent to allow businesses to discriminate against same-sex weddings and deny benefits to employees in same-sex marriages.
In all of these examples, religious belief is invoked to justify a right to discriminate. Proponents argue that constitutional protections for religious freedom are insufficient, and these new laws—aimed at granting businesses themselves exemptions from laws based on the invocation of religion—are necessary. It’s no surprise that these laws are proliferating around the same time marriage equality is slowly becoming the law of the land in most of the country. However, cries of religious liberty and a religious-based right to discriminatory and harmful behavior are not new. For centuries, religion has been used and abused as a shield for harmful behavior, to justify everything from slavery to sexist violence to racism in the Jim Crow South.
Slavery’s Religious Supporters
In today’s history books, the righteous deeds of abolitionists—many of them devout Christians—are rightly documented, showing how the Gospel was used to liberate millions of human beings who had been subjugated by slavery. However, while the abolitionists did use scripture to make their case, many of their pro-slavery opponents also invoked biblical traditions
In 1852, the writer Josiah Priest published a book titled Bible Defence Of Slavery: And Origin, Fortunes, and History of the Negro Race. The publisher’s preface points out the belief that “the institution of slavery received the sanction of the Almighty in the Patriarchal age; that it was incorporated into the only national constitution which ever emanated from God, that its legality was recognized, and its relative duties relegated by our Saviour, when upon earth.”
Priest quotes liberally from scripture, citing numerous examples of enslavement being sanctified in the Bible. He writes, “If God appointed the race of Ham judicially to slavery, and it were a heinous sin to enslave one, or all the race, how then is the appointment of God to go into effect? …. God does never sanction sin, nor call for the commission of moral evil to forward any of his purposes; wherefre we come to the conclusion, that is is not sinful to enslave the negro race, providing it is done in a tender, fatherly and thoughtful manner.”
Priest’s interpretations of the Bible were particularly popular in the American South, with the Southern Baptists championing religious justifications for enslavement. Prominent Baptist minister Richard Furman helped polarize southern white Baptists to support the institution of slavery; he wrote to the governor of South Carolina explaining that “the right of holding slaves is clearly established in the Holy Scriptures”; he specifically cites the “Israelites [being] directed to purchase their bond-men and bond-maids of the Heathen nations; except they were of the Canaanites, for these were to be destroyed. And it is declared that the persons purchased were to be their ‘bond-men forever;’ and an ‘inheritance for them and their children.’”
It was not until 1995's Southern Baptist Convention that the organization issued an apology for its former stance on slavery.
Weaponizing the Bible For Sexism
The Seneca Falls Woman’s Rights Convention of 1848 was one of the major gatherings of the women’s movement, and is considered to have been one of the turning points for suffragists in particular. In the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions the activists there compiled, they specifically included a provision condemning those who would use the Bible to suppress their rights: “Resolved, That woman has too long rested satisfied in the circumscribed limits which corrupt customs and a perverted application of the Scriptures have marked out for her, and that it is time she should move in the enlarged sphere which her great Creator has assigned her.”
Clinging to verses in the Bible that gave unequal status to men and women, opponents of the suffragists justified their beliefs with religious teaching. “Who demand the ballot for woman? They are not the lovers of God, nor are they believers in Christ, as a class. There may be exceptions, but the majority prefer an infidel’s cheer to the favor of God and the love of the Christian community. It is because of this tendency that the majority of those who contend for the ballot for woman cut loose from the legislation of Heaven, from the enjoyments of home, and drift to infidelity and ruin,” intoned Justin Fulton, a prominent reverend in 1869.
The religious-based bigotry against women was so intense that Elizabeth Cady Stanton actually wrote The Woman’s Bible to directly challenge religious oppression of women. The book’s critique of using religion to justify discrimination against women was considered so controversial it not only was denounced by sexists, but also by the National American Woman Suffrage Association, which saw the book as a mistake for the movement.
Jim Crow’s Holy Defenders
Other than the Christian right’s modern-day campaign against gay rights, the most recent use of scripture and religious liberty to justify discrimination was the 20th-century defense of Jim Crow. ThinkProgress’s Ian Milhiser notes that Democratic Senator Theodore Bilbo used his religious faith to justify preventing integration of the races.
“[P]urity of race is a gift of God…. And God, in his infinite wisdom, has so ordained it that when man destroys his racial purity, it can never be redeemed,” wrote Bilbo in the book Take Your Choice: Separation or Mongrelization.
Segregationist governor George Wallace invoked God 27 times in his famous speech that came to be known as “segregation now, segregation forever.” Georgia governor Allen Candler said that “God made them negroes and we cannot by education make them white folks”; following the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case that mandated desgregation of schools, Senator Harry Byrd took to the floor and quoted Genesis and Leviticus to justify continued segregation of the races.
Harming Church and State
None of this is to argue that religious values can’t
inspire individuals to do good. Towering figures such as the
Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mother Teresa improved
the lives of millions and used scripture to liberate people,
not oppress them. But a cursory review of the history shows
that invoking religious preference to justify discrimination
and oppression is a common tool. That’s why although
the Constitution guarantees your right to practice your
religion as you see fit, it also prevents the government
from using it to deny people rights. The current debates
over religious liberty are hardly new, they are simply new
cover for using religion to deny people rights, an old
routine that harms both the church and the state.
Source: www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/04/how-religious-liberty-has-been-used-to-justify-racism-sexism-and-slavery-throughout-history/
Do Sexist Men Like Big Boobs?
Male Attitudes May Predict Breast Size Preference, Says
Study
It seems cliche, but it just might be true. The more sexist a man is, the more likely he is to be into big boobs.
A recent study from the University of Westminster, published in February in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, showed that men's attitudes toward women influence their attitudes about ideal breast size. The researchers interviewed 361 white, heterosexual men, ranging in age from 18 to 68. (Since ethnicity has been previously shown to impact how individuals perceive breast size, the researchers decided to pull participants from just one self-identified racial category.) Each man was shown five different 3-D models of women, each with a different breast size, and then asked to record which "woman" he found most physically attractive.
Afterward, the participants were given surveys which measured each man's level of hostility toward women, his attitudes about relationships between men and women, benevolent sexism and how much he objectified women.
The researchers found that the largest percentage of participants (32.7 percent) rated medium-sized breasts as "most attractive," followed by large (24.4 percent), very large (19.1 percent), small (15.5 percent) and very small (8.3 percent). However, a preference for large and very large breasts was significantly correlated with overt sexism, benevolent sexism, female objectification and hostile attitudes toward women. This connection was strongest when it came to benevolent sexism. In other words, men who tend to idealize "traditional" femininity and perceive women as meek and weak, are also the most likely to prefer big boobs. "It is arguable that benevolently sexist men perceived larger female breasts as attractive because larger breast size on a woman is associated with perceived femininity," wrote the researchers.
The findings don’t mean that all men who find big
breasts attractive are sexist. Also, knowing that some guys
may associate your big boobs with weakness is NOT a reason
to have a breast reduction. But this research is a good
reminder that social ideas about what makes a woman sexually
desirable don't just impact the way women feel about
themselves or how they imagine men perceive them. Those
ideas impact the way that men view women -- both how
attractive and how powerful men think they are.
Source: www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/01/sexist-men-big-boobs-breast-size-study_n_2792287.html?utm_hp_ref=women&ir=Women&icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl5%7Csec3_lnk2%26pLid%3D281366
Appalling Examples of Sexism in the Media.Sexism in the Media
A documentary examination of TV attacks on female leadership.
Mainstream media often bombards women with sexist images
-- from rail-thin models digitally altered to make them
appear skinnier, to role models such as Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton being criticized for wearing "too little"
makeup. Read on to see eight shocking examples of sexism in
media, as highlighted in the documentary "Miss
Representation."
Source: www.takepart.com/photos/women-and-media-eight-appalling-examples-sexism?cmpid=tpnews-eml-2023-07-17-women
Those Claiming Sexism can only be Perpetrated Against Women
Mary Anne Warren, 1980: Behavior, policy, language, or other action of men or women which expresses the institutionalized, systematic, comprehensive, or consistent view that women are inferior. The term probably was an analogy with the term racism. Both terms reflect a rising social awareness of the oppression suffered in our culture by those who are not white males. Sexism and racism discriminate and define individuals as inferior, limits their opinions, and subjects them to exploitation and demeaning treatment, on the basis of their membership in some general class.(Here are how some define sexism:
Linda Phelps, 1975: A social relationship in which males have authority over females.
Susan Sands, 1970: Is an unconscious philosophy based on the premise that men must have first choice in everything.
Dale Spender, 1982: Is no bias which can be eliminated but (is) the foundation stone of learning and education in our male controlled society.
Liz Stanley and Sue Wise, 1983: Is the name of the problem addressed by feminism.
Sonia Johnson, 1984: The polite term for the war on
women. It is the model for racism, classism, ageism.
Men Are from Mars (Earth), Women Are
from Venus (Earth)
For decades, popular writers have entertained readers with the premise that men and women are so psychologically dissimilar they could hail from entirely different planets. But a new study shows that it's time for the Mars/Venus theories about the sexes to come back to Earth.
From empathy and sexuality to science inclination and extroversion, statistical analysis of 122 different characteristics involving 13,301 individuals shows that men and women, by and large, do not fall into different groups. In other words, no matter how strange and inscrutable your partner may seem, their gender is probably only a small part of the problem.
"People think about the sexes as distinct categories," says Harry Reis, professor of psychology at the University of Rochester and a co-author on the study to be published in the February issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. "'Boy or girl?' is the first question parents are asked about their newborn, and sex persists through life as the most pervasive characteristic used to distinguish categories among humans."
But the handy dichotomy often falls apart under statistical scrutiny, says lead author Bobbi Carothers, who completed the study as part of her doctoral dissertation at Rochester and is now a senior data analyst for the Center for Public Health System Science at Washington University in St. Louis. For example, it is not at all unusual for men to be empathic and women to be good at math -- characteristics that some research has associated with the other sex, says Carothers. "Sex is not nearly as confining a category as stereotypes and even some academic studies would have us believe," she adds.
The authors reached that conclusion by reanalyzing data from 13 studies that had shown significant, and often large, sex differences. Reis and Carothers also collected their own data on a range of psychological indicators. They revisited surveys on relationship interdependence, intimacy, and sexuality. They reopened studies of the "big five" personality traits: extroversion, openness, agreeableness, emotional stability, and conscientiousness. They even crunched the numbers on such highly charged and seemingly defining gender characteristics as femininity and masculinity. Using three separate statistical procedures, the authors searched for evidence of attributes that could reliably categorize a person as male or female.
The pickings, it turned out, were slim. Statistically, men and women definitely fall into distinct groups, or taxons, based on anthropometric measurements such as height, shoulder breadth, arm circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio. And gender can be a reliable predictor for interest in very stereotypic activities, such as scrapbooking and cosmetics (women) and boxing and watching pornography (men).
But for the vast majority of psychological traits, including the fear of success, mate selection criteria, and empathy, men and women are definitely from the same planet. Instead of scores clustering at either end of the spectrum -- the way they do with, say, height or physical strength -- psychological indicators fall along a linear gradation for both genders. With very few exceptions, variability within each sex and overlap between the sexes is so extensive that the authors conclude it would be inaccurate to use personality types, attitudes, and psychological indicators as a vehicle for sorting men and women.
"Thus, contrary to the assertions of pop psychology titles like Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, it is untrue that men and women think about their relationships in qualitatively different ways," the authors write. "Even leading researchers in gender and stereotyping can fall into the same trap."
That men and women approach their social world similarly does not imply that there are no differences in average scores between the sexes. Average differences do exist, write the authors. "The traditional and easiest way to think of gender differences is in terms of a mean difference," Carothers and Reis write. But such differences "are not consistent or big enough to accurately diagnose group membership" and should not be misconstrued as evidence for consistent and inflexible gender categories, they conclude.
"Those who score in a stereotypic way on one measure do not necessarily do so on another," the authors note. A man who ranks high on aggression, may also rank low on math, for example. Caution the authors: "the possession of traits associated with gender is not as simple as 'this or that'."
Although emphasizing inherent differences between the sexes certainly strikes a chord with many couples, such simplistic frameworks can be harmful in the context of relationships, says Reis, a leader in the field of relationship science. "When something goes wrong between partners, people often blame the other partner's gender immediately. Having gender stereotypes hinders people from looking at their partner as an individual. They may also discourage people from pursuing certain kinds of goals. When psychological and intellectual tendencies are seen as defining characteristics, they are more likely to be assumed to be innate and immutable. Why bother to try to change?"
The best evidence we have that the so-called Mars/Venus gender division is not the true source of friction within relationships, says Reis, is that "gay and lesbian couples have much the same problems relating to each other that heterosexual couples do. Clearly, it's not so much sex, but human character that causes difficulties."
The findings support the "gender similarities hypothesis" put forth by University of Wisconsin psychologist Janet Hyde. Using different methods, Hyde has challenged "overinflated claims of gender differences" with meta-analyses of psychology studies, demonstrating that males and females are similar on most, though not all, psychological variables
Those results were not a surprise for Carothers. Raised by two physical education teachers, the self-described tomboy grew up with "all kinds of sporting equipment… I did not question stereotypical attitudes, I just knew that they did not necessarily fit me and the folks I hung out with." That experience, she says, fueled a lifelong interest into the biological basis of behavior. When she discovered in graduate school that she could apply her prowess in statistics to exploring sex differences, the project became "a marriage of two interests."
The authors acknowledge that the study is based largely on questionnaires and may not fully capture real life actions. "Methods that more pointedly measure interpersonal behaviors (how many birthday cards have they sent this year, how many times a month do they call a friend just to see how he or she is, etc.) may more readily reveal a gender taxon," they write.
By the same token, however, as gender roles are
liberalized, the authors speculate that new studies may show
even less divergence between men and women in the United
States. The opposite may be the case in cultures that are
far more prescriptive of male and female roles, such as
Saudi Arabia, Reis and Carothers predict.
Source: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130204094518.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews
A construction sign at MarketFair Mall in Princeton, N.J., is "apologizing" for the catcalls its workers have made at women.
The sign, located outside of a New Jersey mall, according to Jezebel, reads:
We apologize for the whistling construction workers, but man you look good!
So we will soon, please pardon our dust, dirt, and other assorted inconveniences.
Since so many women have experienced street harassment -- an estimated 90 percent of women by age 19 -- it's perhaps no surprise the ad didn't go over well.
A Change.org
petition to remove the sign is quickly gathering signatures,
and another one has been started on Stopstreetharassment.org
Holly Kearl, the founder of Stop Street Harassment, said in an e-mail message that she contacted the mall about the sign and that a marketing representative responded to say that it would be removed.
The sign joins a long list of marketing materials companies end up apologizing for once they discover that many female consumers don't find them amusing. Often the renounced ads have touched on themes like sexual harassment, sexual assault, gender inequality and menstruation.
In March, a Belvedere vodka campaign featuring a man holding a woman against her will appeared with the tagline "Unlike some people, Belvedere always goes down smoothly." Outrage was swift enough that, according to Forbes, the company pulled evidence of the ad from social media sites within an hour.
The same month, a Twitter user snapped a picture of the cleaning instructions printed on a tag inside her boyfriend's Madhouse brand pants: "Give it to your woman ... It's her job."
And last summer, there was the milk campaign that implied
women are near-certifiable right before their periods.
Taglines on photos of men apparently terrified of their
partners read, "I'm sorry for the thing -- or things -- I
did or didn't do" and "I'm sorry I listened to what you said
and not what you meant."
Source: www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/18/marketfair-mall-construction-sign-street-harassment_n_1606254.html?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl39%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D171073
While Sexism has often been defined as only affecting women, that, in itself, is sexist. A few more liberal definitions that leave open the possibility that sexism may also impact men directly when used to separate.
Sara Delamont, 1980: Is stereotyping people by sex; just as racism is stereotyping people by race.
Nelle Morton: A way of ordering life by gender "that robs people of their humanness and aborts the Spirit moving in the communities of which we are a part."
Angela Davis, 1982: Can never be seen in isolation.
It has to be placed in the context of its interconnections
with racism, and especially with class exploitation. (Ed.
Homophobia might be a good one to add.)
10 Concrete Ways to End Sexism as Men
#1. Recognize that men's and women's views of each other and of themselves have been shaped by sexist conditioning in our society.
#2. Understand that these sexist views will persist and cloud both sexes' thinking about both men and women.
#3. Always remember the true nature of ALL women and ALL men: strong, loving, intelligent, zestful, cooperative, assertive, confident and tender. If you can't see everyone that way then it is due to the sexist conditioning (and other hurts) placed upon you. If you had never received this conditioning, then you could easily see everyone's inherent nature all the time. If any person never received any type of conditioning, then they would always act on these inherent qualities all the time.
#4. Educate yourself on the ways that women have been oppressed. Ask the women in your life what the sexism is like in their life. It is important for women to get to talk about it with you and important for you to hear the hardships of being a woman in this society.
#5. Share the work that has traditionally been considered "women's work". This is largely unpaid work and is not considered as important as "men's work".
#6. Challenge the notion to both men and women that boys are by nature aggressive and violent. Stand firm that it is only hard conditioning that makes anyone act this way. Stand firm that boys are just like girls with the whole range of emotions, compassion, and need for tenderness.
#7. Eliminate homophobia (the fear of being close to someone of the same gender as oneself) with the men in your life. Homophobia perpetuates confusion that closeness and sex are the same thing (they are not the same). It prevents men from having close relationships with each other. Taking turns listening to each other about the hardships we've had being men is a great step in starting closer friendships. Go meet lots of men!
#8. Encourage men (including yourself) to feel and express all natural feelings. Men's largest conditioning comes from being forced to act like we have no feelings (e.g. "Big boys don't cry", "You're acting like a girl/sissy"). This conditioning is what eventually makes men take on all of the inhuman roles we are expected to play in society.
#9. Support women's leadership. One crucial area to eliminating sexism is challenging the notion that men are natural leaders and women are natural followers. This can be confusing for men. But considering all the sexist stereotypes we've been taught about women, this is understandable. That is why remembering women's inherent nature (see #3) and taking turns listening with other men about how we've been conditioned is so important in moving forward and supporting women's leadership.
#10. Model non-sexist behavior everywhere. Tell and show
men and women that eliminating sexism is a primary focus in
your life. The presence of sexism in society is hurtful to
everyone, not just women. It's elimination will enhance
every human being's life.
Source: Men Against Racism & Sexism,
mars@ccsi.com
or 512.326.9686
Congresswoman Attacked as 'Ugly as Sin' by Vicious Male Politician
When you think about the men and women representing us in Washington, DC, how much time do you spend contemplating their attractiveness? Not much, right? Me neither.
But that didn't stop a New Hampshire state lawmaker from likening a US congresswoman to "a drag queen" in a thinly-veiled attempt to steer voters toward her "truly attractive" opponent.
Say what? It's true! Republican Steve Vaillancourt put these harsh comments in writing in his blog on NH Insider. But the crass lawmaker claims he was merely making a point in reference to a recent poll that asserts an attractive candidate can have as much as a 7- to 10-point advantage over a less attractive opponent as long as the two are of the same gender and one isn't so good looking, it is intimidating.
Oh no he didn’t! Oh yes he did! Sure, New Hampshire is the "Live Free or Die" state, and certainly this man can write whatever he likes, but can you imagine if female political pundits were sounding off on the looks of male candidates? They'd be deemed frivolous and shallow.
In an attempt to defend himself, Vaillancourt says he wasn't being sexist when he seemingly attempted to spark a cyber catfight between Democratic Congresswoman Ann Kuster and Republican Marilinda Garcia. He pointed to the Kennedy-Nixon debates in which JFK bested Tricky Dick with those watching TV while the opposite held true when it came to radio listeners.
Either way, isn't there enough discord in politics already? Do we really need to turn an election into a beauty pageant? Even if the country ran out of real issues, like, oh, say, poverty, unemployment, and crime, I still don't think looks should determine who gets elected.
But Vaillancourt's comments aside, it makes me think about the survey he was referencing. Have you ever heard of those studies where psychologists send two teachers into a classroom to read to students? One is older and less attractive, while the other is young and pretty. When asked which is the better teacher, children invariably pick the more attractive one.
We can typically write off those results because they're
kids, but when it comes to adults and lawmakers, shouldn't
we know better?
Source: www.cafemom.com/articles/beauty_style/178339/Steve_Vaillancourt_congresswoman_ugly?utm_medium=sem2&utm_campaign=prism&utm_source=taboola-z&utm_content=0&utm_site=patch-rochester#
KFC Advertises on College Hotties
Buns - Girls Gone Wild is Next Probable Promotional
Vehicle
Fast-food behemoth KFC has sunk to new lows, literally: They've hired female college students dressed in red sweats with the Double Down logo emblazoned on their rear ends to hand out KFC certificates. The campus hotties reportedly earn $500 for their efforts. The promotion officially kicked off this week in Louisville, Ky., and will soon hit three more campuses. College gals that are interested can simply apply on KFC's Facebook page.
The Double Down was primarily marketed to young men, so there's a warped logic to this latest guerrilla campaign.
The contradiction of a bun-less sandwich being advertised on the buns of college bunnies isn't lost on us. But the ancient "sex sells" adage is just a tad depressing.
The nation's largest women's group doesn't like it, according to USA Today. "It's so obnoxious to once again be using women's bodies to sell fundamentally unhealthy products," Terry O'Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, said in the USA Today story. What's more, she says, KFC has forgotten something important: Women make more than half the decisions about what to eat for dinner.
"It's hard to imagine anyone escaped the buzz of the Double Down earlier this year," John Cywinski, KFC's chief marketing and food innovation officer said in a press release. "But in an effort to reach consumers coast-to-coast, and especially our key target of young men, we've established yet another advertising first - one that's fitting of the Double Down's head-turning history."
Really, KFC?
Source: www.slashfood.com/2010/09/22/kfc-advertises-on-college-hotties-buns/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl9%7Csec1_lnk3%7C172188
My Week With 'Michelle'?
If you lingered at all over the print advertisements for "My Week With Marilyn" in The New York Times (and, I suspect, other papers) this past post-Thanksgiving weekend, you know that the movie’s star, who plays Marilyn Monroe, is getting raves. "Michelle is luminous," says movie-poster staple Peter Travers in Rolling Stone. "Michelle is ravishing," proclaims Leonard Maltin. "Michelle makes the star come alive," declares David Denby in The New Yorker.
Except, of course, none of them says those things. Not exactly. No major film critic would refer to an actor in a review by her first name -- even if a critic wanted to, he'd have to take it up with an editor: Publications have style guides when it comes to such things, and using someone's surname (sometimes preceded by a title like "Mr." or "Ms.," as in The New York Times) is generally considered the respectful thing to do. Thus, "Williams makes the star come alive" is what David Denby actually wrote. The other two critics were misquoted more aggressively: Travers's actual words were "The luminous Michelle Williams goes bone-deep here," while Maltin said Williams "convinces us that she is that ravishing, impossible, heartbreaking figure we've all read so much about."
Misquoting critics for advertising purposes is nothing new, of course. (For one thing, film critics are not actually addicted to exclamation points.) Movie studios and distributors can be shamed into dropping an egregious misquotation, but the ones I've checked from the Marilyn ad are not fraudulent, really: The critics do think Williams is terrific. The charge I'm tempted to levy at the advertisers in this case is not dishonesty but sexism.
Now, I realize what the film's advertisers are up to here: They want us to conflate Michelle Williams with Marilyn Monroe. Fair enough: That's what the actress tries to do on screen. And Marilyn Monroe is better known by her first name -- hence the title of the movie. (The ad execs must have been giddy that their star’s first name also begins with an "M.") But addressing a woman by her first name rather than her last has a long and unfortunate history. And it's not as though the practice has faded into the benighted past, either: During the last presidential campaign, many people noticed that Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin were far more likely to receive the first-name treatment than Barack Obama and John McCain. The double standard also pops up regularly on TV. And the Marilyn ads do engage in the double standard: "Michelle is extraordinary. Branagh is hilarious." So says Lou Lumenick, supposedly, in The New York Post. Travers, we're told, says "Branagh is superb."
Using simply "Marilyn" in the movie's title makes sense:
Monroe was one of those rare celebrities on a first-name
basis with the world. She was also often unfairly reduced to
a girlish sex object -- and the fact that everyone called
her simply "Marilyn" can’t be entirely untangled from
that treatment. If the trailer for "My Week With Marilyn" is
any indication, the new movie attempts to examine the
tension between that public identity and Monroe's more
private self. So it seems unfortunate that, in its
advertising, those putting out the film have opted to echo,
however inadvertently, the kind of sexism that the movie
itself appears determined to explore.
Source: www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/28/my-week-with-marilyn-michelle-williams_n_1117060.html?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl14%7Csec3_lnk1%7C116129
13 Perfect
Responses To Street Harassment
All too often women experience street harassment and don't know what to do. Sometimes we want to respond but can't quite think of anything to say in the moment. While every situation is different and each woman should deal with her harassers as she sees fit, we wanted to provide some comebacks that can be kept in your back pocket (for those days when your creativity and wit fail you).
Over the weekend, the Twitter followers of the Everyday Sexism Project shared their most humorous and amusing responses to unwanted attentions. Take a look at our 13 favorites -- hopefully, they'll help you feel a bit more confident in your reaction the next time you encounter street harassment. (So sad. These Neanderthals still exist.)
1. Feign ignorance. A man once pointed out loudly that I have huge boobs. I looked down at them and screamed like I'd never noticed them before
2. Bark Back Last time a man called me a bitch for ignoring his unwelcome advances, I barked at him loudly & repeatedly until he ran away
3. Point out a certain anatomical dilemma. Guy on train after I asked him to move his bag off seat: "Why don't you grab my cock?" Me: "I didn't bring any tweezers."
4. Use what Mother Nature gave you. Man calls out "nice ass" and I just happen to be holding in a fart. Stop, look right at him and let it go.
5. Put your own spin on their advice. "A woman's place is in the kitchen" you know what you're right. Lemme grab a knife.
6. Introduce your harasser to new, like-minded people. A guy kept harrassing me for my phone number so I gave him the number of another sexist, figured they'd have a lot in common
7. Fact-check their statements. Man: "Nice tits." Me: "If you're going to be a sexist pig at least be accurate. I have fantastic breasts." Silence....
8. Direct your harasser to Lost and Found. Maybe they will find what they're looking for there? On train home guy rubs my bum. I grab hand, lift it in the air & say "has anyone lost a hand? I found this one on my arse!"
9. Be honest. "Guy: can't turn a hoe into housewife." "Me: can't turn a misogynist asshole into respectable guy"
10. Attempt to educate. i was riding my bike home + a guy said to his friends "she wants my dick"-about me-so i rode back + lectured them for 10 min
11. Explain how a conversation works. Man glaring
at my boobs. Me: "They don't talk back yknow."
Man: "Excuse me?"
Me: "My breasts. They don't talk back. My face does
though"
12. Discuss meal preference. "How do you like you eggs in the morning?" - grim late night pickup attempt. "Unfertilised thanks" (my wittest moment ever)
13. Invoke the late, great Jane Austen. When I get
cat-called I like to go Austen on their ass. "You're fit."
"OH SIR! Finally a man who can take me to the
ball!" (Sorry, I don't get this
one.)
Source: www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/09/responses-to-street-harassment_n_4412307.html?utm_hp_ref=women&ir=Women&icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl16%7Csec3_lnk3%26pLid%3D417994
Rush Limbaugh
Advises Men How to Sexually Harass Women
(Rush is a pathetic little man for
his physical size)
Speaking today about a University of Nebraska study which found that men's gazes are "objectifying" for women, right wing talk show host Rush Limbaugh offered his expert advice on how men can more effectively sexually harass women:
Audio: But there's a way around this, guys. You gotta have fun with this, as you know. So let me offer suggestions. The first suggestion, the first way to deal with this that came into my mind, is you find yourself staring, looking at, casually glancing at a woman, but you know that it's now socially taboo. You shouldn't be doing it, and you think everybody is noticing you doing it and condemning you in their minds. You shouldn't be doing it. So you walk up to the woman and say, "Would you please ask your breasts to stop staring at my eyes?"
Limbaugh suggested that sexual harassment was just part of human nature, saying that the "liberals" behind the study "just despise human nature and try to alter it and change it and create it, because many of them just don't fit in with it in many ways."
It will come as no surprise that Limbaugh doesn't have a problem with sexual harassment. The talk show host has previously claimed that many women who complain about sexual harassment actually wish it would happen to them.
Today's sexual harassment primer was just the latest in Rush Limbaugh's long history of sexist rhetoric about women
Limbaugh on an ongoing rape investigation:
"He's trying to figure out how he can get involved in the deal down there at Duke where the lacrosse team… supposedly, you know, raped some hos."
Limbaugh on feminism:
"Feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society."
Limbaugh on sexual harassment:
"Some of these babes, I'm telling you, like the sexual harassment crowd. They're out there protesting what they actually wish would happen to them sometimes."
Limbaugh on the women's movement:
"I love the women's movement — especially when walking behind it."
Limbaugh on longevity:
"Women still live longer than men because their lives are easier."
Limbaugh on breasts and intelligence:
"The larger the bra size, the smaller the IQ."
Limbaugh on chauvinism:
"We're not sexists, we're chauvinists — we're male chauvinist pigs, and we're happy to be because we think that's what men were destined to be. We think that's what women want."
Limbaugh on cats and women:
"My cat comes to me when she wants to be fed....She's smart enough to know she can't feed herself. She's actually a very smart cat. She gets loved. She gets adoration. She gets petted. She gets fed. And she doesn't have to do anything for it, which is why I say this cat's taught me more about women than anything my whole life."
Limbaugh on women's clothing:
"I'll tell you, you women. Why don't you just make it official, put on some burkas and I'll guaran-damn-tee you nobody'll touch you. You put on a burka, and everybody'll leave you alone if that's what you want."
Limbaugh on overweight women:
"Female politicians get a pass on every aspect of their appearance. You would never have stories about how some female politican's fat... There are plenty of lard-ass women in politics, and they get a total pass on it."
Limbaugh on contraceptives:
"So Ms. Fluke, and the rest of you Feminazis, here’s the deal. If we are going to pay for your contraceptives, and thus pay for you to have sex, we want something for it. We want you post the videos online so we can all watch."
Decent folks who believe in tolerance and equality are no longer powerless against Rush Limbaugh's efforts to spread intolerance on the radio. StopRush is making a major impact by convincing advertisers on this show to withdraw their ads--and with your help we can do even more. Just a few emails, tweets, or Facebook messages a week to Limbaugh's advertisers can go a long way toward making hatred less profitable. It is our collective voice that makes us strong.
Join StopRush! We can use your help in the following ways:
Join: The Flush Rush Facebook community
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Rush
Don’t believe women are endlessly harassed? Watch this
1:56It’s a little surprising someone didn’t think of this before.
But here it is: hard evidence, irrefutable proof, upwards of 100 undeniable examples revealing just what kinds of casual, routine harassment await any young, “normal” American woman strolling around the city by herself, in a single day.
Do you think you already know? Think you have a clue what it’s like? Let me just suggest this to you right now: You have no idea.
I’m talking to the guys, of course (women are already nodding). No matter your feminist quotient – and I like to think mine’s pretty high – men simply have no way of knowing what it’s like to endure the endless stream of leers, catcalls, insults, profanities, groping, stalking, public masturbation, sexual innuendos, unsolicited offers and smarmy “compliments” coming at the typical young female from all manner of bros, dudes and street-corner douchebags as she attempts to walk from point A to point B.
Why don’t we see it? Because when a man walks around with a woman, he acts as a sort of douchebag repellant, fending off the bulk of the lurches, whistles and dumb, macho grunts. Hence, we can’t ever fully know what a woman experiences in the average solo urban stroll.
Until now. Here is a video all men should watch. It was made by Rob Bliss Creative for Hollaback!, an anti-harassment group.
The idea is simple enough: Install a videocamera into a backpack, strap it to the director’s shoulders as he walks a few paces ahead of actress Shoshana B. Roberts for about 10 hours in a single day in NYC.
Roberts is dressed plainly enough, in jeans and a crew-neck T-shirt. She’s carrying a microphone in each hand. They simply walk around and record what happens.
All told, they caught upwards of 100 examples of harassment in 10 short hours, ranging from smarmy, offhand “compliments” to full-blown leers, not to mention accusations, entitlements, pleas for attention running from creepy to gross to downright dangerous, not a single one of them free of the sense that this is merely normal guy behavior, that the male has some sort of obvious right to say, do, act however he wants. Because there’s nothing she can do about it. Because he’s stronger and dominant and could kill her if he wanted to. Because America, bitch.
(Side note to all dudebros, right now irritated about
this video and itching to argue that not all douchebag
behavior constitutes harassment: If you think hurling some
smarmy, unsolicited comment at a women as she walks to work
isn’t more than obnoxious, you’re not paying
enough attention. What’s more, you’re conveniently
ignoring the tone, the expectation of reply, the not-at-all
subtle sexual charge – not to mention the gross
cumulative effect. You don’t get it, because it
doesn’t happen to you. No male would dare stalk or
harass someone stronger or more potentially dangerous than
them. Put yet another way: Those aren’t compliments.
They’re proof of ownership.
Source: blog.sfgate.com/morford/2014/10/29/women-are-endlessly-harassed/?cmpid=NLmorford
This dad
knew exactly what to say when his son asked for a mermaid
doll for his birthday.
A toy is a toy is a toy. It's really that simple.
1:08"Now, how do you think a dad feels when his son wants to get this?"
That's the question YouTuber and proud dad Mikki Willis asked viewers, while holding a mermaid doll in a video posted online on Aug. 23, 2015, his son, Azai, trying not to smile in the background.
Some dads wouldn't be cool with their sons playing with Little Mermaid dolls or, you know, playing with dolls at all. But after a few chuckles, both Willis and Azai yell happily, "Yeah!"
Willis decided to support his son's decision to get whatever toy he wanted, without letting gender stereotyping get in the way. And — judging by the outpouring of support in the video's comments section — he's not alone in encouraging his son to like what he likes, stereotypes be damned.
The video — which Willis captured after a trip to the toy store for Azai to swap out one of his birthday presents — is gathering steam online. In just about two days, it's already garnered more than 236,000 views.
I'd say that's no coincidence, seeing as it touches on one very hot topic.
Gender stereotyping in toys is one issue making waves right now.
Just this month, retail giant Target announced it was phasing out boy-girl references throughout its stores in sections where "suggesting products by gender is unnecessary," such as toys, kids' bedding, and entertainment.
"There is no 'boy side' or 'girl side' to childhood," Melissa Atkins Wardy, a children's retail expert and business owner, told Upworthy in support of Target's decision. "Why would we tell a kid they can't like cars or pirates or fairies or pink? Go for it, kid."
Willis would agree — why limit what toys his son should and should not enjoy?
Willis explained that he wasn't at all surprised when Azai selected the mermaid toy.
"Many are asking me, 'How did you feel the moment Azai
chose that doll?'" he wrote in the video's description. "The
honest answer is, it didn't surprise me at all. Azai is
equally fascinated by princesses and robots."
Source: www.upworthy.com/this-dad-knew-exactly-what-to-say-when-his-son-asked-for-a-mermaid-doll-for-his-birthday?c=upw1&u=07fa0e7f2d23f338b4a3b29d16b2a71a4c4e496b
48 surprisingly damaging things that
men hear all the time.
Earlier this December, the Huffington Post put out a wildly popular video in which women young and old repeated the sexist phrases they hear during a lifetime.
With phrases ranging from "you're so pretty" to "what were you wearing that night," the two-minute video captured what it's like to live in a culture that unfairly defines your worth based on the fact that you happen to be a woman.
Now it's the men's turn to explain the things they hear in a lifetime.
In "48 Things Men Hear in a Lifetime (That Are Bad for Everyone)," another video from the Huffington Post, men repeat the phrases that often shape how they treat women and each other. Although we don't discuss it much, men also feel that they're often viewed through a narrow lens.
Surprisingly, a lot of the comments in this video deal with stereotypes that are similar to what women face, too, just with a masculine spin.
For example:
1. Men are also judged on their looks.
To illustrate how much women are judged by their looks, the "48 Things Women Hear" video begins and ends with comments reflecting this: "You're so pretty" and "You must have been beautiful when you were younger."
While men might not hear this as incessantly as women, they're also judged on physical characteristics that they have no control over, and are often told they need to fit a stereotypical masculine ideal. This means they're judged on things like being tall, being able to grow facial hair ("You can't even grow a beard!"), and "being buff."
Scientific studies point out that women are judged more strongly by their physical attractiveness than their male counterparts, but as this video shows, men experience this too — sometimes to the point of excluding their personality and capabilities.
2. Men are told that they shouldn't do girly things.
We hammer this notion into boys' heads from a young age: what toys they should play with and what emotions they should or should not express.
Anything perceived as "girly" is off-limits. In this way, boys are discouraged from freely exploring what they might truly like.
And this doesn't change as they grow up, either. For example, while women are questioned for drinking "manly" drinks like whiskey, men are ridiculed for picking a poison that's not stereotypically masculine.
3. Men are also taught not to have feelings.
Most men don't dare get emotional, lest someone ask, "Are you on your period?" (See also "Don't be such a pussy" and "You're so sensitive for a guy.") or make insinuations about sexual orientation. Apparently, the same insults that are lobbed at women can be thrown at men for daring to show emotion at all.
Perhaps The Cure's "Boys Don't Cry" says it best:
"I try to laugh about itCover it all up with lies
I try and
Laugh about it
Hiding the tears in my eyes
'cause boys don't cry
Boys don't cry"
Real talk, though: Expressing emotion should not equal emasculation. Both men and women would do well to remember that.
4. Women are shamed for their sexuality. Men are encouraged to do the shaming.
"Don't be a slut.""No guy wants to have sex with a virgin."
Those were two comments featured in the "48 Things Women Hear" video that capture the sexual double standard women face. But in their video, men are encouraged to play into this double standard, too.
Men didn't make these contradictory rules up themselves. Other men and perhaps even other women have passed down such notions for generations. Plus, this video reminds us that men are even judged by similar standards to women in this regard, with people commonly asking a man, "You're still a virgin?"
Then there's the notion that men should feel entitled to whatever they want sexually, perhaps to mitigate the perception that they're virginal and therefore weak:
And the fact that most bad behavior is then excused with this cliche:
Not all men are perpetrators of rape culture, and not all women are victims of it. But both are at a disadvantage when certain notions are pushed on any gender.
"48 Things Men Hear in a Lifetime" shows more than just how sexism affects society's more favored gender. It also shows how men are taught to subscribe to sexist notions in order to come off as more masculine, as a "real man."
And sometimes those notions don't come from men themselves, but from all of us.
We can't solve sexism without men taking stock of their own beliefs and without reflecting on how women play into those beliefs as well.
Let's think twice before we say certain things about how men and women "should" act according to gender.
Watch the entire video below:
1:37
The dogma of women's complete historical subjection to men must be rated as one of the most fantastic myths ever created by the human mind. - Mary Ritter Beard
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