sometimes I turn off my capslock & use multisyllabic words: shocker, I know

[meiface]

I was chatting with swingingstars today and she linked me to this advertisement by The Economist, purportedly for women:

Comments

[meritjubet]

Part of the reason I don't like Foursquare and the like is for the great potential for stalking. Then [insert musings on gender dynamics] and so women do have more to fear. Which is why take back the night events are great, even if some find reason to criticise.

I'm lucky that my parents praised my skills and encouraged me. So yay! but if you read Sociological Images, well, nearly every week there is a post about how little boys and girls are treated differently. Girls are pretty and boys are adventurous. The greeting card industry perpetrates these ideas so much.

[meiface]

Why can't we be pretty and adventurous? Pretty while adventurous? Pretty because we're adventurous? "Pretty", ugh. It's all so subjective. Even with my somewhat facetious examples, it bothers me that I still used pretty as a positive defining feature. Boys don't have to be handsome and adventurous, or handsome while adventurous, or handsome because they're adventurous, because if you're a boy, "adventurous" by itself is a good enough quality. But not enough for a girl. alskdfj dumping my thoughts on you, sorry.

But definitely +1 on the stalking bit.

[meritjubet]

Well there is the hot warrior princess type. But female athleticism and strength is downplayed and if she is pretty often that is all that is focused on. Sigh!

[peachpastiche]

Yay this is a good post! Also this is worth checking out (TW for gross sexual threats & sexism), it is the root of why I was screaming all over twitter earlier: http://tigerbeatdown.com/2011/11/10/but-how-do-you-know-its-sexist-the-mencallmethings-round-up/

Essentially, it was over the trending topic #mencallmethings and the poor, poor men who wanted to yell at women about how unfair it was to call it misogyny

[meiface]

♥♥

I was afraid for my blood pressure (and still am, ngl!) but will take a look. alksdfjdkl men.

[lil_blossom]

+1 post

I didn't know I was in the mood for feminism until I read your post.

Wait ... I'm always in the mood for it.

PS I enjoyed that video Thanks for sharing~

[meiface]

haha that's me basically. I wasn't even particularly hunting down articles or anything today, they sort of just came up and I was like !!! because, yeah. Stuff that talks about women is sort of always relevant, even if we're not always posting about it.

NP! The video is great - definitely makes me want to check out the full documentary it's advertising.

[forochel]

oh, I remember seeing that ad and blinking because my gut reaction was OMG BETRAYAL WRAIIIII and then the intellectual side took over and I realised they wanted to to encourage gender neutrality. but I think it is telling that they say "women" and not "men", like the default for non-influential, non-intellectual people is "women". so, nice try, The Economist, but you still made me cry a bit inside.

that video made me remember that whole hoo-ha about the a&f advertisement on orchard road and I was like "man, if the powers that be find issue with really low slung jeans on a really ripped guy's hips, then they'd better fucking find issue with all the lingerie, massager, fashion, perfume, beer &c &c advertisements with women bursting to full in their skimpy clothes". but of course they didn't.

[meiface]

yess I thought of you because I know you read The Economist and I was like DDD: because they do have a lot of great articles, but what on earth is that ad. Seriously.

Ah, yes, the double standards re: objectification of men vs. women. Guess which one is considered the norm and and hardly ever questioned? And the one that has the gross history behind it? :( That sucks. I like staring at pretty women but goddman let me objectify some pretty men too, you know?

[forochel]

and that is why the youareanobject tumblr is REALLY GREAT :D

[meiface]

IT IS A GREAT TUMLBR I AGREE :D there was another really good one but I forgot what it is now... I'll let you know if I ever remember, lol.

[sapphynashi]

I didn't even get what the message was (intended to be) at first and spent a good 30 seconds just brewing in disbelieving rage. What kind of advertising is that?

Also, agreeing on the hesitance to divulge location, and I've never noticed that particular gendered divide before. I think most guys I know also don't care about sharing their location, nor are they especially competitive, and they're kind of aware that they're 'lacking' that broadly accepted 'masculine' drive.

[meiface]

Oh yeah, that was me at first too. I only figured out the "intended" message after seeing the emphasis on people and realizing wtf it was trying to say. Really, really horrible ad committee that didn't manage to figure out how badly this would come off upon first glance.

I've just never understood the need to share exact locations indiscriminately. If I have info I want to share with certain people, I have more direct and private methods than announcing it to the world through a third party that will probably sell my info. D: