Right, so I really hoped you've watched the Video of the Week, which is a thing I'm planning to do, because people usually tend to like watching things than reading about it? Anyway, it was a segment on street harassment, it's funny and informative and it's really an eye-opener. Almost daily women face street harassment, which is misogynistic because basically we, as people, aren't being respected. Street harassment is sexual degradation of women- it's basically hate speech. (Look, okay, I'm not really good at explaining why it's misogynistic, please say that you understand why?) Some of you may think, hey, I'm complimenting girls, what's wrong with that? Well:
See? Street harassment is not a compliment.
Okay, back to topic, folks!
Time to uncover more aspects of misogyny, dun dun dun...
1. UNDER/MIS-REPRESENTATION OF FEMALES IN THE MEDIA
Here, I revert back to yesterday's post detailing the ratio of males to females in the world. The fact is, despite that there are almost as many or even more women in the world, women are simply written out of... everything! (We'll go to this later, but even in history women are simply written out of.) One simple way you can test this is the Bechdel test- take a look.
Such a simple test, and you find that, surprisingly, there are tons of movies out there that simply do not pass this test.
Here's a link to why film schools teach screenwriters to not pass the Bechdel test (simply put, NO LADIES!)
It's sad, isn't it?
2. SLUT-SHAMING/EXCUSING RAPE
Basically, making a female, who, you know, has sexual needs, same as men, is made to feel bad about herself.
Yeah, in Singapore, or Asia, this isn't a regular occurrence. Here we're all pretty conservative, and tend to stick to sex after marriage. But it doesn't take a genius to figure out (even through media portrayal, e.g Glee) that when a guy sleeps around, it's like, woah, congrats, dude! But when a female sleeps around, it's like
OH NOES GUISE SLUT SLUT SLUT SHE'S A SLUT OH MY GOD SOMEONE TELL EVERYONE SO WE CAN MAKE FUN OF HER FOR WANTING THE SAME THINGS THAT EVERY SINGLE PERSON ON THIS PLANET WANTS TO DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111
There are seriously so many things wrong with the world.
Considering we accept the general hypothesis that girls physically mature faster than boys, it seems curious that we deny them the same agency when it comes to their sexual maturity. The nascent sexual desires of boys are so readily accepted as part of life that we barely blink at the mention of them. We know they’re fascinated by it, turned on by it and would in fact do anything to GET it – so accepting are we that we consider it a scientific fact of life: it is normal and healthy for teenage boys to be driven by their hormones, and any worries about them being indiscriminately promiscuous should be eased by the reminder that it’s just boys being boys and no harm can come of it particularly as they can’t get pregnant.
But instead of encouraging a similar sexual expression in girls (who experience the exact same explosion of hormones during their teen years), we demonise it. We watch with eagle eyes for the first hint of their sexual curiosity; wearing revealing clothing, flirting with strangers, touching themselves, admitting on a handmade sign that they know what an erection is, and would like to see one please. Then, through a sustained process of fear mongering, shame and good, old fashioned folklore, we wrest it from their control and tell them they can have it back when they’ve proved they know how to behave. The irony of course is that we deny sexual autonomy to girls for their own protection, and then expect them to turn around and be the sexual gatekeepers for everyone else’s.” —Clementine Ford
Seriously, this world.
3. "BOYS WILL BE BOYS" HAHAHA FU*KING HAHAHAHA HA NO. "
When we were young, I am so sure, that for every, and I do mean every instance a boy hit/teased/pushed you, or comitted some other playground crime, adults would say, "Boys will be boys." They'd say, "Oh, that means he likes you!"
Bullshit.
Boys will be held accountable for their own actions just as much as girls, ok?!!???!!
Boys will be held accountable for their own actions just as much as girls, ok?!!???!!
Since when are we telling little girls that physical/verbal abuse is a sign of affection? Why are we teaching them that being belittled, abused, and disrespected is a sign of endearing treatment, and if not, should be accepted anyway? Why?
Society is conditioning our daughters to endure abusive treatment, and perhaps go as far as to view it as a romantic gesture. Romantic, my foot.
You want case studies? I'll give you fuc*ing case studies.
#1 RIHANNA/CHRIS BROWN
Three sentences, I promise you. This entire case in three sentences.
He hit her. He got some community service done. He's still selling albums.
THE FLYING FU*K?
#2 KRISTEN STEWART
"omg did u hear about kristen stewart she is such a slut and a whorebag for sleeping around and cheating on her boyfriend! doesn't she know she's famous and can impact young people??? wow what a slut she shouldn't be able to act anymore!!!"
Funny, because if I recall correctly, so did Mel Gibson, and again with the Chris Brown.
Really, Hollywood. Try not to be such a trainwreck. Mel Gibson cheats on wife, his career continues. Chris Brown hits his girlfriend black-and-blue, his career continues. Kristen Stewart cheats on boyfriend, GUYS OH NOES WHAT DO WE DO NOW OH MY GOD LET'S NOT HIRE HER ANYMOERRRR
I'm not saying that she's completely absolved from blame; she cheated on her partner, and that is wrong. I'm just saying that how she's been treated after her scandal is highly unfair, and guess what? The only difference between her and Chris and Mel is that she has a Vagina.
#welcometothevaginalife
4. GIRLS SHOULD BE SEEN AND NOT HEARD
(This is from Tumblr, I'm gonna c/p and show you the thread of comments, ok?)
- do you guys remember that one post about how men feel entitled to take up so much space and women have to deal with a lot less?
- This is actually a documented thing. You always see men on the subway or tube or whatever using both armrests while women sit with their arms hunched together into their laps. That’s why I always make a point to take up at least one if not both armrests of the tube so men can be uncomfortable for once.
- ^ again, for all the people telling me posting this picture is complaining too much.
- In my college classes (and high school too) guys were always stretching, sticking fists and elbows in my face, leaning their heads back over my desk, over my work, spreading their legs out, kicking my bag with their dirty shoes.
- And let’s not pretend they were in other guys’ space as much as they were in women’s.
- It’s so true, this happens to me every day on the train. Same with the walking thing, women will weave out of the way whereas men just walk straight and plow down anything in their path. I always end up playing chicken with men on the sidewalk now, because I refuse to move out of their way.
- I love playing chicken with dudes who hog the sidewalk. BODY CHECK! Fucking assholes.
- “NOT ALL MEN ARE LIKE THIS!” FUCK OFF.“AS A MAN, I THINK THAT…” FUCK OFF.
- Men always have the same defensive bullshit to spout every time they get called out on their shit. AND IT IS BORING. They remind me of those toys where you pull a string an they have like 5 phrases they can say. Over and over and over.
- same here with playing chicken, its hilarious sometimes because they get this flash of realization in their eyes that says ‘holy shit, she’s NOT going to move/??? what to do????’ because THEY ARE SO USED TO EVERYONE MOVING FOR THEM
when i was younger my grandpa drew this on a piece of paper,
and he asked me how i, as the red circle, would get around the two people (black
circles) if i was walking down the street.
so of course i came back with
moving out of the way for them as i walked.
he asked me if i thought men would do the same and, at the time, i did because i thought it was just common courtesy. but he told me that men would barrel straight through without giving a shit and that i should do the exact same. because i was the one walking and they were the ones in the way. so that’s exactly what i do.
- i find this really fascinating because this actually what defines so-called masculine and feminine traits and gestures. the whole limp-wrist thing? that’s someone decreasing the amount of space they take up by not extending their arm fully. same with crossing one’s legs, how it’s considered more masculine to swing your shoulders when you walk creating a wider gait instead of your hips, how someone who holds their elbows tightly into their torso instead of letting them fall more loosely at their sides is considered feminine.taking up space is not just a frequent habit of males in our culture, its actually how society thinks masculinity is supposed to be expressed.
- This is my answer when people say eating disorders are personal problems and have nothing to do with sexism. Women literally socialized to take up as little space as possible all day every day.
I could give you case studies, all day, every day, but I'd be really, really exhausted,
like I am now. (Seriously, like 4 examples, it took me roughly two hours and I'm not
even done????)
Right, so I think that's enough for today! I'm really glad if any of you even reach the bottom
of this post, because you are amazing and no but really i am so exhausted from researching
and typing and copy/pasting and editing html and being angry at the world like whoa
Did you even know that women don't get paid the same as men, even though it is THE
EXACT SAME JOB??
(*On that note, one of my lovely readers Chris pointed out to me that misogyny is actually
really prevalent in Asia too, just not as /out/ there, which is true, especially because of the
Asian mindsets that boys are prosperous and sh*t. Um, hello, I can use my own bone
marrow to reproduce asexually? I AM PROSPEROUS SUCKERS)
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