Sunday, December 12, 2010

Sexist or Feminist

Now it's the time where I pick a couple of subjects loaded with symbolism and rate them on the sexism scale.
1= Sexist (tends to add to the problem of inequality and misery through traditional gender roles)
5= Neutral (either is really neutral or is used by both sexists and feminists to further their goals)
10= Feminist (creates happiness by breaking out of traditional gender roles)

  1. High Heels: Some lip stick feminists claim that wearing high heels is feminist because it is a reclamation of femininity, but I think it is crazy to think that it is a feminist act to wear high heels because it is "pretty."  Why?  Because pretty means sexually attractive according to the traditional masculine notions.  I would believe that it was actually pretty in a non-sexist way if it was considered attractive on men as well.  So on the sexist or feminist spectrum, high heels are neither, but women who wear them claiming that doing so is a feminist act are kidding themselves.
    Score-3
  2. Stay at Home Moms: Many of them certainly feel under attack.  There was a time when being a stay-at-home parent meant wearing a pretty pink dress, hosting Tupperware parties, and denying oneself the option of a career.  However, that time is gone.  In the modern era, after three decades of movement towards women's liberation, things have changed.  Sure, there are still barefoot and pregnant types who are kept home by their evangelical husbands of the opinion that their wives should be submissive, but many of the stay-at-home moms that I meet (as a stay-at-home dad) are vigorously reclaiming the art of child rearing, which is the most important work of our society.  The biggest potential pitfall is the continued inequality of numbers between stay-at-home moms and stay-at-home dads.
    Score- 5

No comments: