Barbara Kingsolver Is Confused
Kingsolver asks in The Guardian, "How would we react to sexist practices if they applied to racial minorities instead of to women?"
If any contract between men required the non-white one to adopt the legal identity of his Caucasian companion, would we pop the champagne? If any sport wholly excluded people of colour, would it fill stadiums throughout the land? Would we attend a church whose sacred texts consign Latinos to inferior roles? What about galas where black and Asian participants must wear painful shoes and clothes that reveal lots of titillating, well-toned flesh while white people turn up comfortably covered?
Note that all of these things are voluntary acts.
The tradeoff of looking hot makes it worth it to me to wear high heels and clothes that -- I hope! -- reveal "titillating, well-toned flesh."
Barbara, no one will jail you or anyone for showing up in, oh, an old pair of men's pajamas.
Personally, I plan to keep up the curb appeal until the curb wears away entirely.
via @PaulBloomatYale
The Advice Goddess: pushing "the wall" far, far away from her until death!
mpetrie98 at January 22, 2018 9:08 PM
So he wishes to dictate what women are allowed to wear, and the people who let women make free choices are the controlling sexists?
lujlp at January 22, 2018 11:10 PM
she
lujlp at January 22, 2018 11:11 PM
Could feminists at least try to get their facts right? The reason that women don’t complete in men’s college and professional sports is due to physical ability, not sex discrimination. Men’s football, college and professional, fills the stadiums. There have been a few women who played college football. All but one were either place kickers or holders. Currently, Campbellsville University, KY, has a female Defensive Back on its varsity team. But, at 5’6” & 140 lbs., she’s not going to the pros. In the pros, in circa 1970 there was a female player in the Atlantic Coast Football League, who held the football for her husband, a place kicker. In 2013, a woman named Lauren Silberman tried out for the NFL, but, didn’t do well. There may be a few others, but, women playing on men’s teams is very rare. Still, there’s no prohibition against it.
Meanwhile, in a wide range of women’s sports, transgendered women are setting records. We’ll see how this affects the Olympics since transgendered women who have not had sexual reassignment surgery will be allowed to complete in the women’s events.
Wfjag at January 23, 2018 2:16 AM
Campbellsville University, KY, has a female Defensive Back on its varsity team. But, at 5’6” & 140 lbs.
If I were an offensive coordinator or the quarterback of any opposing team, I know precisely where I'm throwing ball. In her direction. Especially if I can match her up against a 6'+ receiver.
I R A Darth Aggie at January 23, 2018 4:27 AM
If you're male and you aren't a scrawny 8-year-old, you can beat me at arm-wrestling. And P.S. I do 10 military-style pushups about four or five times a day.
Amy Alkon at January 23, 2018 6:22 AM
If an ethnic minority could get free drinks constantly, free meals, free vacations, and have the fawning adulation of a wide variety of white people at every moment, I'm betting we'd see a hell of a lot more 'toned skin'.
Not to mention the opportunity to marry, get bored and take half his assets...just for having well toned skin and a pleasing personality. One who could tell their 'spouse' 'hey...by the way...I'm quitting working today. MAINTAIN ME!'
Yup, there is some unpleasant parts of being a woman, same as a man. There are also a bunch of perks. But these days, any woman who doesn't like being a woman can change into a man. Volunteers? No?
As noted by Amy, any woman can doff the yoga pants, ditch the make up, avoid marriage, and dress in ample flannel outfits. Mumus, for example.
But by ditching those gender stereotypes, they ditch 90% of their influence over at least half the population. Probably including a large swath of the 'normal' women as well. Women don't treat 'odd women' very well. Their career prospects will also take a hit.
She isn't much of a thinker, is she, Ms. Kingsolver.
FIDO at January 23, 2018 7:16 AM
There's a thin line between the cute hippy chick look and the homeless bag lady look. And somewhere in her 40s, every woman crosses it. That's the time to ditch the '80s Madonna outfits and don something that makes you look like you have a job and less than 20 cats.
Conan the Grammarian at January 23, 2018 7:31 AM
Trying to decide. Are Kingsolver and her ilk whiny bitches or bitchy whiners? Choices, choices.
Jay R at January 23, 2018 9:10 AM
That's one confused broad right there. Wow.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at January 23, 2018 9:55 AM
No one "makes" women dress up and for everyday events you do not see high heels and cleavage. Being a total slob is not a good look for men or women. As I understand it, the only thing worse that looking at a hot chick is not looking at her, so it is unclear what the author wants to happen. Claiming victim hood because you dress nicely to get compliments is....deranged.
cc at January 23, 2018 11:57 AM
My takeaway is she wants all black people to wear skirts. As a Scott I approve this pro-kilt message. And I will forgive her ignorance in thinking that kilts and skirts are the same thing.
Ben at January 23, 2018 1:28 PM
I believe you mean "As a Scot...."
And, Ben, wearing kilts is dangerous. You could put an "aye" out.
Conan the Grammarian at January 23, 2018 1:55 PM
What about galas where black and Asian participants must wear painful shoes and clothes that reveal lots of titillating, well-toned flesh while white people turn up comfortably covered?
Well, to continue that analogy, the black and Asian participants wouldn't want to see the white people in painful shoes and clothes that reveal lots of titillating, well-toned flesh because they wouldn't find that attractive.
JD at January 24, 2018 12:27 AM
You are correct Conan. Curse my damnable spelling. But the most dangerous thing about wearing a kilt is all the sexual harassment. I kinda get where Patric is coming from. Many (perhaps most) women think it is perfectly acceptable to try and grab a guy's junk. It is just that most of the time they don't want to.
Ben at January 24, 2018 7:14 AM
I thought it was updrafts.
Conan the Grammarian at January 24, 2018 7:42 AM
A hand and especially a hand with a camera is far more common. Thick wool doesn't flip up without help.
Ben at January 24, 2018 10:07 AM
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