Because we like everything to be a competition any excuse to get an Us and Them thing going. Which means there is a Who's Winning? Thing going at the same time. Of course those on the 'side' (if you will) of feminism believe the whole point of it is that everybody wins. Those on the other side are a mix of people who have simply never thought about it before, people who think feminism has had its day and, uh, others, who might call themselves traditionalists, or men's rights activists – who also believe their triumph would mean everybody wins. Me? I wish the Thundercats would hurry up and get here from Thundera and sort us all out.
But until the fictional crosses over into the real we still have to work out who is winning, or worse, who has the more justified presence and how do we do that? Examine adverts and how they have, or haven't, changed? Look how they have evolved from expecting women to be hard-working housewives thinking only of cleaning products and tonight's tea to expecting women to have to do all the cleaning, grudgingly (so! Modern!) because men are silly.
But until the fictional crosses over into the real we still have to work out who is winning, or worse, who has the more justified presence and how do we do that? Examine adverts and how they have, or haven't, changed? Look how they have evolved from expecting women to be hard-working housewives thinking only of cleaning products and tonight's tea to expecting women to have to do all the cleaning, grudgingly (so! Modern!) because men are silly.
Or do we decide by turning to the science world. Science can usually be used to clear things up! Oh... In a research project at Yale University false application forms for a laboratory manager job from a recent science graduate were sent to 127 faculty members. The faculty was asked to rank the candidate in terms of what starting salary they would offer, competence, if they would like to mentor the candidate and likeability. 63 of the applications were from 'John', 63 were from 'Jennifer'. “The results were stark. Jennifer was ranked less competent than John and was offered a median starting salary almost $4,000 lower than John. In addition, the faculty was less willing to mentor Jennifer, but, strangely, found her to be more likeable”. There was no significant variance between male and female response within the faculty.
For a quick pick-me-up you might like to be referred to the EU's drive to get more women and girls involved in science. Now, what do all girls like? SIGH. A group of scientific minded people were so irked by the Science: it's a girl thing video they created Science Grrrl, creating more visibility for women actually working in science.
For a quick pick-me-up you might like to be referred to the EU's drive to get more women and girls involved in science. Now, what do all girls like? SIGH. A group of scientific minded people were so irked by the Science: it's a girl thing video they created Science Grrrl, creating more visibility for women actually working in science.
| Perhaps we need to look closer to home. It seems a lot of people believe a quick feel in their pants – and maybe some other women's pants holds the answer to how feminism is doing out there. Today in the Independent writer Louise Saunders wondered, Carrie Bradshaw style (Thundercats, SatC, no recent references here today, no sir), why a generation is “choosing to go bare down there”. | One wave says no waves down there equals succumbing to porn-inspired demands of the patriarchy |
This has often caused disagreement in the feminist camp. One wave says no waves down there equals succumbing to porn-inspired demands of the patriarchy. Others argue that you cannot chant 'my body, my choice' whilst policing your sisters waxing habits. You can however, according to Saunders, acknowledge the flaw in the anti-hair removal brigade and then proceed to express a small revulsion making a paedophilia link: “Women, more than men, prink and preen our bodies to bend to the rules of attraction – to look more youthful and even, you could argue, more childlike. Leg-shaving, lip-reddening, eyelash-darkening, hair-lightening – all these hint at the flawless childish state. But it is adult women who have sex and, surely, adult women to whom men want to make love.”
This was in response to The Vagina Monologues, it is compulsory to cite Ensler's collection of monologues when discussing pubic grooming, but The British Medical Journal's recently published research on 'micro trauma' caused by repeated waxing and shaving. The research found that risk of bacterial skin infection increases with shaving of waxing. However on the flip-side Australian researchers think that this change in grooming fashion is endangering pubic lice.
So, hairy swings and slick roundabouts I suppose, that make you think it is not the practice we should worry our feminist heads about but any notion of expectation or obligation.
Look, I know feminism is very much about what is between our legs but can we please refine this to what people are unfairly stopped from doing due to their genitalia than what they do to their hair style wise to their genitalia? Please don't make me use the term 'shave-shame'. If I have to do that, nobody wins.
Squeamish Kate
This was in response to The Vagina Monologues, it is compulsory to cite Ensler's collection of monologues when discussing pubic grooming, but The British Medical Journal's recently published research on 'micro trauma' caused by repeated waxing and shaving. The research found that risk of bacterial skin infection increases with shaving of waxing. However on the flip-side Australian researchers think that this change in grooming fashion is endangering pubic lice.
So, hairy swings and slick roundabouts I suppose, that make you think it is not the practice we should worry our feminist heads about but any notion of expectation or obligation.
Look, I know feminism is very much about what is between our legs but can we please refine this to what people are unfairly stopped from doing due to their genitalia than what they do to their hair style wise to their genitalia? Please don't make me use the term 'shave-shame'. If I have to do that, nobody wins.
Squeamish Kate
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