A male friend of mine sent me an article in the Washington Post and asked me what I thought about it.
Here's what I replied.
Boy that's a tough one - on the one hand, I applaud her self-confidence and ability to admit she wants to be checked out (don't we all really?) - on the other hand, it seems incredibly naive to dress in what most people assume is hookerish and get upset about catcalls....I mean there are ways of dressing sexy, showing off your body that does not involve spandex....I suppose it's all really a matter of fashion taste, as in do you have any? I do believe that in America, we're a little too quick to judge a woman who flaunts her sexuality, you constantly read about Latin cultures and Italian culture that talks about the fact that women in these countries dress hot because (a) they know that's their power (and unfortunately, their only power) and (b) if a man gets out of line, another man will step up and punch his lights out (because that's who's really in power).
In America (and I think more women than men think this way) women have another kind of power because of their quest for equality so they (women) are pretty judgmental about women who use sex as power because they feel it "sets them back 20 years" and to be fair, it kind of does - I am thinking about the Brittney v. feminists backlash here. The truth is I was glad to get back to America after being in Europe for a month because there is still major chauvinism and inequality there and if you're in a bar alone, you're mistaken for hooker no matter how you're dressed (which I was and I was in blue jeans and a tank top - not a slutty outfit by our standards). So do women who dress in "Ho Gear" set all women back? I'm not sure about that but I do think it sends a message about that woman in particular, I mean, sure she's fun to look at but how many people are going to take her seriously as a mind? And I guess ultimately, does she care?
About Me
- Sanora Bartels
- I am a Vedic Meditation Teacher - you can find me here www.vedicmeditationteacher.com I also run writers groups and am a co-founder of www.lawritersgroup.com You can more read about me at www.lawritersgroup.com/sanorabartels.htm
5 comments:
what's going in with the format of your blog? It's hard to read!
Really? Is it the font I'm using? I'll try something a little clearer...
the line following the line that ends with jeans and a tank top is chopped in half, and lots of the lines are that way, and it starts way down with a big space (I had that problem on my blog and someone fixed it for me)
I read that article as less a comment about gender, than about race, particularly black woman and, well to put it bluntly, their big butts. I have a few white female friends that are a size 14 and get no reaction from "white guys," but major stares from black and Latino men. I think it is an interesting cultural item. And I guess the article didn't bother me too much because I applaud anything that opens us up to accepting new standards of beauty.
I agree that the article was more about race at the end than gender, but it starts out talking about the way "women" dress, not "black women" so I was trying to address the whole how she's dressing issue as opposed to black v. white body types. I also wasn't bothered by the article on the standard of beauty and what body type is perfect (lord knows at five foot and curvy I'm not represented commercially) because you're right, it's about being willing to flaunt what you got and moving forward which is all good.
But since I'm a woman I can't help but read into the implications of how women are viewed and whether or not "Ho Gear" is the way to go.
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