Comments on: Stupid Girls: Be a subject, not an object

By: little miss ess

little miss ess — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 14:22:10 +0000

Such a wise and thoughtful post, Beth. And I’m so glad you mentioned the Female Chauvinist Pigs book. I read it and it really is worth a look. I think women’s sexual empowerment is a wonderful thing. Again, as long as you are the subject in that and not the object. But a lot of women, I call them “stripper-pole feminists,” think they are being subjects, when they are really still being objects. It takes a huge amount of self-awareness and thought to avoid that trap, and to avoid becoming an object (even if you think you’re being or trying to be) a subject in weightloss.

By: Beth

Beth — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 14:09:02 +0000

Marla, thanks for the great comments! This topic could be the subject of a blog all its own. BTW, I meant to mention that Oprah also had the author of Female Chauvinist Pigs on her show. Her book is all about why women are not only buying into this "raunch culture" but are now a driving force behind it.

By: Marla

Marla — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 22:01:13 +0000

Ooh, ooh, and I wanted to mention this:

A short article on Hugh Hefner’s 80th birthday, and it’s not Hugh who says something wonky, it’s the female author of the article. I was just… STUNNED when I saw this:

“But for some women [Playboy] provides an insight into how men perceive them (or want to see them). Knowledge is power, and only once women understand what’s going through men’s minds can they counter their behaviour.”

How about saying “The HELL with men’s perception of us, how ’bout we live our lives as we wish REGARDLESS??” Oh, I so wish I were as articulate as you are, and could clearly describe why this pisses me off so much.

http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?menuID=1&subID=405

By: Marla

Marla — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 21:43:30 +0000

Dear god woman, how do you find time to post these thought-provoking essays??? I feel like my brain is little better use than silly putty. Although, again I’ll reccomend The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir, something I read often when I was younger and had more brain cells. Not meaning to harp, just wanting to share it with anyone who didn’t read the other post.

I’m glad to see some backlash against the Paris Hilton phenom. There’s an issue I have with the “pro-slut” images I see these days, and I haven’t been able to articulate it. I’m such a feminist that it’s not an open-and-shut case; female sexuality has been so suppressed and male-dominated that it’s hard for me to express any value judgments without feeling like I’m betraying my own beliefs…