Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Feminist backlash

I revel in the fact that women today are somehow balancing families, careers, husbands and yoga four times a week. However, I think as women become stronger and more successful, the line between feminism and male-bashing has become blurred. On TV, in the tabloids, and pretty much everywhere you look, you see men being portrayed as idiots. Common male characters include a cheating asshole, a metrosexual wimp or an over-the-top court jester type. Two great examples are shows I adore - Two and a Half Men and Lipstick Jungle. At the same time we see more and more female action heroes and high powered women who "have it all," and are just using men to meet their carnal needs. I'm not sure if this is art reflecting life or the other way around, but I certainly think its a slippery slope.

What I see happening is as women become more independent we are expecting less from men. They don't have to pay on dates, they don't have to earn sex, they don't have to call us afterward - hell, they don't even have to unlock the damn car door because we've been trained to reach across the car and unlock it for them. Yet, I constantly hear my single friends whining about how it's so hard to find a good man these days, that all men want is to hookup and that romance is dead. Well, DUH. If women participate in the hookup culture that is so prominent, why should guys put in the effort to pursue anything more? We have taken away virtually ALL of their responsibility in dating and then blamed them for living up to the sex crazed, football watching, beer drinking, guitar hero playing caveman we have come to expect them to be.

4 comments:

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Anonymous said...

Hopefully when we have children (someday) we can teach them the finer points of relationships and male respect for women.

Bronwyn said...

You are so wise for someone so young.

I've really enjoyed reading your blog.

Unknown said...

I know this was posted years ago, but I would like to comment anyway :)

I agree that there is certainly a severe lack in respect from men, but I do not think this is the fault of women in the slightest. Most feminists are trying to get rid of chivalry and the accompanying sexism by not letting men pay for both on dates, etc, and that men take advantage of the lax dating scene is their own faults.

As for men-bashing, I think such types of shows (although I don't know of Lipstick jungle, and two and a half men actually just seems like sexist bs to me) are simply emphasizing male behavior that occurs not by any inherent fault (besides, perhaps, testosterone), but because society, ruled by men, encourages them to do so.