Quote:
Originally Posted by JustJo
Absolutely agreeing with what Admin posted here, but also....this is one of those situations that makes my head spin around and my eyes bulge out, because the people who are playing along and enabling this misogynistic, archaic bullshit...are women!
Until women stop flocking to this kind of thing and playing along, how do we get the rest of society to feel any differently?
Serious question.
The article says visitor numbers have soared since implementing this policy. Those visitors aren't just those who come to oogle, but also the women wearing the mini-skirts and allowing themselves to have water thrown on themselves.
WTF.
People drive me crazy sometimes.  |
I can totally see the sentiment behind this and sometimes feel the same way. At the same time, I feel like its so difficult for people to break free of what's been hammered into them since birth.
It's a complicated situation, especially in a world where women's liberation is still being heavily associated with female sexual objectification in the mainstream. Like the whole "Real Housewives of wherever," who reflect this current mentality of "women have achieved equality" (which they have not), "society is no longer patriarchal" (which it is) and so women need to reclaim their sexuality (which I totally support...female sexuality is still constantly shamed in our societies, and labeled in cis-male-centric terms) by promoting female dependence upon cissexed hetero men for financial stability and validation as human beings (hello, what year is this, people?).
So yes, obviously women participating in these kinds of publicity stunts that use female objectification to make money need to start seeing that reality. I was reading in the newspaper maybe a month ago about a drunk driving ad in Nova Scotia, where the mascot for the ad was an animated woman, obviously very sexualised stereotypical hetero "ideal." The organisation put up signs informing drivers that "she doesn't go for drunk drivers" and other slogans, obviously targeting a hetero male population. Again, sad when you use sexual objectification to tell men not to drink and drive. And what does that say about their approach to drunk driving? Women drive drunk as well, yet how often do you see ads like this targeting women? Stereotypes abound. Yes, women need to wake up and see this as not "just the way things are," but at the same time I think its difficult...when you're told your entire life that this is what is appropriate, "natural," your station in society.
So the question then becomes, how does one promote real, inclusive feminism in the mainstream media, in a society based on capitalist ideals that uses the sexual objectification of women to sell products, ideas, services, or even safe driving? And though this instance in particular occurred in China, we cannot, for a second, maintain that China is not also a heavily capitalist nation. In societies like this that promote traditional cissexed hetero male ideas of "success," those who don't fit the bill will always be the ones used by those in power to make a quick buck.
Sometimes its just overwhelming as far as where to even start