A Door in Wonderland

"Don’t Fear The Dowager: A Valentine to Maturity" →

nashipants:

atroxalae:

In no way am I posting this article to praise it. In fact, I intend to pick it apart - I don’t know why in the world this is seen as a “pro-feminist” argument.

In the beginning paragraph, we’re presented with what the author considers a big issue: “adult women are acting more and more like little girls”. She cites things like ukelele playing and “grown women wearing converse with skirts” like it is somehow damaging to the feminist movement.

It’s not.

You know what is? 

Telling women (or anyone) that they should “grow up” because of their preferences or their interests. This would be different if it was an article taking on how men/the media infantalizes women, but it’s not; it’s an outright attack against women with more “childish” (I hesitate to use that word) interests, claiming they do this to aim towards men’s “pubeless, twee, anime-eyed dream girls” and avoid reminding them of their mothers.

I’m begging age-appropriate females: Read something written before you were born. Stand up straight. Make sure you own one piece of jewelry that you did not purchase on Etsy. Use capital letters in an email to the guy you want to date. Let him take you out on a date, maybe not on a walk or an Xbox session, even if you are, God help you, addicted to LA Noire. Meet your friend for wine instead of fro-yo one night. Watch a movie with no early-90’s nostalgic appeal. Bitch, you already know Clueless by heart.

Ah, yes, because wine instead of frozen yogurt truly defines your maturity. Right. I forgot.

the larger issue is that it is a lot easier for men -or even guys or bros-to demean us, if we’re girls. It’s much harder to bring down a woman, or to call her a moron, when she’s not in pigtails and Ring Pops.

You know what? Misogyny is prevalent and is going to affect women whether they have the hobbies and dress of a 50 year old or a 13 year old (again, some things may seem more “childish” than others but you cannot tie anything like that down to an age properly, because that is never going to be the only age group to enjoy it.

This article is essentially a big tirade of “ladies, if you want men to respect you, then …”, which is problematic; isn’t the point of feminism that women deserve respect no matter how they act, dress, or think? Men aren’t told to change themselves to fit womens’ expectations. Instead, women are told to lower their expectations of men. 

Everything in this is downright shaming. And if that’s feminism, I think the movement for equality needs a new name.

Look at my son he’s so awesome.

Also completely right.

That article pissed me off so bad. >8(

(Source: sidhebones)