It is preposterous to equate the two. If we examine the manner in which female sexuality is treated versus the way male sexuality is, the disparity becomes even more apparent. When the Disney star, Vanessa Hudgens had her nude photos stolen in , there was an outcry. Her career was threatened, there was a serious possibility that she might lose her job. When Justin Bieber, another former child star, was photographed naked on a beach? He was applauded for being well endowed.
None of us exists in a vacuum. We all grew up internalising misogynistic values and beliefs without even being aware that we are doing so, and as a result, subconscious bias is a real thing. In a randomised, double blind study in the US, members of a science faculty were asked to rate student applications for the position of laboratory manager.
Another study by Dr Dale Spender, an Australian lecturer, used audio and videotape to evaluate who talked the most in mixed gender classrooms. The idea of reverse sexism fails to acknowledge the wildly different consequences of prejudice against men and that against women.
And while of course, a wealthy white woman is likely to have more privilege than a working class man of colour, when all things are equal - race, economic status, sexuality, etc - our culture rewards men for their achievements more while simultaneously excusing their misdemeanours in a way that is unfathomable for their female peers. I am not indifferent to the issues that disproportionally affect men. I spent a week alone trying to write the conclusion of my book.
My editor had asked me to write a prescriptive conclusion. What do we do about misogyny? I think one thing that will help is undoing the ties that bind people falsely, the false sense of moral obligation that keeps women with abusers and makes us reluctant to try to educate, to really morally educate young men not to participate in and enact rape culture.
Women are funny. Women are writers. It takes an enormous amount of willful denialism not to see that women are free-minded and creative beings just as much as men are. Culture can change pretty quickly. When people are attached to positions they believe are their birthright, you get huge amounts of backlash. When men think women are taking opportunities and privileges away from them, when they think women are challenging male dominance, you get backlash.
But we have to deal with that. What would need to change is for men in positions of power to accept that women can surpass them without having wronged them. Misogyny has long been understood as something men feel, not something women experience.
That, says philosopher Kate Manne, is a mistake. Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower through understanding. Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all.
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By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. What we get wrong about misogyny. Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. Our conversation, lightly edited for clarity, follows. Sean Illing Can you sum up your argument in this book? Sean Illing I always thought of misogyny as an ideology: a body of ideas that exists to justify social relations. It's internalized sexism, and it's no one's fault but everyone's problem. In the last century, women have made gains toward gender equality.
But despite a slow revolution that has given many women increasing power over their lives, sexism is pervasive. Every woman has felt it, even if she refuses to label it, but many women — conservatives and progressives, elite women and marginalized women, avowed feminists and those who would never refer to themselves as such — may not realize that since the moment they were born they have been groomed to be sexist, too.
A woman should be sexy, not slutty. She must be strong, but also sweet. She should speak up, but not too loudly. She should be competent, but not aggressive. Remember to smile. Not so big. In the U. Rape is an epidemic that affects one in six women, yet instead of blaming male perpetrators, many women blame victims, and hold fast to the false idea that if they dress modestly and behave prudently they will avoid becoming victims, too.
It was structural, it was legal, it was overt. It was taught in churches. Women who internalize sexism may not call themselves sexist or condone overtly sexist behavior.
A rigid standard of female beauty is one of the most powerful forms of cultural currency, despite us having no control over our genetic makeup. The fashion and beauty industries are becoming more diverse, but a young, white, thin ideal persists. During the Spring season , plus-size models accounted for 16 of the 2, model spots, only 13 models were over age 50, and seven out of the 10 models with the most bookings for the season were white.
So women strive for the ideal. They buy makeup and anti-aging serums. They suffer Spanx, slip into shoes that pinch and skirts that constrict.
They see natural body hair as an enemy of the state. For some women, the answer is that attending to their bodies is akin to personal care.
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