hidden agender

[perlmonger]

Yesterday was the first time I’ve been in the children’s clothing section of a conventional retail store (Norwich M&S FWIW) for mumble years. It was a profoundly depressing experience: have we learned nothing as a society? The rigidity of gender stereotyping actually seems to be worse than I remember.

OK, not everything in society is worse. Overall, acceptance of non-heteronormative sexuality seems more widespread (though ghod knows not widespread enough) but, still, the retrenchment of patriarchy proceeds apace. I can hope that it’s a rearguard action - reactionary in the literal sense - but I fear otherwise. That feminism is dismissed, rejected, mocked when its insights are so obviously needed isn’t a good sign.

Oh, and if you’ve got this far, go read Piers Cawley on the continuing and far too rarely challenged sexism in geekdom.

Comments

[budleysalterton.livejournal.com]

normally I'd avoid posts like this, but just this once I have to ask.

WTF are you mumbling about ?

[thunderbox.livejournal.com]

This is one of those times where one's offered a stark choice between coughing quietly and turning away, or acting like a true friend and pointing out the stupid:

– You went into the children’s clothing section of Marks & Spencer in Norwich and were offended by the reactionary styles. Well strap me to an oil-rig and whip me with seaweed, who would have expected that, eh? It's not like M&S has any kind of reputation as the last bastion of smug middle class values, is it? The Daily Mail of shopping.

– You close a post on feminism with a link to another white, middle-class male quoting yet-another white, middle-class male. Is your hypocrisy detector completely broken?