Comments on: “Blame It On the Alcohol”? Or on the whole mysogynistic system? http://www.about-face.org/blame-it-on-the-alcohol-or-on-the-whole-mysogynistic-system/ Sat, 18 May 2013 13:29:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Alcohol Red Face http://www.about-face.org/blame-it-on-the-alcohol-or-on-the-whole-mysogynistic-system/#comment-1206 Alcohol Red Face Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:42:24 +0000 http://about-face.org/blog/?p=3637#comment-1206 Hello, I said to myself that the next time I come across a really informative blog post I would leave a quick post saying thank you. So, thank you for the sweet post - I have shared it with my friends on twitter. Lots of love, Jana. Hello,

I said to myself that the next time I come across a really informative blog post I would leave a quick post saying thank you.

So, thank you for the sweet post – I have shared it with my friends on twitter.

Lots of love,

Jana.

]]> By: Christian Feeger http://www.about-face.org/blame-it-on-the-alcohol-or-on-the-whole-mysogynistic-system/#comment-1205 Christian Feeger Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:29:00 +0000 http://about-face.org/blog/?p=3637#comment-1205 Being a guy, I hope I don't ruffle too many feathers by commenting. But it's an important issue for us all that touches on all of our lives. I'm not sure that I relate to the labels about sexist heterosexual men - but then perhaps I think differently anyhow. Whenever marketers reduce people's value down to 'a look' they're on shaky ground, aren't they?. Obviously it sells products but at what cost to us all? Together they are creating a social view full of silly cliches. They hurt and insult women and they manipulate men. We all deserve better, don't we? Simply because we are not product consumers but people. I believe real men love REAL women. Not the plastic things of some bizarre media fantasy. But women in all their wonderful shapes and sizes and fabulous diversity. Insecure, weak men go for fake women. They just aren't up to handling a real women with strengths, needs and intelligence. To me, this is not so much about how chauvinistic men are (and of course some are), but how unrealistic the whole selling machine is getting. I am totally with you on this. It's time we put forward our own ideas and celebrate real people, not just for their looks, but for the strengths of beauty they bear as people. Being a guy, I hope I don’t ruffle too many feathers by commenting. But it’s an important issue for us all that touches on all of our lives.

I’m not sure that I relate to the labels about sexist heterosexual men – but then perhaps I think differently anyhow.

Whenever marketers reduce people’s value down to ‘a look’ they’re on shaky ground, aren’t they?. Obviously it sells products but at what cost to us all? Together they are creating a social view full of silly cliches. They hurt and insult women and they manipulate men. We all deserve better, don’t we? Simply because we are not product consumers but people.

I believe real men love REAL women. Not the plastic things of some bizarre media fantasy. But women in all their wonderful shapes and sizes and fabulous diversity.
Insecure, weak men go for fake women. They just aren’t up to handling a real women with strengths, needs and intelligence.

To me, this is not so much about how chauvinistic men are (and of course some are), but how unrealistic the whole selling machine is getting.

I am totally with you on this. It’s time we put forward our own ideas and celebrate real people, not just for their looks, but for the strengths of beauty they bear as people.

]]> By: Liz http://www.about-face.org/blame-it-on-the-alcohol-or-on-the-whole-mysogynistic-system/#comment-1204 Liz Mon, 09 Aug 2010 01:49:50 +0000 http://about-face.org/blog/?p=3637#comment-1204 I totally agree Christina. I have a bl**dy good sense of humour but it completely drains away when time and time again I see comedies with a cross section of men: the 'overweight' guys, the 'nerdy' guys, the 'slobby' guys, the 'older' guys, the 'loser' guys etc., while the women (no matter what their character is meant to be) are ALWAYS attractive. God forbid the world should have to look upon an 'unattractive' woman, much less, one that is surrounded by her 'unattractive' female friends who are all having a good laugh their physical 'flaws' and 'inadequacies' and are all portrayed as likeable characters. I think the insideous thing about all this is that because there is such an unvaried physical type of woman visible everywhere, our perseption of what IS an 'unattractive' woman gets warped. We end up seeing a woman who is actually already very attractive, as 'unattractive' because she is being compared to all the SUPERmodels out there. There are simply no positive images of 'unattractive' (read 'normal') women out there. Argghhh it drives me NUTS. I totally agree Christina. I have a bl**dy good sense of humour but it completely drains away when time and time again I see comedies with a cross section of men: the ‘overweight’ guys, the ‘nerdy’ guys, the ‘slobby’ guys, the ‘older’ guys, the ‘loser’ guys etc., while the women (no matter what their character is meant to be) are ALWAYS attractive.

God forbid the world should have to look upon an ‘unattractive’ woman, much less, one that is surrounded by her ‘unattractive’ female friends who are all having a good laugh their physical ‘flaws’ and ‘inadequacies’ and are all portrayed as likeable characters.

I think the insideous thing about all this is that because there is such an unvaried physical type of woman visible everywhere, our perseption of what IS an ‘unattractive’ woman gets warped. We end up seeing a woman who is actually already very attractive, as ‘unattractive’ because she is being compared to all the SUPERmodels out there.

There are simply no positive images of ‘unattractive’ (read ‘normal’) women out there.

Argghhh it drives me NUTS.

]]> By: Christina http://www.about-face.org/blame-it-on-the-alcohol-or-on-the-whole-mysogynistic-system/#comment-1203 Christina Sun, 08 Aug 2010 22:16:18 +0000 http://about-face.org/blog/?p=3637#comment-1203 Another huge offender in the media is comedies. Another huge offender in the media is comedies.

]]> By: Liz http://www.about-face.org/blame-it-on-the-alcohol-or-on-the-whole-mysogynistic-system/#comment-1202 Liz Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:55:45 +0000 http://about-face.org/blog/?p=3637#comment-1202 The thing is I don't mind if there’s stuff out there that are obviously portraying male fantasies and targeting a male audience. I mean, that's only fair and I certainly don't begrudge men their sexuality. What I DEEPLY object to is the fact that this same 'formula' that is so attractive to men is STILL used to market to unisex audiences and worst still, to FEMALE audiences – the formula: lots of different men while the women are all attractive. You only have to look at the number of female models in different guises in all TV ads (whether they're meant to be suffering a terrible migraine or cleaning the toilet ALL the women are beautiful) while there's a wide variety of 'ordinary, warts-and-all' men portrayed as acceptable. Movies also have an enormous variety of male characters and only 1 or 2 types of women - the supposed 'girl next door Jennifer Aniston' type and the mind blowingly 'hot seductress' type both of whom are beautiful. Even the female characters' FRIENDS are gorgeous while many secondary male characters are often VERY 'less than attractive' and are based on character (I'd hate to be a 'less than attractive' female actor trying to get work). It's SUCH a double standard and constantly pushing the belief that women are SUPPOSED to be attractive and we all end up shocked at ourselves if we don't come up to these ideals. Why are there no ‘unattractive but cool character’ women portrayed anywhere? While I accept that ‘ordinary’ men also have 'hero' male characters to live up to, I would argue that there are also MANY other less-than-hero characters they can relate to. They can feel comfortable just as they are. Society tells them so again and again. Come on girlfriends working in writing/directing/casting/marketing! Start developing characters us real chicks can relate to IT’S OUR TURN!! The thing is I don’t mind if there’s stuff out there that are obviously portraying male fantasies and targeting a male audience. I mean, that’s only fair and I certainly don’t begrudge men their sexuality. What I DEEPLY object to is the fact that this same ‘formula’ that is so attractive to men is STILL used to market to unisex audiences and worst still, to FEMALE audiences – the formula: lots of different men while the women are all attractive.
You only have to look at the number of female models in different guises in all TV ads (whether they’re meant to be suffering a terrible migraine or cleaning the toilet ALL the women are beautiful) while there’s a wide variety of ‘ordinary, warts-and-all’ men portrayed as acceptable. Movies also have an enormous variety of male characters and only 1 or 2 types of women – the supposed ‘girl next door Jennifer Aniston’ type and the mind blowingly ‘hot seductress’ type both of whom are beautiful. Even the female characters’ FRIENDS are gorgeous while many secondary male characters are often VERY ‘less than attractive’ and are based on character (I’d hate to be a ‘less than attractive’ female actor trying to get work).
It’s SUCH a double standard and constantly pushing the belief that women are SUPPOSED to be attractive and we all end up shocked at ourselves if we don’t come up to these ideals. Why are there no ‘unattractive but cool character’ women portrayed anywhere? While I accept that ‘ordinary’ men also have ‘hero’ male characters to live up to, I would argue that there are also MANY other less-than-hero characters they can relate to. They can feel comfortable just as they are. Society tells them so again and again. Come on girlfriends working in writing/directing/casting/marketing! Start developing characters us real chicks can relate to IT’S OUR TURN!!

]]> By: Tweets that mention A B O U T – F A C E — blog » “Blame It On the Alcohol”? Or on the whole mysogynistic system? -- Topsy.com http://www.about-face.org/blame-it-on-the-alcohol-or-on-the-whole-mysogynistic-system/#comment-1201 Tweets that mention A B O U T – F A C E — blog » “Blame It On the Alcohol”? Or on the whole mysogynistic system? -- Topsy.com Tue, 03 Aug 2010 18:11:36 +0000 http://about-face.org/blog/?p=3637#comment-1201 [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by M. Konstantinovsky, About-Face. About-Face said: “Blame It On the Alcohol”? Or on the whole mysogynistic system? http://about-face.org/blog/archives/3637 [...] [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by M. Konstantinovsky, About-Face. About-Face said: “Blame It On the Alcohol”? Or on the whole mysogynistic system? http://about-face.org/blog/archives/3637 [...]

]]> By: Canaduck http://www.about-face.org/blame-it-on-the-alcohol-or-on-the-whole-mysogynistic-system/#comment-1200 Canaduck Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:32:31 +0000 http://about-face.org/blog/?p=3637#comment-1200 I have noticed this too--it happens all the time. I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds it disgusting and unfair. I have noticed this too–it happens all the time. I’m glad I’m not the only one who finds it disgusting and unfair.

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