Boy Bashing
By Glinda
I recently read this question posed on Ask Hadley, a fashion advice column in London’s The Guardian newspaper.
Why don’t boys wear dresses?
Catherine Gardom, Bristol, age 3¾
Because boys are stupid, Catherine, and I’m very pleased to teach you this lesson at such an early dawn in your young life. There is much evidence to prove this point, not least that no boy under the age of four has ever written into this column, whereas you, you little female prodigy, do your sex proud.
There is more, but this is the paragraph that really rubbed me the wrong way. Now, one can say Glinda, this is just a frothy advice column! That anything said is all in good fun!
But this answer isn’t even funny. It didn’t even try to be funny, it was simply a lazy answer that took an easy way out.
Would a similar reply from a male advice columnist to a young male (with the sexes reversed, of course) be thought of as even remotely humorous?
I think you know the answer.
September 10th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Exactly — what a terrible answer. It’s really too bad that some people feel that the only way to empower girls is to put down boys.
September 10th, 2008 at 9:34 am
I do get tired of the men bashing that goes on. I don’t hate men; I love men! They are not the enemy.
I wonder how much of this “men evil, women good” attitude affects judicial decisions. I still cannot believe Mary whatshername got less than two years in prison and regained custody of her children after shooting her sleeping pastor husband in the back because he allegedly made her wear ugly shoes. No man would get away with a short prison term for killing his wife.
September 10th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Oh that’s awful! I do wish people could maintain respect and appreciation for both genders!
Funny, but my daughter asked exactly the same question 2 nights ago (same age, too). I think she thought it was unfair that girls get to wear either dresses OR shirts and pants, but boys only get to wear shirts/pants. My husband pointed out that men in Scotland do wear kilts, but that was getting confusing.
Class-factotum–do you read Dr. Helen? http://www.drhelen.blogspot.com
She has written extensively (in a disapproving manner) on the leniency shown Mary whatshername and also on the some of the destructive views of masculinity in today’s society. (She’s a forensic psychologist).
September 10th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Marvel, Dr Helen is my next stop after Manolo and his minions! I love her!
September 10th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
It always struck me as shameful that there are women out there that feel the need to denigrate boys in order to raise girls self-esteem. I think its a symptom of the overall culture that kowtows to the radical feminists. Add that to the growing perception that any man alone with a child is a potential pedophile and I’m very glad I had a daughter.
September 10th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Normally I love Hadley, the only UK fashion writer worth following at the moment, but she’s even got her facts wrong: she fields plenty of questions from the XY end of the gene pool.
The answer, of course, is something about underwear that would only get me in trouble if I spelled it out…seriously, it makes no sense that little girl dresses are a short as most of them are.
September 10th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
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September 12th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Looks like sexism know no gender.
September 12th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Class-factotum: A kindred spirit!
Raincoaster: What are mothers dressing their little girls in where you live? I’m a little worried.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
They’re dressing them in frilly lampshades, from the looks of things.