Why NOT to Marry a Career Woman

[rm]

Meanwhile, there is this appalling/interesting slideshow on Forbes.com -- "Why NOT to Marry a Career Woman."

http://www.forbes.com/2006/07/25/cx_mn_singles06_destined_misery_slide.html

I'll reserve my commentary for a bit. I want to see you all duke it out.


Completely unrelated, but just as much up my nose: Ugh, I hate when gender norms amongst reenactors bite me. I'm just trying to avoid having to make my own breeches, but a woman? in breeches? horror! I may have to make my own. Am annoyed.

Comments

[delchi.livejournal.com]

It doesn't. However it does help fit into the stereotype of what a ' man ' is. YOu have to disect the whole phrase " More of a man " or " Less of a man " becasue once you do that you can clearly see that it's just a subjective construct that has no clear meaning - in one place being a man means crushing a beer can on your head, while in another it means driving a car and making lots of money, and in most every case it means having a dominant position over everything in view. It's a social construcxt designed to make them jump through hoops to achieve something that is flexible to the point of being a never ending series of hoops. If you eat red raw beef you are a man ... ok now if you want to be MORE of a man you can drive this car .. Great! Now to be a REAL man you need to buy a boat, because a real man has a boat .... and so on. It never really ends, and your money and knowledge of true self goes out the window.

The hummer ad : Guy in line at the grocery store checkout. He is purchasing a brick of tofu, sprouts, and soy milk. Guy behind him in line has a rack of ribs, and a case of beer. The first guy becomes enraged ( literally snatches his purchases away ) and drives straight to the hummer dealer, where he trades in his car for a hummer. The end caption " Reclaim your manhood ".


quite a bit to be read into this.

[upstart-crow.livejournal.com]

Oh ok I remember the ad now. Ick ick ICK. I guess that's what I meant with my first post. I've never understood the whole dominance/lack of restraint/behaving stupidly = MANLY!! equation. Women have a hard time of things and our own harmful images to live up to, but I literally can't imagine what guys must go through trying to deal with messages that basically equate your worth as a person to how uncouth, greedy, domineering and unhealthy you can be. I'm glad you don't buy into it :)

[delchi.livejournal.com]

That's the thing - I DID buy into it. As a male oyu ahve no choice but to buy into it - it is fed to you in every way possible from well meaning but misguided family, mass media, sociological norms and history.

I grew out of it. I grew out of it based on being educated, the journey of self knowledge, and having good friends like RM who showed me the error of the way I was going.

It is possible to grow out of it, but it takes brains, fortitude, and a willingness to make that change in order to succeed.

[heron61.livejournal.com]

One of the great lessons of post 1950 advertising, it's possible to convince far too many men that their masculinity rides on purchasing your product. Since femininity is assumed to be innate in our culture, women get a slightly different message - to be loved or valued, they must purchase X product. It's difficult to say which is more destructive, my guess is both.

[delchi.livejournal.com]

So true. So bloody true.

Both it is.