I know this is some hipster's idea of an "edgy" joke, and we're supposed to chuckle at how stupid someone would be to pay 89 dollars for the doll, but I can't really laugh at it. It's just too saturated with the kinds of misogynist narratives that still do harm to women today.
The seller isn't disturbed by the pain the girl suffered, or awed by her bravery, but instead is "humiliated" by her sexual behaviors.
The seller gives the doll a life story and basically characterizes her as a human woman, then refers to her as a "thing" and tries to sell her. The more I read this, the more it sounds like a really convoluted excuse to write a "woman for sale" ad.
and:
"He viciously raped her with a bed post, cut her open, and slit her throat."
AHAHAHAHAHA! Cray cray!!! Cause women are never the targets of sexual violence, so it's just a funny joke.
Sorry to be the downer here, but...
@InABook: To hobble a horse means to tie its legs together to force it to walk slowly. If a shoe makes a woman walk slowly, then it has hobbled her.
I'm not against establishing a rule of etiquette that says one should be considerate of friends in high heels. But let's not downplay the fact that at least half the shoe choices available to women force them to significantly alter their stride.
Ooh, i love her muscles, especially her forearms! (According to her wikipedia, she's a golfer, interestingly.) And the fact that she's vogue-ing! But what's with the shoulder hanky?
@CollegeCamel: Unfortunately, that's the abstinence-type mindset they seem to be in. Oh noes, first you let them bump and grind, and next they'll be having unprotected fivesomes in the hallways!
Which is not true at all. Dirty dancing went a long way toward fulfilling my sexual urges in high school (and college!). So did the non-Christian front hug, for that matter. Kids need to be taught that there are multiple ways of having physical, sexual fun without getting pregnant or transmitting STDs.
huh? I think she looks great, if a little 80s. Are we all just unused to seeing women in clothes that actually cover them up?
@tipsymongoose: for fun, google "hell thermodynamics"
@Red-headed bookworm is now a brunette: I think @formergr and @bitingpika have a good point. Once we accept that the behaviors you enumerate are an expression of dominance rather than an expression of desire for legitimate sex (where sex must be consensual to be legitimate; otherwise it is rape), I think sexual harassment must be subsumed into the category of bullying.
It's using your position of power to threaten and manipulate another person: textbook bullying. To say it's distinct from bullying has the danger of encouraging the old idea that it's really about sex and not power.
Public Service Announcement:
Just skip the Richard Cohen article, if you value your healthy blood pressure levels. It's insulting sexist tripe and not particularly original either. Plus, his writing style is like your drunk raunchy uncle ranting after Thanksgiving dinner.
*SPOILERS*
The quote provided is insulting to men and reductionist w/r/t women, but it's harmless compared to the bomb he drops at the end. He actually claims that men's infidelities stem from a drive to "conquer, to prevail — to succeed," and the lack of that drive is all that has kept women out of Congress and the boardroom, since women were "liberated" years ago.
I am REALLY tired of hearing the "women have no ambition" thing, and I'm only 25. I'm trying to enter a male-dominated field (physics), and I promise you, there are many other reasons why women are underrepresented, many of which are obvious with the application of a smidge of common sense (uneven childcare responsibilities, the ingrained image of a physicist as a crazy-haired white guy, etc.). It's insulting to the women who are struggling to overcome the obstacles that still exist.
As a woman who hates the idea that women have to be scantily clad to be worth looking at, and who dislikes sexy lingerie in general, I actually found this less appalling than it could have been. Especially the most recent ad and the first few ads in the "retrospective" clip. I think it had something to do with the fact that the women are upright and walking in a relatively confident manner, rather than sprawled on beds or floors in the awkward, helpless poses that often pass for sexy. I also liked how they flashed the word "fantasy" a couple of times to remind people what these scenes really are. Part of the reason for my positive reaction may also have been that the explosions and airplanes and music were pushing my "ooh exciting action movie" buttons.
So yeah -- if you imagine an ironic directorial wink in there (unlikely, I know), it's not bad as an homage to the sex-explosions-and-airplanes genre of action movie trailer.
But if everyone wanted to just stop marketing and buying lingerie, that would be fine too.
Not to trivialize a serious situation or anything, but that guy seems to be implying that he has a pretty special unit, if ya know what I mean.
The only model who looks remotely natural or comfortable in her clothes is #8. Thing is, the effect only works to the extent that I can imagine that those are really some old cheap jeans and a secondhand tshirt that she's been painting in. Blowing my paycheck on that outfit would totally ruin it. Ad fail.
I suspect that part of the reason for men's objections to women being aggressive in sports goes back to a part of Anglo-American culture known as the Cult of Domesticity. This is the idea that women are naturally morally purer than men (though of course not too smart, creative, tough, or assertive) and should be expected to maintain the home as a safe, morally upright sphere where men could come for comfort and relief from the messy outside world.
I think men today still like to think of women as these kinda dumb, but sweet, creatures with hearts of gold. Modern masculinity says it's wussy to ever reject aggression, and yet most men, like most women, *don't* always want to fight. It's only OK to admit that fighting might be bad if a woman is somehow involved. So it's really convenient if women just agree to keep on maintaining that safe, nonviolent space -- everyone knows where that space is and who is supposed to maintain it. Of course, it severely limits half the human race, but....
@ElleL:
[Two women approach each other. Both are wearing Tuxedo Rompers.]
A: I say, darling, can you tell me what time it is? My watch seems to have stopped.
B: Oh, you poor dear. Let me see... oh, it appears to be Hammer Time.
Both: BREAK IT DOWN!
