Western Society's Double Standards With Gender

Clippings from news sources involving fashion freedom and other gender equality issues.
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Departed Member

Western Society's Double Standards With Gender

Post by Departed Member »

Not entirely sure which forum this should go under, but this seemed fitting:

http://libertyviral.com/is-living-life- ... er-story/#

Here's a very interesting and very relevant article on reddit written by a transitioning transgender male (female to male) and her experience as both a female and a male in our Western society that boasts so much of freedom and equality. The point of the article is not about transgenderism. The point that really makes it relevant to this website and our plight as skirt wearing men is how she/he experienced first hand the double standard our society enforces upon men. She/he talks freely of how she was a tomboy when a younger girl, and could do anything masculine thing she pleased without anyone thinking anything of it. But as soon as she/he decided to transition to the opposite gender (male), that freedom was taken away from her/him and the heavy chains of maleness in our society shackled to her. She/her could no longer look feminine without ridicule or be feminine without ridicule.

As a particular Scotsman from a particular Scottish movie about trains might say about the male plight in Western society, "it's "sh*te being a man! We're the lowest of the low, the dregs of society..." or something like that. I've never actually seen the movie, just saw that scene numerous times this last Friday all over Facebook.
Tor
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Re: Western Society's Double Standards With Gender

Post by Tor »

Thanks for posting that. Reading that, it crossed my mind that maybe women began taking freedom because at the time they really did get "the short end of the stick", and now they've taken enough freedom (I applaud taking freedom in this and other cases, and think the world could do with more people taking more freedom, preferably all the way to the limits of not infringing on other peoples equal liberty) that the situation is reversed. Guess we just get to be on the early side of taking that freedom, with all that comes with that.
human@world# ask_question --recursive "By what legitimate authority?"
dillon
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Re: Western Society's Double Standards With Gender

Post by dillon »

Sad but true. To define the root of the problem, it still goes back to the notion that all things male are strong, important and superior and things female are weak, silly, indulgent, and inferior. This is even promoted, sadly, by conventional Feminism, which led the fight to gain equal rights for women, including freedom of dressing, i.e. to wear pants. Yet when confronted with men who seek the same privelege with skirts and dresses, even Feminist crusaders look upon us with disgust, as though to pursue anything that might be perceived as feminine is not worthy of respect. It seems that modern Feminism merely institutionalized the idea that feminine = inferior. That's the source of the double standard in fashion acceptance. I think both that the differences between men and women are worth celebrating, and that social equality is a worthy goal, but it will mean nothing until both men and women recognize equality as a two-way street.

PB McK, the movie was called Trainspotting, and is worth watching if you can find it.
As a matter of fact, the sun DOES shine out of my ...
pleated
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Re: Western Society's Double Standards With Gender

Post by pleated »

dillon wrote:Sad but true. To define the root of the problem, it still goes back to the notion that all things male are strong, important and superior and things female are weak, silly, indulgent, and inferior. This is even promoted, sadly, by conventional Feminism, which led the fight to gain equal rights for women, including freedom of dressing, i.e. to wear pants. Yet when confronted with men who seek the same privelege with skirts and dresses, even Feminist crusaders look upon us with disgust, as though to pursue anything that might be perceived as feminine is not worthy of respect. It seems that modern Feminism merely institutionalized the idea that feminine = inferior. That's the source of the double standard in fashion acceptance. I think both that the differences between men and women are worth celebrating, and that social equality is a worthy goal, but it will mean nothing until both men and women recognize equality as a two-way street.
That is neither my experience nor perception of feminism. Here is a feminist asking men to make gender equality their issue too-

"We don’t often talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes but I can see that that they are and that when they are free, things will change for women as a natural consequence."

"I want men to take up this mantle. So their daughters, sisters, and mothers can be free from prejudice but also so that their sons have permission to be vulnerable and human too—reclaim those parts of themselves they abandoned and in doing so be a more true and complete version of themselves."
http://feministing.com/2014/09/22/emma- ... more-87679

Emma Watson: Gender equality is your issue too
Date: 20 Sep 2014
Full text-
http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/ ... -issue-too
dillon
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Re: Western Society's Double Standards With Gender

Post by dillon »

If I misjudged the motives of good people, I apologize. But I see daily women who have benefitted from role liberation but who still don't think beyond the accepted stereotypes that entrap men. That's my real point - that there isn't a lot of support for extending equality in a simple social way to men. And I think it is a deeper issue than merely a lack of perspective or consideration by a seeming majority of women, hence my reflection about the way feminity is equated. No offense meant to those who are enlightened.
As a matter of fact, the sun DOES shine out of my ...
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JohnH
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Re: Western Society's Double Standards With Gender

Post by JohnH »

To give some perspective about how being masculine is supposed to be superior to being feminine - I have long hair and a feminine shaped figure. I can be wearing a plaid flannel shirt with jeans and hiking boots and I still get ma'amed. Many times I get ma'amed initially until I talk with my deep masculine voice and then the person says to me, "Oh sorry, Sir!" as if the person felt that he insulted me by callimg me "ma'am".

John
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