Why don't men wear skirts?
Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 1:11 pm
I guess many of you will have seen this discussion at the Liberal Conspiracy but if not it is worth a look.
Have fun,
Ian.
Have fun,
Ian.
/quote]
I think really the author of this has hit the nail on the head:
"I think it’s perhaps more likely that it’s easier for society to accept women taking on men’s roles than it is for men to take on women’s roles because women are seen as inferior. A woman wanting to take on men’s roles seems less offensive, because, the reasoning goes, who wouldn’t want to be a member of the superior sex? A man wanting to take on women’s roles seems more offensive, because what man would ever want to degrade himself like that?"
Women have risen in men's estimation... but only up to a point. So women in pants are seen as "bettering themselves", while women in skirts are "letting the side down", in the minds -- or hind-brains/ subconscious minds -- of some people, anyway.
This will change, of course, when more men wear more skirts and show other men that it doesn't make them any less manly; and when women gain more equality with men, from the men's point of view. That latter step is a much more difficult one for society to take, I think, than the former, but we do evolve and progress as a species. Look at this board, for instance! Thirty years ago, even if the technology had been in place, this community would likely not have existed.
Cheers,
Jill
Andrew