It’s safe to conclude that women all across the US consider gender equality in the workplace to be an inalienable right, which should at no time be compromised. It can also be assumed that women (with the exception of a few barefooted, kitchen-bound “babes of the bible belt”) carry these expectations over into all other aspects of their lives. Our foremothers have, through bra-burning and picket rallying, forged us a path which (somewhat) guarantees us the choice to make of this life whatever we damn well wish. For that, I feel obliged. I feel it’s my feminine duty to carry on the torch blazed by Susan B. Anthony and Margaret Fuller, and therefore I’m constantly proving to the boys (while remaining as non-dikey as possible) that I can do it just as good!
But then something happens. I go on a date. And suddenly the image of me as a job-holding, toolbox-owning, vibrator-using, don’t-need-a-fucking-man-to-do-it woman begins to blur. I guess I’m what they’d call a fair-weather feminist. If I go out to dinner with a gent and he doesn’t immediately insist on paying, or if he (ughhhgh) utters the words “go Dutch”, you can GUARANTEE my ass is outta’ there quicker than George Dubya from Katrina. I mean, really, (ladies, I know you hear me) is there any bigger turn-off?
Unfortunately the fair-weather-feminist situation is not confined to me, but rather reflects a large and puzzling trend plaguing our country’s independent women. I can name at least a dozen chicks (myself included) who’ll be first in line to tell you all about why they’re just as capable as men of performing high-paying jobs, yet act like someone demanded they fork over their first-born when asked to pay for a New York strip.
My interpretation of this condition is that we women (between the ages of, say, 20 and 50) are still fairly new to the whole women’s lib thing, and thus we feel compelled to hold on to some of the older values imparted upon us by elder generations. At this point in history, we want to have our goddamn cake and it too. In one ear is the grandmother muttering archaic ideals the likes of which would send Gloria Steinem into cardiac arrest: “Find yourself a GOOD man, one with money who’ll take care of you. And don’t EVER get rid of one until you have another lined up.” Simultaneously we’re exposed to media figures such as Miranda from Sex and the City, who exemplify the empowered 21st Century woman exhibiting no qualms about dating the broke dude, bringing home a substantially larger portion of the cheese, and sharing it all with him without even thinking twice about it. The result of all these conflicting ideals is the construction of a woman (whose name shall not be mentioned) who wants to be able to work, have a baby, have an abortion, fart, etc., yet is first in line to flirt with the old skeezer at the bar for a free glass of wine. WTF?
My question is this: are we, as women, justified in opting-out of feminism when it’s in our best interest? HELL yes we are! Men get all the breaks: they have penises, they earn higher salaries, they get fat and gray and no one cares. Why can’t we have it all too?
Men-- your thoughts on this?
But then something happens. I go on a date. And suddenly the image of me as a job-holding, toolbox-owning, vibrator-using, don’t-need-a-fucking-man-to-do-it woman begins to blur. I guess I’m what they’d call a fair-weather feminist. If I go out to dinner with a gent and he doesn’t immediately insist on paying, or if he (ughhhgh) utters the words “go Dutch”, you can GUARANTEE my ass is outta’ there quicker than George Dubya from Katrina. I mean, really, (ladies, I know you hear me) is there any bigger turn-off?
Unfortunately the fair-weather-feminist situation is not confined to me, but rather reflects a large and puzzling trend plaguing our country’s independent women. I can name at least a dozen chicks (myself included) who’ll be first in line to tell you all about why they’re just as capable as men of performing high-paying jobs, yet act like someone demanded they fork over their first-born when asked to pay for a New York strip.
My interpretation of this condition is that we women (between the ages of, say, 20 and 50) are still fairly new to the whole women’s lib thing, and thus we feel compelled to hold on to some of the older values imparted upon us by elder generations. At this point in history, we want to have our goddamn cake and it too. In one ear is the grandmother muttering archaic ideals the likes of which would send Gloria Steinem into cardiac arrest: “Find yourself a GOOD man, one with money who’ll take care of you. And don’t EVER get rid of one until you have another lined up.” Simultaneously we’re exposed to media figures such as Miranda from Sex and the City, who exemplify the empowered 21st Century woman exhibiting no qualms about dating the broke dude, bringing home a substantially larger portion of the cheese, and sharing it all with him without even thinking twice about it. The result of all these conflicting ideals is the construction of a woman (whose name shall not be mentioned) who wants to be able to work, have a baby, have an abortion, fart, etc., yet is first in line to flirt with the old skeezer at the bar for a free glass of wine. WTF?
My question is this: are we, as women, justified in opting-out of feminism when it’s in our best interest? HELL yes we are! Men get all the breaks: they have penises, they earn higher salaries, they get fat and gray and no one cares. Why can’t we have it all too?
Men-- your thoughts on this?
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