A wish for the New Year.
January 1, 2014 in Feminism | Tags: A New Year's Wish, Body Image, The Body Shaming Industries, Women | by The Arbourist

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19 comments
January 1, 2014 at 12:27 am
myatheistlife
I really like this
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January 1, 2014 at 7:17 am
Little Jeremiah
Women do like their bodies..to look good, have nice hair and makeup and wear stylish clothes..they are not doing it for men but for themselves and most importantly to impress other women.
No one is forcing women to dye their hair, wear makeup, get a boob job.
The fitness industry, clothes and makeup industry is not going away anytime soon based upon the rantings of some unhappy women who want other women to be as unhappy as themselves..misery loves company so to speak.
Record sales in those industries..most run by women..95% of women do not want to look like a old, frumpy battle ax.
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January 1, 2014 at 7:20 am
Little Jeremiah
Ha ha I just googled Dr. Gail Dines photo.my point is proven..attractive women never complain about this stuff.
I bet you will delete my post..can’t handle the truth.
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January 1, 2014 at 11:03 am
The Arbourist
@LJ
Well thank you LJ for proving the point about how societal expectations on women are so normalized that average dudes like yourself don’t even have to think about it.
Others do think about it and have found out much about the male gaze and its implications for women. I suggest in the new year that you invest some time in doing some reading about topics that you demonstrably know nothing about.
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January 1, 2014 at 11:06 am
The Arbourist
@LJ
Judging people based on notes from your boner isn’t exactly the most accurate way to determine the worth of said person’s statements. It’s a new year, time to find your big boy pants and reading glasses and do the hard work of getting a grasp of concepts that right now are clearly beyond your understanding.
See that link to finally feminism 101 on the side bar, follow it and become a better human being.
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January 1, 2014 at 11:07 am
The Arbourist
@MAL
I know eh? Cuts to the heart of much of what is going on in society for women.
Have a Happy New Year.
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January 1, 2014 at 6:44 pm
Marie
“notes from your boner” – love it!
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January 2, 2014 at 8:03 am
Little Jeremiah
I know more about feminism than you think ..have no problem with independent, career women and some of the good changes it brought about..radical feminism on the other hand has been a fail and should be… you will only be a fringe movement among women. Vast majority of women want to look good, be feminine no matter how much you think men are a factor.
But let’s get back to the meme posted.. There should be fat shaming..60-70% of young children today are obese. So much for you looking out for women by telling them being fat is ok and they should accept their bodies as is ..you, yes you, are leading them to have a lifetime of bad health, joint problems, diabetes, sleep apnea, heart problems and a myriad of other health problems let alone what it will cost them monetary and relationship wise.. Sometimes people need a verbal 2×4 to the side of the head and be told the truth..”You are fat stop feeding your face.”.
I won’t even get into slut shaming.. another fail.
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January 2, 2014 at 1:55 pm
The Arbourist
Your important opinion is noted.
Ah such insight into the feminine way of being, and yet strangely it seems to reinforce dudely ideas of how women should behave and how they should dress. Thank you, for such meaningful and poignant commentary.
Because shaming people because they are fat is so remarkably effective. Because the rate of obesity has everything to do with the amount of hate fat people receive because of how they look. Damn! You are like my personal feminist-jesus, impressing the fuck right out of me with your stolid dedication to factual argumentation.
Huh, monkies and typewriters moment, right here on my very blog. I’m blessed.
The truth? The truth is that you don’t know jack-shit about feminism or pertinent issues regarding women. What you have demonstrated here is the ability to mansplain (poorly) and flail about wildly trying to make a case for the status-quo.
So, last chance, see the sidebar and the link to Finally Feminism 101? Use it. If you come back with more important mansplinations on Feminism instead of taking the time to educate yourself, consider yourself banhammer worthy because today is not a day I intend to spend educating dudes on the internet.
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January 2, 2014 at 1:57 pm
The Arbourist
@Marie
A phrase borrowed from here as it often appears in the comments. I highly recommend going to The Bewilderness, as it is made of awesome. :)
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January 2, 2014 at 2:44 pm
Little Jeremiah
” consider yourself banhammer worthy ”
So ..someone who disagrees with you the ban hammer comes out. Why not listen to my point of view and agree to disagree or refute my points like a man (no pun intended)? Where am I being crude to the point my view should be banned? I thought women of today were strong with a can do attitude and can accept adversity in life?
All I see with you feminist is crying an whining over the littlest things and as soon as someone disagrees with you the banhammer comes out-again, no wonder most real women don’t take you serious… Even on DU today for example, post were made on the HOF about the proliferation of products being made in the color pink and the rad fems found fault with it..is this all that important? SRS grow up. Who the hell cares? I have never met a women in real life complaining about pink items….as a matter of fact there must be a demand for them because women are buying them in droves.
You want woman to be equal to men and become leaders leaders politically and economically then stop whining over the stupidest little things in life which does not mean diddley squat to most women. You are like MADD..you have met your goals but need to keep the gravey train coming in so you move the goalpost.
And getting back to the meme: “Because shaming people because they are fat is so remarkably effective.”
There has been no fat shaming in today culture..that is why people are so damn fat today. There is total fat acceptance.
“Ah such insight into the feminine way of being, and yet strangely it seems to reinforce dudely ideas of how women should behave and how they should dress.”
It does not take a rocket scientist to know women want to look feminine and dress sharp..no man is forcing woman to buy cosmetics, hair care products, fashionable clothes.
YOU and others like you are not the norm of what woman want or act..you are an outlier…fringe of society.
Based upon your post and most other feminist post on the web all I see is women who come across as weak. I have my big boy pants on as you earlier attested..why not put your big girl panties on and not take the attitude men are out to get you on every facet in life?
Will you keep this post up?? You do know If you delete it and ban me it will prove what I have been saying.
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January 3, 2014 at 1:26 am
Mystro
@LJ
“Why not listen to my point of view and agree to disagree or refute my points like a man …?”
Because a woman couldn’t refute your points? Yeah, you sound all up on your feminism. But sure, I’ll take a crack at it.
“Women do like their bodies..to look good, have nice hair and makeup and wear stylish clothes.”
Yes, society does put a ton of pressure on people to focus on superficial things, and a lot of those shallow values are internalized by a vast number of men and women. While this hurts everyone, women are targeted a good deal more than men, and so feel more negative effects. It is no big leap to suggest that if women were objectified less by society, the amount women cared about make up and boob jobs would also be less.
“The fitness industry, clothes and makeup industry…most run by women”
Citation needed please. A bit of google-fu tells me that top people of Calvin Klein, the Gap, Revlon, Maybelline, Goodlife Fitness, and Gold’s Gym are all male. Sounds like you’re spouting off things to make your case with no regard as to whether they’re actually true. Bad form.
“radical feminism on the other hand has been a fail and should be”
Define “radical feminism” please, and describe how it has been a fail and, further, how it is at all relevant to the post. As is, I have no idea what you’re talking about. This looks like a ‘if I’m vague and unclear enough, no one can refute what I’m saying’ kind of tactic. Also bad form.
“There should be fat shaming..60-70% of young children today are obese…There has been no fat shaming in today culture..that is why people are so damn fat today. There is total fat acceptance.”
Total fat acceptance? Again, citation needed. Skinny is what society says is beautiful and being beautiful is what society says is important. Need evidence? Look at the covers of some women’s magazines. There is an entire ‘No Fat Chicks’ sub-culture. People, especially women, are continually being dismissed and derided for their body shape. I find it hard to believe that you are oblivious to this.
Further, fat shaming doesn’t help the obesity problem, it makes it worse.
“why not put your big girl panties on and not take the attitude men are out to get you on every facet in life”
That isn’t the point trying to be made. What you did there is called a Straw Man Fallacy. The point is that society has the cards stacked against women, so much so that it seeps into most facets of life. Men and women buy into it and it hurts everyone, but especially women. Awareness is good way to combat this unfairness, while putting the blinders up will only ensure the perpetuation of socially ingrained inequalities.
“You do know If you delete it and ban me it will prove what I have been saying”
Your idea of “proof” needs some work. How we deal with commenters on this blog has absolutely no bearing on the actual state of gender relations. Along with that ‘Feminism 101’ link, you may want to read up on some logic 101.
To wrap up, you said a bunch of inflammatory things without backing any of it up; you spent more time trying to be condescending than to actually make a point; and you show no signs that you’re actually interested in a discussion regarding the matter. As such, I think Arb’s lack of patience with you is understandable. Come back when you trade in your “big boy pants” for some “rational adult attire”. Good day.
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January 3, 2014 at 10:42 am
The Intransigent One
@Mystro – slow clap. Damn man.
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January 3, 2014 at 11:54 am
The Arbourist
@Mystro
*Boom* HS! Well done Mystro.
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January 4, 2014 at 11:20 am
Little Jeremiah
Hey mystro and Arbourist don’t give out the high fives so readily ..Have been too busy to respond..but I will to your post Mystro.
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January 4, 2014 at 11:27 am
The Arbourist
@LJ
Spreading important dudely opinion around the interwebs is a undoubtedly a time consuming task.
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January 4, 2014 at 12:20 pm
The Arbourist
@LG
Dude,
I am dude and let me assure you, I know dudely opinion when I see it. Right now, you have demonstrated nothing but an exercise in your privilege, ignorance and some sort of twisted notion of how you think society should be like for you.
Frankly, you’ve done nothing to discriminate yourself from the large body of male opinion that is ignorant (intentionally or not) of what feminism is and what feminism’s goals are.
The arrogance and ignorance *demonstrated here* is what women have to deal with all the time from clueless dudes who don’t bother with any sort of useful structural analysis of our society. Instead of making and effort to learn they (you) come to feminist spaces and make pronouncements that are irrefutably dumb to those who even know a teensy-weensy little bit about feminist theory.
So dumb are these (your) pronouncements that it makes people question what possible parasite could it be that has managed to crawl into your head, *nom* on your cortex and then shit out whatever you’re using to make these statements.
It is tiring, ever so tiring, to have to explain to clueless dudes basic feminist theory and how it works. As I eluded to in my previous message, I’m not in the mood to hold your hand through the rigors of 101 level knowledge and questions.
The state cranial-vapor lock that dominates your brain when it comes to feminism also makes you blind to fact that much of what you naively assert has been answered countless times before because dudes, when their dominant positions are challenged, always bring up the same objections. Nothing new under the sun.
So when I say go read Finally Feminism 101 to find the answers to your important questions, I really do mean it.
So you get one more post – respond to Mystro and demonstrate that you’ve done some reading and have taken the time to charitably consider and opposing point of view. Give us more of same, well..you know where that road goes.
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January 5, 2014 at 10:54 am
Little Jeremiah
Hey everyone, I thought I’d wish everyone a happy new year on my way out as I’ve repeatedly demonstrated that interacting with adults in a cogent manner is entirely too hard for me, thanks for putting up with all my douchey-behaviour and lack-wit style of argumentation. I’ll leave gracefully now, thank you all for your time.
(ed. comment edited for clarity)
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January 5, 2014 at 11:16 am
The Arbourist
@LJ
Awww…thanks LJ for leaving so darn nicely, I’d hate to have to ban-hammer you for being an asshat. :)
Oh wait…
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