Cinnabar by Marian Yap. Marian’s blog is here.
Sometimes I wonder if articles by women purporting to be feminists, or feminist allies, are really on the side of women at all.
Take this supposedly thought-provoking piece in Nymag.com.
It worships at the feet of some ad imploring women to vote, which is supposed to be all “ironic” and “clever” because some hip tattooed chick talks about losing her virginity in it.
Meanwhile, voters with XY chromosomes are merely implored to vote, free of any creepy allusions to their sex lives.
The article goes on to state:
I loved the ad yet I had to recognize that the right’s attacks on it weren’t completely off-base. Today, there’s a raft of ads, photographs, television shows, films, and T-shirts, which represent young women being defined, but always ironically — with a wink and a nod — by their sexuality and/or bodies. I think we should call this new strand of culture Hipster Sexism.
She goes on to aver that although being objectified kinda sucks, we should be glad to be the pornified chattel of more enlightened liberal masters than those icky conservative ones, because liberals only hate women, while conservatives really, really hate women. So, we’re way better off under a regime of “hipster sexism”, see?
My comment:
“Ironic sexism” isn’t some kind of vaccine against conservative woman-haters. You can’t actually make life better for women by hating them in a more ironic way. The only way to make their lives better is to stop hating them at all.
It’s very, very sad that the author doesn’t even consider that an option.
Like so many books and movies that kinda-sorta-almost- get the situation of women and then cop out at the very last minute, this article is not mistaken or incompetent. It is doing exactly what its masters want it to do: to persuade women that there’s no way out of our subhuman status, so we might as will lick the liberal boot that ironically kicks us. As long as it’s made of vegan leather.
The mainstream media will always tell you that feminism is dead, resistance is futile, and by the way, have you seen this totally ironic line of beauty and fashion products from our advertisers? Buy their products and feel like a rebel!
I hate ironic hate! And I’m not hating that ironically, I’m hating it properly! I can’t believe anyone would actually accept that being hated ironically is the best that we can get.
Sadly, that’s what happens when the media frames women’s issues. It has no interest in the actual liberation of women, as that would be unprofitable. So it merely constructs false dichotomies for us: be a slave of a bible-thumping knuckle-dragger or be the slave of a charming, witty, p()rn loving liberal sexist who’ll at least let you have an abortion after he rapes you in your sleep.
I’m curious to know how our worlds collided! Surprised to see my painting on your blog – now I have to subscribe!
I can’t remember, sadly enough. I browse art sites looking for interesting work by women artists, but can’t remember where I found yours. Nevertheless, welcome!