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#notallmen
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quietjenn
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#notallmen circa 1922

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review
GingerAntics
The Beauty Myth | Naomi Wolf
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Mehso-so

FAIR WARNING: UNPOPULAR OPINION AHEAD
2.5🌟
I skipped portions of this book because it was mind numbing and repetitive. Not all women wear make up. Not all women want plastic surgery. Plastic surgery is NOTHING like FGM or Nazi medical experiments because one is voluntary and two are not. 🙄 I felt like this book wasn‘t even about me most of the time, because I haven‘t confirmed to most of this since 7th grade. (cont‘d below)

GingerAntics This book is somehow dated and jumping the gun simultaneously. She‘s apparently unaware of the women‘s tax (that‘s existed since the invention of the tampon and store bought pads) and pregnancy as a preexisting condition (which existed when this was written). She claimed at one point there was no longer a double standard between men and women. (cont‘d below) 5y
GingerAntics She seems entirely unaware that this only applies to patriarchal societies and that other types of societies did, do, and will continue to exist. There are non-patriarchal religions that are the opposite of what she describes here. She forgets that some women enjoy working out. She ignores that some women enjoy doing their make up and do it for fun. She seems clueless that some women have a passion for fashion. (Cont‘d below) 5y
GingerAntics I feel this book could have been about half the length and still made all of the points. Some of the points were horribly made. Female perfection has only existed for the last 180 years? Seriously? What about Medieval women having to gaze longingly at images of their husbands while pregnant (to turn the homunculus into a boy child? The idea of female perfection is as old as patriarchal societies. (cont‘d below) (edited) 5y
See All 114 Comments
GingerAntics A book that dove deeper into women‘s relationships with food and how that is effected by society, patriarchy, tradition, etc could be created from the chapter on that subject. It might be better organised as such, too. The later chapters droned on. It was painful - just as painful and stereotyping as The Feminine Mystique (no I‘m not a fan of that book either). This book, too, looked at ONE version of womanhood as right and the rest wrong. 5y
GingerAntics I was also waiting the whole book for a positive view of men. I have to say, #notallmen. I‘d like to thank @Exbrarian for his candid discussion and honestly about parts of this book. He‘s clearly one of the good ones...which exist nowhere in this book but do exist out in the wilds of life. Just saying. #thebeautymyth #naomiwolf #unpopularopinion (edited) 5y
Amandajoy Thank you for the review. I started reading this on a while back, and while I agreed with some things, there were a lot of things I got frustrated with, so I ended up putting it down. If you find that book on women‘s relationship to food & diet culture, let me know! I liked Body Respect by Linda Bacon & I have this one on my TBR 5y
Exbrarian Thanks for the vote of confidence. I feel obliged to admit I have not always been one of the “good ones” I was raised in the American South where casual racism and misogyny are normalized and re-enforced. I‘m certain there are women in my past who would not think of me as a “good one.” I‘m still learning to be a better person all the time. Reading books and discussing them is a great pathway to a improving oneself. 5y
GingerAntics @Amandajoy oh both of those sound interesting. I‘ll have to look into them. 5y
GingerAntics @Exbrarian oh I moved to the south, from the north when I was 13. I definitely noticed the difference. At least you‘ve learned there is another way. Books are great for that. When we got here all anyone told me about was “all the southern gentleman,” but that trope is really misogyny. It‘s weird, and most people don‘t see that. (edited) 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder @julesG we had some great conversations about the good parts of this book, but I just want to take out of few parts (and maybe add a few others). 🤷🏼‍♀️ 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics I'm wanting to read this book but I don't know if my tolerance will handle it. I got annoyed reading Anna Karenina because of how unfair it was towards Anna (even though she did wrong) lol 5y
julesG I will not read this book. I'm quite sure I'd shake my head, give in to face-palm moments and eventually throw it out. 5y
GingerAntics @julesG it‘s was skip chunks or quit for me, so I know what you mean. I‘m glad I didn‘t have to read it for school because then I would have spent money on it. @OleAnder oh I can‘t stand Books like that. I guess I can remove Anna Karenina from my TBR. 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics I loved the book though! Worth reading still. If you like those type of books obviously. But in the way she got treated for what she did was just unfair. Leaving a husband that does not appreciate you is not a crime!! Even if he wasn't suchh an a-hole. I could talk about it for hours. I best stop. Lol. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder oh yeah, would not get through that. Thanks for the heads up. It‘s almost like how much I hated the scarlet letter as a kid. Everyone else in my class loved it. 🙄 I was the one kid in Catholic school suggesting the Priest should have been held responsible for his actions. I almost got detention when I questioned if it was consensual. lol 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics Lol, not the wisest choice! You've been running after truth and justice from a young age then. Must not have been fun, huh? How hard it is now! Haha. Have you read any other books that just make you mad? 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder almost every book in this crusades class I took. Not my favourite time period for starters, and I‘m not a huge fan of “holy wars” personally. Every book was either dry as hell or nothing more than rhetoric trying to prove god was on their side and not the other. The Feminine Mystique really annoyed me for similar reasons to this one. 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics I'm not at all religious so that would have probably made me bang my head multiple times lol, good on you for doing it! I am not sure if I read anything close to that. I should probably educate myself more on those subjects 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder it‘s remarkably like the moderne war between Christianity and Islam. It‘s literally the same fight that‘s never quite ended. I couldn‘t do all the excessive testosterone and posturing. It was ridiculous. I did find out at one point there were three popes at one time, though. That was kind of interesting. 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics Lol, least you learned something new! Always something. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder I think even stuff you hate, if you look at what you‘ve read, you‘ve learned something...if nothing else you‘ve learned you don‘t like an author or a genre or something. 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics Oh, that's true. Always gathering knowledge huh. It makes sucky stuff manageable with that mindset 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder exactly. I‘ve always been the one to ask difficult questions. You should have seen me in catholic school sex Ed in 5th grade. I made the teacher almost swallow his tongue. 😇 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics Oh gosh. That I'd have liked to see! You seem to me to be the person to read the rules but then break them. Lol 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder 😏 why ever do you think that?! lol The book said god hates sex so much, he turns away when people have it so you should do it as little and as fast as possible. I raised my hand and said “didn‘t god make everything?” He said yes. I asked, “didn‘t god say everything was good?” He said yes. I said, “then either that or this book is lying.” He didn‘t know what to do with that. 🤣😂🤣 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder and yes, a man thought the boys and the girls sex ed because he was the fifth grade religion teacher. 🙄 Because clearly the other fifth grade teacher, a woman, and the BIOLOGY teacher certainly wouldn‘t know the first thing about the subject. Catholic school is a WEIRD place sometimes. Pretty good education, though. 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics 😂😂 you got a point though! I always wondered if sex was so bad, why did God even made it happen? Could he not have found another way for us to reproduce? Lol. Anyway, how do they know God hates sex sooo much? I never understood it. Everyone seem to know what He likes, dislikes, wants and needs, etc. They add new stuff to it everyday. These days I just see God becoming another word for Hate. 5y
AlaSkaat I respect others religions. Religion should be smthing to help you get through life, for without faith life has no meaning. But some people go too far with it lol 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics I am proud you survived it! I heard many people talk how strict it actually is haha 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder and when I said that to him, he nearly swallowed his tongue. “If it‘s so bad, why didn‘t he make babies come from somewhere else?” I was 10. That was me as a child in a nutshell. lol oh I totally agree with you. People justify their anger and their hate and their aggression because “it‘s what god wants.” Depending on who you ask, god wants completely contradictory things. It‘s total madness. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder maybe because I grew up in a catholic home, on a catholic community, surrounded by catholic people, I didn‘t really see it being really strict. In fact, when we moved across the country and I had to go to public school, my new school felt like total chaos to me. I‘d never seen anything like it. First day of school I saw my first fist fight, my first hicky, and my first pregnant teenager. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder I went home and begged to be sent to boarding school. No lie. 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics Yeah. People use God to make their opinion have more value. Quite ridiculous. It's this stuff that makes me scream. Ignorance! Wow. That must have been a shock! Did it take long to get accustomed to it? I grew up in a Catholic country but except some weird rules and remarks, it wasn't so bad. One priest bad mouthed my aunt because she was pregnant and without marriage (tragedy!) and would not let her daughter have her communion. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder I was that daughter, actually. They didn‘t keep me from first communion or any of that stuff. 🤷🏼‍♀️ EXACTLY!!! People use god to make their own BS seem legit. It drives me nuts. I have a theory that gods want human sacrifice of one kind or another and goddesses want prosperity or relationship. I‘m working on figuring out if it‘s true or not. It took me a while. In some ways I never adjusted and never fit in. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder I went from a school where you had to get a certain number of points (based on the books you read outside of class and their difficulty) in order to get an A or a B or a C in English. The new school had 8th graders (13/14 year olds) watching schoolhouse rocks and movies. It was a shock. People don‘t read here the way they did back home. 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics That's crazy, honestly. And that is interesting. If you find out, let me know!! 😂 yeah. A big change like that is never easy to get used to. But you managed well, I hope?? And not many people actually read. Well, I thought so until I found Litsy!! 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder I sure will. I‘m not entirely sure where to look, but I‘ve got a few sources to get me started. Litsy renewed my faith in people reading!!! I‘m so glad I stumbled upon Litsy. I guess, I‘m shocked that people can get college degrees and have never read a whole book. Reading was/is required back home. It‘s just not here. I don‘t get it. 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics I'm glad! Yeah, that's very strange. I don't know where they get their knowledge from! Unless they have a mentor that teaches them EveryThing, then how the? Where is back home? 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder Minnesota is home. Texas is here. So I went quite literally from one end of the country to the other, but managed to stay in the same time zone. lol MN even went as far as to reject the Common Core for reading, because it wold have actually downgraded the standards they already had. Loved it. 💙💙💙 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics Ohh, I've wanted to go to Texas for years now! Ahh that's awesome 😊 haven't heard much about Minnesota tbh. I just know it exists! Lol 5y
julesG The more I read the comments, the happier I am having grown up and living in Europe. There are a lot of things that are soooo different from your experiences. - - - re: religion. I was born in the GDR. After the Berlin Wall fell, we were allowed to get religious education, go to church openly, etc. I wasn't raised in a religious family, but went to RE (protestant) with my school mates. One of the first questions I asked our female teacher... 5y
julesG ... was, why women couldn't become pope. She then explained that women were not equal to men and that such an important position could only be held by a man. I did not go to RE for a very long time after that. I asked too many unpopular questions and according to my parents I was quite the feminist at age 10/11. Also don't get the religious wars. And I am a historian among other things. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder Texas is a bit backwards. They often times don‘t believe in science or global warming. It has its bright points though. San Antonio is nice. Minnesota is cold, but it does have the largest mall in America...which has an amusement park in it. 🤷🏼‍♀️ 🤣😂🤣 5y
julesG Speaking of history. I studied history of epidemic/health/medicine/drugs... There is very interesting research into drugs and religions. To bring it down to one sentence, religions/religious beliefs are the result of people taking drugs (alcohol, mushrooms, diluted poison, herbs,...) and trying to make sense of their intoxicated state afterwards. 5y
GingerAntics @julesG I don‘t get them either. It‘s all “my god is bigger than your god” so it just seems like an extreme form of small man syndrome to me. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Yeah, I was quite the feminist by that age, too. My questions and I are generally not welcome in a lot of Protestant churches and not always in the Catholic ones either. I‘ve always considered myself Christian, but I‘m thinking I actually might not be recently. 🤷🏼‍♀️ 5y
GingerAntics @julesG 🤣😂🤣 that is brilliant 🤣😂🤣 I‘m not sure I necessarily ascribe to it, but I could see that being a big part of some of the crazy things you find in religion. Someone HAD to be high as a freakin kite and drunk as hell to say “hey let‘s chop off part of our genitals to prove god loves us the best.” 🤣😂🤣 I have heard of marijuana and LSD giving people spiritual experiences. 5y
julesG I started studying this due to a class on medieval prophecies - which turned out to be a class talking about the apocalypse mainly and then running out of time to discuss anything else. So, talking about John, who removed himself from society to think about God and whatever else. He's fasting do much that he gets visions of what will happen at the end of the world,... That's what made me interested in drugs and their influence on belief systems 5y
julesG And it's not only "western" religions/beliefs benefitting from drugs. The Mayas, Aztecs, Nordic, Germanic, Celtic, Indian, African,... They all did drugs, or other methods to get visions. 5y
julesG Also, early religions came into existence, mostly, to make sense of the natural world. I wonder whether we had religious beliefs like we do if early humans had had a grasp of science like we do now. 5y
GingerAntics @julesG hey, some people think of science as a religion. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I‘ve heard another theory for why the book of Revelations was written. Either way, dude was not seeing god. It‘s not what it‘s made out to be all these millennia later. 5y
GingerAntics @julesG there are still things that science can‘t explain, so I think those religions would still have happened. At the same time, if the wars over god hadn‘t occurred and Christianity and Islam hadn‘t trampled over everyone in the west so everyone kept their nature religions, we probably wouldn‘t have environmental issues like we have...and certainly no one would be denying them. 5y
GingerAntics @julesG @OleAnder interesting thought I just had. 🤔 The earth is a woman. The earth is Mother Earth. Nature is Mother Nature. Until recently, western society didn‘t think anything of harming the earth, destroying nature. They just expected it would always be there...like with women. We can treat them like crap because we‘ll always have women. I wonder if people would be more concerned with the fate of our planet if it was seen as a man? 🤔 (edited) 5y
julesG That is an interesting thought indeed. On that note, I just realized that I need to teach my son a lot more things because I don't want him to turn into an arse who's relying on "we'll always have women". Also, the pickle we, humankind/eartheners, are in now, might not have happened in matriarchal societies, where the community is important, not the (male) "I". 5y
julesG Linguistically, German uses female articles for nature and earth. But the word planet/Planet has a masculine article. It feels empty somehow. Hollow. (pretty philosophical and/or poetic) anyway, I think the "safe the planet" message, although planet might be associated with the male, doesn't work either. 5y
julesG What we really need, IMHO, is a sense of community that crosses borders, cultures,... We need to re-learn that we are a giant herd/flock/group of individuals belonging to the same species. Hence, any act of violence is an act towards extinction of the species. Which, in itself, is against the evolutionary idea that's implanted in our genes. 5y
julesG Yes, you can throw science right back into my face saying that any species has fights, casualties, etc. But, they never work towards mass extinction, they never take more from nature than there is available,... 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics I think if Earth was seen as a man, men would feel entitled to having even yet more power. 'This is a man's world.' It would probably make them far more egoistic. But they don't take much care for themselves, I doubt they'd look after Earth with that in mind. @julesG is right. If people just forgot our differences, thought as HUMANS, we'd have avoided all the conflicts that exist today. :/ 5y
AlaSkaat One thing I don't understand is Racism. While defending people I have heard 'You'll go against your people to defend them?' Really. Against my people? Who are my people? Racist? Arrogant? Ignorant? Stupid? Cynical? Ohh!! WHITE?! ... a big facepalm. 5y
GingerAntics @julesG I agree with all of that. The problem in it is that as soon as you use the “e word” (evolution) you‘re going to lose anyone who is one of the three major western religions. 🙄 it‘s amazing how many people can‘t even see that a person evolves in their lifetime, so clearly people could evolve over time, even if there were created by god. Anyone who has been alive for the last 30-35 years can see that things can evolve QUICKLY!!! 5y
GingerAntics @julesG just look at the internet and computers and smartphones. We‘ve evolved SO much over the last three or four decades just in technology. I don‘t understand these people who can just outright deny evolution, but that might as well be a swear work with a remarkable number of people. @oleander I tried pointing out that creationism and evolution were not mutually exclusive in 8th grade at Catholic school. 😏 😇 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder people already say it‘s a man‘s world. 🙄 I hate that phrase, honestly. Yeah, racism annoys the hell out of me. I‘m not going against anyone by defending another human being. The only thing I‘m going against is bigotry. Hello!!! Seriously. I agree with @JulesG on the masculine mentality of the “me” centred universe vs the feline mentality of the communal cantered universe. Racism was totally invented by a white dude. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder @julesG which means scientifically it didn‘t exist for the first portion of human history until early humans moved out of Africa and spent so much time in less sunny climates that their skin had to evolve so they were able to properly absorb vitamin D etc. Oh look, it‘s all connected. Then again, most racists believe God made white people special so go figure. This is why history is important. 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics I'm so lost on this conversation. 😂 so all I can say is that this world is messed up and unless something revolutionary happens, we are fu-ed. Lol. History should show us how to avoid mistakes. But we just copy them. Yes. Most intelligent species on the planet! 5y
julesG Right. We, humans, were all black at the start. The ancestors going north turned white over many generations. Whoops, evolution at work. 👿 And then Homo Sapiens did actually crossbreed with Neanderthals. Does that make the white people with a splash of Neanderthal in them lesser humans? Ooooh, I could go on. We are a pretty ephed up species. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder we did sort of take a turn there, but you seem to be in the right place anyway. Ultimately, we‘re all agreeing that the world is ephed up and we need to make some changes. For some reason, from this conversation, taking women seriously around the world seems like it would significantly change A LOT of what‘s wrong with the world. Interesting that so much hinges on something so simple, and yet so very fundamental. @julesG 5y
julesG That should be a big slogan "take women seriously"! 5y
AlaSkaat @julesG @GingerAntics I think instead of teaching kids about God in school, they should put more focus on evolution. Faith is a choice, optional. But science is a must. If they knew why people have different skin colours instead of religious people killing women because they were 'witches' if they spoke back! how the would world change. :/ 5y
AlaSkaat Lol, I am convinced I will be part of that revolution. A woman that changes the world! Hang on there, ladies. I first have to work on my awkwardness and confidence. But we'll get there. We will win this gender war 😂 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder you and me both, sister!!! You and me both. I can be a great leader when I need to be, but I‘m not confident enough (because I always feel so awkward) to jump in and just do it. I almost have to get warmed up, first. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder I totally agree that religion/creationism should not be taught in schools. I know people here in TX (and I would imagine most religious devotees) would say “science is a lie, Christianity is the necessity because our children will go to hell without it.” What we need (at least here in America) is an ACTUAL separation of church and state, and not lip service to the idea. They all say “yeah yeah, but this is the true religion.” (edited) 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder I agree with you on every point of why students should be taught actual science and not creation stories. I‘m not necessarily opposed to students being taught the various creation stories of the world as part of literature, but it should never ever be taught as science. EVER!!! 5y
GingerAntics @julesG fourth wave feminism? lol Although, I would imagine, to one extent or another, every feminist slogan ties into this one. Maybe it‘s the global slogan, and then each country can specify in what ways they need it to be shown at the moment. lol That could bring everyone together. That‘s good. 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics I'm good at influencing people. We could work as a team, you'd be the leader and I'd act as an assistant, dropping you hints when you need them lol. I've read so much science, philosophy and psychology I know how people work. But bcs I'm autistic, most times instead of persuading them, I grunt, not being able to put my thoughts in words and are unable to make a point 😂 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics Yeah, exactly. Education forces religion on you. At least since they do it, they should cover ALL religions. So you could make your own choice. Religion should be a choice. But yes, it should also be taught as FAITH and not the TRUTH. Science has facts. It has proof. Religion lives in heart and mind. Science is all around us. How can they compare them or make them the same? 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder no idea. I‘d never seen such a thing until we moved to TX, but apparently it‘s very common in the southern states. It permeates EVERYTHING!!! I went to catholic school and it wasn‘t like it is here. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder score. We can work together and make this happen!!! lol 5y
AlaSkaat @julesG @GingerAntics I just thought of this 'If they have a heart, a mind and soul, if they have two feet and two hands and a mouth to speak like yours, do not reject; accept each other differences for you are build on the same foundations as them. By rejecting them, you reject yourself.' That should be nailed in people's heads lol 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics The whole education system just has to change. And yes we can!! Let's do it! Haha 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder oh I totally agree with that. I know people down here that wouldn‘t even say those words because they genuinely believe they‘re not true. That‘s the problem. When school systems are run by racists, religious supremacists, bigots, they‘re going to forward those types of ideas in their school systems. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder I‘m at the point that I‘m not even sure America‘s education system can be salvaged. It is so messed up and tangled up with all kinds of BS. Common Core. No Child Left Behind. It‘s all insane. None of it actually serves students or meets kids where they are, so there is no hope of any of it actually working. Religion and bigotry are far too mixed up in it. I see why so many people don‘t even want their kids in the system. 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics I live in Scotland so our education system is a lot different. But our issue(from what I remember)is that they don't care much. They let kids do whatever they want. I left school at the age 17 and most of people I knew left at 16. No one was encouraged enough to stay. They did not try to convince you, didn't work better. They just taught what they had to teach and why should they do more?? I hope it has improved. But I am not so sure 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics I hope all those aspiring teachers will make a change in the education system all over the world 5y
AlaSkaat Teachers are leaders themselves. But do they know that? Teachers have as much of an effect on a persons life as their parents do. Why don't they try harder? And better? Why did they even begin teaching if not to bring about 'change'? Isn't teaching all about that after all? 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder oh wow, I love Scotland!!! I‘ve heard location plays a big roll in that, as far as the Scottish school system. It‘s similar to hear in that if you live in a more affluent area the education is better and more encouraging that in lesser affluent areas. That‘s probably true around the world, though. In the more extreme cases, the lesser affluent areas don‘t have a school at all. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder I‘ve known several teachers that went in with the idea of changing things. Then they get in the classroom and they are so beat down by the beurocracy, having to try to fund their classroom out of pocket, all the random BS they have to try to teach their students just to keep their jobs, they end up happy to just survive. It‘s sad. At least that‘s how it is here. I‘ve heard it‘s just that was in England, too. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder they‘re fully aware of that. The problem is, their hands are usually tied. You can‘t say certain things, you can never speak against the status quo or you‘ll lose your job. If a parent decides their child can do no wrong, you‘re held responsible for their behaviour, failing grades, or lack of effort. They are already doing a million things just to be able to keep their jobs. They‘re already over worked and under paid. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder the issue is above the teachers. The teachers are stuck within the same rock and a hard place as the students. It‘s at a district, state, and national level. Teachers already get everything thrown at their feet, and they don‘t get to make any of the decisions they‘re regularly blamed for. Teachers aren‘t the problem. The system they‘re stuck in (with their students) is. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder Education decisions are made by people who have never been a teacher and haven‘t been in a classroom in 20+ years, so they have no clue the effect their ideas are going to have. It‘s ridiculous. Teachers have zero control over anything. People generally don‘t get that. Being a teacher, even being a professor at the college/uni level, is a balancing act of trying to not get fired and trying to keep everyone happy. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder blaming teachers is like blaming women for being born female. They all get into teaching to make a difference and inspire kids. That all goes by the wayside when they actually get into the field and realise they actually have LESS power than the students and the students‘ parents do. 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics That's true. Money plays a big role in education. Sadly. Now that's disappointing and sad. Holding a teacher responsible for a child's behaviour is wrong. That falls on their parents. Always. Teaching should be the way it's thought about. Not the way it is now. Gosh. This is heartbreaking. Decade after decade and Nothing has gotten better. 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics You are so right. I don't put blame on them for not changing the system, say. But for how they teach. Even if they cannot do much, some don't even try to do what they CAN do. But that's totally understandable. They don't see any point. And tbh, I don't anymore either 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder exactly...and it just seems to be getting worse and worse. We‘ve had whole states worth of teachers walking out of the classroom to protest not even getting a living wage. Something like 75% or more of teachers in American work at least one additional job just to make ends meet. Teachers get paid for 8 hours a day, but then they have to go home and grade, and get lesson plans ready. They work all summer, usually for no pay at all. 5y
GingerAntics @oleander it‘s ridiculous. It‘s sad. So many systems basically use teachers until they‘ve burned out completely or retire and then just move on to the next teacher they can beat down. Some countries do seem to treat their educators as valuable people who play a huge role in the future of the nation, they have access to supply closets and they get paid a living wage. Most don‘t, though, sadly. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder in some cases, they literally can‘t. I‘m literally given a script to work off of and if I deviate from it, I can be fired...and I teach at the college level. 🙄 I get paid three hours a week per class, so I can be in the classroom for three hours a week and then spend at least that much time at home grading their assignments I had no say in, then my boss wants to tell me the way I graded was wrong. 🙄 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics What pains me the most is that this is all about control, power, money. I agree that Teachers should get more pay and should be allowed more freedom. They're intelligent. They should be allowed to make at least half more of choices than they can make now. Everyone's life starts with school, with education, teachers. Why are they getting so little in return? Education should be free and inspiring. Not dreadful and disappointing 5y
AlaSkaat The way they decide the pay for teachers, doctors, police is so so sooo f-ed up. Those are the ones that Deserve the Biggest pay. 5y
AlaSkaat Girl. Get moving. We have a lot to do 😂 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder EXACTLY!!! These are the least paid people in society, with the biggest demands on them and the biggest roles in society. How does that make any sense?! It is all power, control and money. It‘s sad. 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics That is crazy. They seem to know way more about how education works when they're not even Directly involved in it. They just command and state rules. 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics People are slowly waking up. Maybe, MAYBE in a near or far (not too far I hope) future things will change for the better. Maybe we can really have an impact on the way things are. There are a lot of us now. We can have more power than those 'powerful' people. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder here‘s hoping. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 5y
AlaSkaat I have faith!!! We can do it. I am sure of it! 😇 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder I think it‘s going to take more of us, but I also don‘t think we‘re alone. I‘m sure they want us to feel like we‘re alone so we‘ll shut up and feel intimidated, but we‘re not alone and we know it. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder is education compulsory until 16 or 18 in Scotland. All these different countries with different ages. It gets confusing. It‘s hard to keep up. 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics We sure are not alone! You can leave highschool at 16. But then you can go to College after that- they can take you on after you turn 16 and this will prepare you and give you qualifications to get into University. Many students here have only College qualifications. HNC's, etc. But these are good enough to find a job. But I figure if you want to work in big businesses, you need a University Degree. 5y
AlaSkaat I explained it so bad 😂 best thing about study here is that after you hit 16, you get some money for attending school. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder they pay you for going to school? That is brilliant!!! People here act like if you‘re in school you‘re lazy, you should just get a job on top of it. Usually this comes from people who never went to college or never really cared about their grades. 🙄 I had my doctor (so obviously went to college) tell me she had 7 jobs in med school so I should get a job in grad school even though I wasn‘t allowed to have one for the first year. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder No wonder she was such a half ass doctor. 🙄 Yeah, here they told us from as young as I can remember that if you went to college you‘d pretty much be guaranteed a job and people would be lining up to hire you. Such a lie. 🙄 I owe more in student loans than I have ever earned from my degree. In fact, I haven‘t earned much at all from my degree. It‘s pretty useless. 5y
AlaSkaat @GingerAntics I think in HS everyone got it. But in College and Especially in Uni it's mostly for those that have a low-income etc. Helps if you work on top of study and can only do part-time jobs. It's similar here. Most students have jobs of some kind. I don't think a degree is necessary to get a job. Ofc it gives you advantage, but not always. If you have the skills and know how to get it, you can get the job that's asked for a master degree 5y
AlaSkaat I started study 4 times before, but never liked it. The only reason I started University again is because I want to gain knowledge and skills. Not to have a degree to show. You can gain all that while working, but since I've been ill for so long, school is the best choice rn. Soon I will combine it with work experience again 5y
AlaSkaat What's your degree?? 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder I‘ve studied a bunch of stuff. My bachelors and masters are both in history, though. There are hardly any jobs in history and on top of them, they hire men over women in this field. For some reason, if your female and a historian you must study women‘s history. Clearly, no woman would have any other interest in the field. 🙄 You don‘t really earn skills here. You have to get them on the job, but can‘t get a job without them. 🤷🏼‍♀️ 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder It‘s a double edge sword that serves to screw over young people, and then the older generations like to point fingers at my generation and the next one after us and claim we don‘t work hard enough or we‘re lazy. We were given a broken system, and to stay afloat, they‘re screwing us. 5y
GingerAntics @OleAnder there are thousands and thousands more college graduates every year, and there haven‘t really been any new jobs since the 70s or 80s (depending on who‘s giving the analysis). 5y
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readtheworld
Spirits Abroad | Zen Cho
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KatyAliceReads
Moxie | Jennifer Mathieu
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THIS BOOK Y'ALL!!!! I love the subtler moments like this! We have progressive cool mr. love interest casually trotting out "#NotAllMen" and just weirdly nice-guy talking down to her while trying to show her how down with the cause he is...and she comes back at him... #24in48

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Megabooks
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My man Nate P. Is a total bro. It interests me that this book is written by a woman. It always interests me when people write MCs of the opposite gender. It makes me wonder about the veracity of the MC's inner thoughts. Given that most of my experience knowing the inner sexual thoughts of men is more from gay friends than straight, I'm intrigued to know if #notallmen break down a woman's attractiveness this much. #24in48 #readathon

becausetrains It's pretty common from my experience, speaking as a white cis-straight male. I've done it before 😕 and been in groups where women's looks were about all we discussed 😞 but a) my female friends knocked sense into me and b) I realized early on that conventional attractiveness doesn't make relationships - common interest does. I've heard gay/bi male culture is similar, but can't personally confirm. 8y
Megabooks @becausetrains That's a very interesting insight. I think the reason I find this character so unlikable is also that he thinks things like "Women are incapable of reasonable thought - just feelings." And "Women don't write anything interesting." I'm still compelled to read on. I'm glad some women knocked some sense into you. ?? 8y
becausetrains @Ebooksandcooks yikes. I can say I've never thought those two things!! Some men I've met have expressed those thoughts, but nowhere near a majority. That said, I run in highly educated, urban, white-collar circles - might be different for blue-collar, less formal ed, rural, etc. 8y
Megabooks Oh dear @becausetrains this MC is a freelance journalist living in Brooklyn! That's part of what shocks me so much! That he can be so openly mysognistic and douche-y. 8y
becausetrains @Ebooksandcooks ugh, that kind of entitlement happens too - I think all men past a certain age have gotten the message that it's ok to objectify women, but some demonstrate it far more than others. I don't know why rape culture sticks so much more heavily for those men - probably have it demo'd to them persistently when young, with few examples to the contrary. 8y
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Megabooks
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How do people feel about the category "women's fiction"? I don't like it because there's no corresponding "men's fiction", so does that mean the male experience is the universal experience? That's how I've always taken it. Thoughts? Pic courtesy of the US SSA website.

LeahBergen There was a "Men's Fiction" section in this old, used bookstore that I used to go to years ago. It was full of sea adventures, westerns and swashbucklers... All the stuff that I wanted to read! Ha! 8y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa I hate it! I clicked on it the first time I saw it thinking it was the Feminism section, like Woman's Studies in school, and instead got chick lit and romances. 🙄 8y
Em890 I'm not sure I've ever noticed a Women's Fiction section, but it does king of irritate me. Mostly because how many men are going to look at books in those sections even if they want to. Labeling it that way excludes a lot of possible readers 8y
See All 33 Comments
Megabooks That's interesting @LeahBergen ! I've never seen that. 8y
Megabooks @Riveted_Reader_Melissa Yes! Why assume that all women like that or that men wouldn't be interested! 8y
Megabooks @Em890 Exactly! There are a whole lot of men who wouldn't want to be seen browsing a women's section, but it may have books they would enjoy. Plus it cuts off the exposure of some women authors to wider audiences. 8y
BookishFeminist I hate it! It downplays women's experiences and lives & it lumps us into one giant category of "romance" and/or "fluffy stuff" (even if that isn't actually true of the fiction in the category). It's just a way to make "chick lit" sound more grown up & less sexist. Marketing women's experiences solely to women also ensures that men won't pick it up & keeps playing into the denigration of women's issues. 8y
BookishFeminist It also infuriates me how fiction written by women is marketed, full of pastel colors & flowers etc, even if the content inside has nothing to do with it. 8y
Notafraidofwords @BookishFeminist or as a memoir when it's a journalism focused. 8y
BookishFeminist @Notafraidofwords Yes, that too! Did you see the article about the North Korean journalist whose book was sold as a memoir? Infuriating. 8y
thatotherlisa When I'm feeling snarky, I kind of wish we could make "men's fiction" a thing. It could be all those books written by men about men's lives and experiences that we currently just label "fiction" and expect everyone to read. 8y
MLVReads I don't get it because who says what qualifies as "women's fiction"? Because writers like Gillian Flynn and Tana French aren't put in the category. So I also feel that it's a dig to readers who enjoy reading about love or friendship. Like it isn't important enough. 8y
Notafraidofwords @BookishFeminist yes. My heart broke for her. 8y
MrBook For an industry that relies on the written word, I am actually quite stunned at the poorly articulated genre names we have today. "Women's Fiction"? Aren't women in almost every book (and men vice versa)? "Literary Fiction"? Isn't all fiction literature? "Historical fiction"? Isn't it all history? 8y
HeatherBookNerd @BookishFeminist I was going to write all the things you already said so well. So ditto all that! 8y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @MLVReads Exactly! There is fiction and then there's that fluffy stuff for chick's. The funny part to me is a bunch of classics written by women Jane Austin or the Bronte's would probably be labeled as chick lit (women's lit) if it was released today. 8y
BookishFeminist Another one that I see with alarming frequency in the south, especially library booksales and used bookstores, is "ethnic fiction." Like, what? So denigrating. Also lumping all books written by or about Black people put in one category, even fiction, as if the Black experience should be removed from the rest of society & literature. 8y
OffTheBeatenShelf.com I'm really glad @BookishFeminist is already in this thread because I was going to tag her. You all said it best. I second everything shared here. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 8y
BookishFeminist @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I've seen Bronte & Austen included in women's fiction categories before! 8y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @BookishFeminist So Women's Fiction is basically anything written by a woman. We wouldn't want anyone accidentally picking up a book and thinking it looks good without them realizing it was written by a woman first. 😱 8y
BookishFeminist @Riveted_Reader_Melissa Nope, never. It's a public health concern. You might catch cooties, you know. 8y
BookishFeminist @thatotherlisa @LeahBergen I've seen halfhearted attempts at men's fiction before & it's all Tom Clancy etc. But I totally agree! I would definitely worry that the sarcasm would go over a lot of people's heads & there'd probably be a lot of men that'd be like "fuck yeah! Don't have to wade through that women's nonsense to find my military thrillers!" #notallmen ? 8y
HeatherBookNerd This categorization is totally baffling. Does Women's Fiction mean that the author is a woman? Or that the subject matter can presumably only be appreciated by women? (As if ALL women have identical interests.) Or that flowers and tea cups are on the cover? Or the books mention vaginas? So silly. 8y
Megabooks @HeatherBookNerd You hit my point pretty much exactly! 8y
becausetrains I mentioned "urban fiction" ? to @BookishFeminist and she literally roared ? She (and all y'all) should start a bookstore called Women's Fiction. ????? 8y
Megabooks @BookishFeminist I agree that it downgrades women's experiences and writing. It's as if women can't write "serious literature". Also lumping all POC as ethnic writing ??. As if writers of color didn't have enough problems getting their books seen as universal! 8y
Megabooks @BookishFeminist @Notafraidofwords I had not heard about the NK journalist. Nothing drives me more bonkers than women not being taken seriously! 8y
Megabooks @MLVReads What counts as women fiction seems to be so subjective. The book I tagged is a female buddy book, so a lot of people/stores would consider it "women's fiction", but then shouldn't war books (or something equally subjectively male) be men's fiction? 8y
itsbrb @BookishFeminist so glad you mentioned the North Korean journalist, just heard about that and it filled me with rage. Glad that I'm not the only one not happy with the genre!! 8y
HeatherBookNerd This whole thread makes me happy that Litsy exists. Book people are my people. 👍🏼 8y
TheWellReadOwl Lithub had an interesting, related piece last week about sexism in literary prizes. http://lithub.com/on-sexism-in-literary-prize-culture/ Great thread. ❤️ 8y
Caryl I ❤️ Litsy! What a great conversation. Thanks, all! 8y
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