Misogyny and Sexism in the News

[Greyson]

High-skilled immigration debate grows over stark gender imbalance, favoring men for H-1B visas

By Matt O'Brien
mercurynews.com
Posted: 03/19/2013 06:28:07 AM PDT

The long-overlooked disparity is beginning to attract attention on Capitol Hill, where activists demanded Monday that the federal government take a closer look at whether U.S. visa policy discriminates against women.

Corporate hiring practices, outdated U.S. visa policies and entrenched gender discrimination in immigrants' home countries are all contributing to the disparity. The hearing marked the first time this year that lawmakers specifically addressed how reform of the immigration system will affect women.

While the Obama administration came under fire at the hearing for not revealing how many men and women hold H-1B visas, the nation's centerpiece program for highly skilled workers, the data requested by the Bay Area News Group provided the scope of the imbalance: The U.S. Office of Immigration Statistics recorded 347,087 male H-1B visa holders entered the country during the 2011 fiscal year compared to 137,522 women.


http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_228190...r?source=email

[Kobi]

Lou Piniella has never been known for his way with words. The ex-manager is a master of the malaprop and his difficulty with the English language caused more than a few press conference chuckles during his skipper days.

What Piniella said while he provided commentary for the YES Network during Wednesday's Red Sox-Yankees game though, was far from funny.

After being asked in the eighth inning about last year's lopsided trade between the Toronto Blue Jays and Miami Marlins, Piniella's apparent initial impulse was to describe it as a sexual assault. And while Sweet Lou never technically used that description, he still completely stepped in it by even saying the word.

Here's a transcription of what Piniella said (via Larry Brown Sports) and here's the awkward audio via Deadspin:

“Well they just, I don’t want to use the word ‘raped,’ but they basically took a lot of talent from the Miami Marlins,” Piniella said. “Toronto will probably be picked to win the (AL East) by a lot of people.”

Here's the thing: Letting the word pass his lips constitutes using it, even if he followed it by saying that wasn't his intention. It's why Piniella — who currently draws paychecks to speak publicly for a living — might want to look into a better filter when describing a trade that was heavy on prospects for pros.

Because, yes, there are words so crude and offensive that they can't be laughed away as humorous misspeak from a crusty old lifer.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-bi...7041--mlb.html

-------------------------------


Thank you Kevin Kaduk for having the gonads to call this what it is.

[DapperButch]

http://www.aol.com/video/outrage-aft...6pLid%3D286675

Somehow I doubt that if this was a male that he wouldn't be included in the National Memorial.

[Kobi]

President Obama has apologized to California Attorney General Kamala Harris for commenting Thursday on her looks, an aide said Friday.

"He called her (Thursday night) to apologize for the distraction created by his comments," said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

"They are old friends and good friends," Carney said."And he did not want in any way to diminish the attorney general's professional accomplishments and her capabilities."

During a fundraiser in California, Obama praised Harris' work and added that "she also happens to be, by far, the best-looking attorney general in the country." As the crowd reacted, the president said, "It's true! Come on!"

Some commentators criticized Obama for the crack, calling it sexist and demeaning.

Carney pointed out that Obama also described Harris as "brilliant, dedicated, and tough."

The president also "fully recognizes the challenge women continue to face in the workplace and that they should not be judged based on appearance," Carney said.

------------------------


Sigh.

[Greyson]

News coverage of female candidate’s appearance damages her chance of winning
Posted by Diana Reese on April 8, 2013 at 12:57 am


Even such a neutral description of a female candidate’s appearance can hurt her chances at getting elected, according to a study released today by Name It. Change It., a joint project of The Women’s Media Center and She Should Run.

News coverage that referred to a female candidate as “fit and attractive and looks even younger than her age,” even though it sounded complimentary, hurt the voters’ perceptions of the politician for being in touch and being likeable, confident, effective and qualified. Both negative and positive comments caused damage. The voters whose responses were affected the most by coverage of a candidate’s appearance were independents — and their support often determines the outcome of an election.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...ce-of-winning/

[Kätzchen]

"Allies who bristle at earnest criticism from the members of the community they desire to serve hurt us more than they help,"

-- Kimberly Foster (Founder & Editor of For Harriet)

Link: http://www.forharriet.com/2013/04/th...ed-allies.html

[femmeInterrupted]

1920s Anti-suffragette's postcard. "Peace at last"

[femmeInterrupted]

The Museum of Sexism. Fantastic posts showing the history of sexism against feminists/suffragettes.

[femmeInterrupted]

[femmeInterrupted]

http://gawker.com/5994168/nova-scoti...rape-bullying/

Nova Scotia Teen Commits Suicide After Rape, Bullying
Maggie Lange

Rehtaeh Parsons, a 17-year-old from Nova Scotia, died this past Sunday in a hospital, after attempting suicide on Thursday. Her mother stated that a rape in 2011 and subsequent bullying led to her daughter's suicide.

In 2011, Rehtaeh Parsons attended a party where she consumed enough vodka to not remember most of the evening. She recalls throwing up out of a window. Four boys then raped her; one of the boys allegedly yelled, "take a picture, take a picture." According to Rehtaeh's mother, "That picture began to circulate in her school and community three days later."

The picture prompted a torrent of online bullying as well as verbal abuse at her school. When Rehtaeh confessed the incident to her mother a few days later, they called emergency health services as well the police. After a year of investigations, the police told her it was a case of "he said, she said," without enough evidence to press charges. They told the family that though she was underage, the photographs were not a criminal issue.

The family moved from Cole Harbour to Halifax. Leah Parsons reports that her daughter attempted to maintain high spirits, but was depressed:

"Every text, every negative thing she would read to me. It was hard. She tried and she kept trying... She was never left alone. Her friends turned against her, people harassed her, boys she didn't know started texting her and Facebooking asking her to have sex with them since she had had sex with their friends. It just never stopped."

Rehtaeh admitted herself to a hospital in March because of suicidal thoughts. She attempted suicide on Thursday and was taken off life support on Sunday. Parsons has created a memorial page for her daughter, where she wrote:

"She made my life complete. When Rehtaeh was born, I dedicated everything to her and promised her the world. Others in this world took that away from her."

[CBC, image via Rehtaeh Parsons's Facebook Memorial Page]

[femmeInterrupted]

Originally Posted by femmeInterrupted

http://gawker.com/5994168/nova-scoti...rape-bullying/

Nova Scotia Teen Commits Suicide After Rape, Bullying
Maggie Lange

Rehtaeh Parsons, a 17-year-old from Nova Scotia, died this past Sunday in a hospital, after attempting suicide on Thursday. Her mother stated that a rape in 2011 and subsequent bullying led to her daughter's suicide.

In 2011, Rehtaeh Parsons attended a party where she consumed enough vodka to not remember most of the evening. She recalls throwing up out of a window. Four boys then raped her; one of the boys allegedly yelled, "take a picture, take a picture." According to Rehtaeh's mother, "That picture began to circulate in her school and community three days later."


The picture prompted a torrent of online bullying as well as verbal abuse at her school. When Rehtaeh confessed the incident to her mother a few days later, they called emergency health services as well the police. After a year of investigations, the police told her it was a case of "he said, she said," without enough evidence to press charges. They told the family that though she was underage, the photographs were not a criminal issue.

The family moved from Cole Harbour to Halifax. Leah Parsons reports that her daughter attempted to maintain high spirits, but was depressed:

"Every text, every negative thing she would read to me. It was hard. She tried and she kept trying... She was never left alone. Her friends turned against her, people harassed her, boys she didn't know started texting her and Facebooking asking her to have sex with them since she had had sex with their friends. It just never stopped."

Rehtaeh admitted herself to a hospital in March because of suicidal thoughts. She attempted suicide on Thursday and was taken off life support on Sunday. Parsons has created a memorial page for her daughter, where she wrote:

"She made my life complete. When Rehtaeh was born, I dedicated everything to her and promised her the world. Others in this world took that away from her."

[CBC, image via Rehtaeh Parsons's Facebook Memorial Page]

From her mother: (via Rehtaeh's memorial facebook page)
This page is dedication to my wonderful Daughter who was smart, beautiful, and full of life with a deep compassion to animals. The Person Rehtaeh once was all changed one dreaded night in November 2011. She went with a friend to another’s home. In that home she was raped by four young boys…one of those boys took a photo of her being raped and decided it would be fun to distribute the photo to everyone in Rehtaeh’s school and community where it quickly went viral. Because the boys already had a “slut” story, the victim of the rape Rehtaeh was considered a SLUT.
This day changed the lives of our family forever. I stopped working that very day and we have all been on this journey of emotional turmoil ever since.
Rehtaeh was suddenly shunned by almost everyone she knew, the harassment was so bad she had to move out of her own community to try to start anew in Halifax. She struggled emotionally with depression and anger .
Her thoughts of suicide began and fearing for her life, she placed herself in a hospital in an attempt to get help. She stayed there for almost 6weeks. The bullying continued, her friends were not supportive. She needed a friend and eventually along the way a few new friends came along and a few old friends came forward.
Rae then moved back to Dartmouth, always with the concern of what will be said about her, said to her. Again, she was the one raped…she was the victim being victimized over and over again. One year later the police conclude their investigation to state that it comes down to “he said, she said” they believed the boys raped her but the proof in a court of law was difficult to gather. The photo sent…”well Leah, that’s a community issue!”
The bullying never stopped but she learned to keep her head high and surrounded herself with the ones who truly cared. I will have eternal gratitude for her friends Jenna, Dawid and Mike for the past few months. They are the ones she leaned on for strength and courage.
Just two weeks ago she stopped smoking pot, started looking for work and with the help of one of her teachers and a new therapist she was making progress. When the calming effects of the pot subsided, her feelings of anger began to re-surface and she was struggling.
I will say that she has told me many times that “Mom, although I often feel like killing myself…I could never do that to you because you would be devastated.”
This past week she was having lots of mood swings and her boyfriend Mike and Jenna wore the brunt of it but Thursday April 4th she had a great day, made plans for the weekend etc.
Later that evening she had an outburst, acted on that impulse and locked herself in the bathroom. And to stop any rumours from spreading…. She acted on an impulse but I truly in my heart of heart do not feel she meant to kill herself. By the time I broke into the bathroom it was too late. My beautiful girl had hung herself and was rushed to the hospital where she remained on life support until last night.
This page is to celebrate the Rehtaeh we knew and loved. One of Rae’s pet peeves was that when someone passed away, suddenly they were liked and people cared. She wouldn’t want people who bullied her, talked about her, put negative statuses about her over the past year, and sent awful messages to be on this page.
I know who you are because everyone message was a pain we shared together, there was not much that she didn’t tell me or show me. People were so very cruel to her so if you were one that felt it ok to bully someone in so much pain –STAY AWAY.
Rehtaeh is gone today because of The four boys that thought that raping a 15yr old girl was OK and to distribute a photo to ruin her spirit and reputation would be fun. Secondly, All the bullying and messaging and harassment that never let up are also to blame. Lastly, the justice system failed her. Those are the people that took the life of my beautiful girl.
Rehtaeh stood up for others, showed compassion to animals and people. She was an amazing artist .She made my life complete. When Rehtaeh was born I dedicated everything to her and promised her the world. Others in this world took that away from her.

[Kobi]

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis has reaffirmed the Vatican's criticism of a body that represents U.S. nuns which the Church said was tainted by "radical" feminism, dashing hopes he might take a softer stand with the sisters.

Francis's predecessor, Benedict, decreed that the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), a group that represents more than 80 percent of the 57,000 Catholic nuns in the United States, must change its ways, a ruling which the Vatican said on Monday still applied.

Last year, a Vatican report said the LCWR had "serious doctrinal problems" and promoted "radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith", criticizing it for taking a soft line on issues such as birth control and homosexuality.

The nuns received wide support among American Catholics, particularly on the liberal wing of the Church, as LCWR leaders travelled around the United States in a bus to defend themselves against the accusations.

On Monday the group's leaders met Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Mueller, the new head of the Vatican's doctrinal department, and Archbishop Peter Sartain of Seattle, who has been assigned by the Vatican to correct the group's perceived failings.

"Archbishop Mueller informed the (LCWR) presidency that he had recently discussed the doctrinal assessment with Pope Francis, who reaffirmed the findings of the assessment and the program of reform, " the Vatican's statement said.

The Vatican reminded the group that it would "remain under the direction of the Holy See," the statement said.

It was the nuns' first meeting with Mueller, who succeeded American Cardinal William Levada as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Levada, who retired last year, oversaw the Vatican's investigation of the U.S. nuns.

A statement from the LCWR said the "conversation was open and frank" and added: "We pray that these conversations may bear fruit for the good of the Church".

In April 2012, the doctrinal department criticized the LCWR for challenging bishops and for being "silent on the right to life," saying it had failed to make the "Biblical view of family life and human sexuality" a central plank of its agenda.

The nuns supported President Barack Obama's healthcare reform, part of which makes insurance coverage of birth control mandatory, while U.S. bishops opposed it.

Many nuns said the Vatican's report misunderstood their intentions and undervalued their work for social justice.

Supporters of the nuns said the women had helped the image of the Church in the United States at a time when it was engulfed in scandal over sexual abuse of minors by priests. They were praised by many fellow Catholics and the media for their work with the poor and sick.

Monday's Vatican statement expressed gratitude for the "great contribution" American Catholic nuns had made in teaching and caring for the sick and poor.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/pope-stands...153855257.html

[Kobi]

Each year, an ever-increasing number of men, women and their families are joining the award-winning Walk a Mile in Her Shoes®: The International Men's March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault & Gender Violence. A Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® Event is a playful opportunity for men to raise awareness in their community about the serious causes, effects and remediations to sexualized violence.

There is an old saying: "You can't really understand another person's experience until you've walked a mile in their shoes." Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® asks men to literally walk one mile in women's high-heeled shoes. It's not easy walking in these shoes, but it's fun and it gets the community to talk about something that's really difficult to talk about: gender relations and sexual violence.










http://walkamileinhershoes.org/

-----------------------------------------


This campaign, started by a man, is perhaps well intentioned but really irks me. From the red stiletto on the web banner, to the pictures of men in fashionable heels, to the "tips for walking in heels" suggestions, it stinks of stereotypical images and perceptions of women, and of how a woman dresses invites sexual assault.

"A playful opportunity for men to raise awareness in their community about the serious causes, effects and remediation's to sexualized violence." Playful and sexual violence are two concepts that should never be associated.

I find it very sexist. Is it just me?

[Kobi]

Like the infamous Evolution Campaign, this new Dove promotion is quite compelling. After publishing research showing that 60% of girls drop out of sports because of body-image issues, the company is out with a new ad campaign focusing on adult women's distorted self-image.

In the video, women are instructed to sit down in a room and to answer questions about them. A man asks them to talk about their facial features. Little do they know that they are being sketched by an FBI trained forensic artist.

After the women self-describe with words like: "big jaw", "protruding chin", "fat rounder face," and "pretty big forehead" they are asked to leave the room without seeing the drawing. After, the same women are asked to come back but this time they are describing another woman rather than themselves. The descriptions suddenly get more positive. She has "bright eyes that lite up when she spoke" and a "nice thin chin." The forensic artist uses these descriptions to draw a new sketch of the same women.

When the female subjects are shown the two drawings, they are dumbstruck. The difference between how others see them and how they view themselves is so shocking that some of them are brought to tears.

"I should be more grateful to my natural beauty. It impacts the choices and the friends that we make, the jobs we apply for and the way we treat our children. It impacts everything. It couldn't be more impactful to our happiness" says one of the women.

We spend a lot of time as women trying to analyze and fix the things that aren't quite right and we should spend time appreciating the things that are right" explains another.

Because the video is powerful, it doesn't mean it's perfect. It's true that women are way too harsh on themselves, but this campaign seems to imply that it's somehow from fault of their own. Sure, women should actively avoid self-defeating thoughts about their appearance, but is realistic to exclusively blame women for feeling bad about their bodies? Dove is owned by Unilever, who also owns Axe, a notoriously misogynistic brand that only values females for their sexual currency. It's companies like Axe that promote the idea that women are simply ornamental and to be appreciated for their body. Isn't paradoxical that Axe's marketing strategies feed the insecurities that Dove purports to be countering?

Objectification isn't just something feminists came up with to confuse chauvinistic pigs, it's an actual psychological term. Researchers interested in the topic have shown that "objectification theory" is the process by which a societal focus on the female body as object impacts women’s understanding of their own bodies as defined through external characteristics rather than internal cues. Women come to understanding their bodies through the perspective of an outsider rather than through a process of introspective thought. Because of this mind-set, women tend to be more critical of themselves because they are taught to police their bodies.

It goes without saying that self-objectification is linked to mental problems such as anxiety, body shame, reduced probability for peak motivation and diminished awareness of internal bodily states. Women come to rely on others for validation because that's how they come to view themselves: through others.

Research on self-objectification also explores the extricable link between self-objectification and women's unhappiness. It turns out that the more women self-objectify, the more unhappy they are. Objectification interrupts the state of flow, which is fundamentally necessary in the pursuit of happiness.

Feeling unhappy because of your body. Not being able to see your own beauty until someone else points it out. Does this sound familiar? Looks like the women in the Dove's video are suffering from a mean case of self-objectification! So what's the best remedy for it? According to experts, the best place to start is by reducing the number of images that portray female objectification. If Dove is so committed to their self-esteem campaign, maybe they should start by walking across the hall to whatever ding-bags are creating Axe commercials and tell them to knock it off. Instead of trying to fix women's self-esteem, let's prevent it from being shattered in the first place.

http://www.policymic.com/articles/35...than-you-think

[Kobi]

Reuters) - A New Jersey principal's ban on strapless dresses at a junior high school dance because they would be "distracting" to boys has enraged parents, who called on Tuesday for its reversal on the grounds it violates their daughters' constitutional rights.

The dress code shreds the 14th Amendment right to equal protection since girls for the past six years have been wearing sleeveless fashions to the dance at Readington Middle School in Readington Township, New Jersey, said parent Charlotte Nijenhuis.

Parents petitioned the school board on Tuesday to overturn the policy before the June 12th dance.

The school's principal, Sharon Moffat, said in a letter last month that a "dress with straps" was the only style that would be allowed.

Nijenhuis said she called Moffat to ask why strapless dresses had been forbidden. "She told me, ‘It is because it's distracting to boys and inappropriate','" Nijenhuis said.

Moffat did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Another parent, Michelle D'Amico, said she was "livid" that her 14-year-old daughter was being prevented from wearing the same strapless dress that her older daughter had worn six years ago. "It's completely unjust," D'Amico said.

The Readington Township School District said in a statement on Tuesday that it "has a policy regarding dress code which is being universally applied to the school day and school events. We regret that a small number of families are upset by this and we welcome their input and communication."

At least one student, Claudine Nijenhuis, 14, said she planned to defy the ban and press her right to bare arms.

"Basically by saying 'it distracts the boys' you're also saying that it is our fault on how they control their own behavior," the teenager wrote in a letter to the principal. "I will still be attending the dinner dance function, but I will also be wearing a dress with no straps."

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/jersey-pare...192227543.html

------------------------------


It is refreshing to see a 14 year old woman who understands and addresses the sexism in this. Maybe it will help the female principal look at her internalized sexism and blaming the victim mentality.

[Angeltoes]

This is kind of random and may not even fit in this thread, but I'm getting so sick and tired of how acceptable it's become to throw around terms like 'bitch' and 'ho.' I mean, whatever people call each other behind closed doors is perfectly fine in my book. I'm kind of kinky myself, so it's all good. It's just this new way that women are embracing those terms for women in general. I find myself being disgusted on the LGBT News Facebook page to see queer women and gay men using the most derogatory names for women and everybody thinks it's a big joke. I wonder, am I being uptight? I'm pretty sure it wasn't too long ago that those were fighting words. It just feels ugly. I don't know, maybe I'm old fashioned. I feel old to say this, but I do not like it at all.

[Kobi]

[Kobi]

CBS Houston sports blogger has come under fire for questioning whether an Oklahoma City Thunder Girl was "too chunky" to be an NBA cheerleader.

Blogger Claire Crawford targeted Oklahoma City Thunder cheerleader Kelsey Williams' looks on the court after the Houston Rockets faced off against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

"The Rockets looked terrible in Game 1, but some say they weren't the only bad-looking people on the court," Crawford wrote.

While she conceded Williams was a "pretty blonde," she wrote Oklahoma City fans had criticized her for "having 'pudginess' around her waistline."

"But if she's comfortable wearing that tiny outfit and dancing for NBA fans, then good for her," Crawford wrote. "Besides…not every man likes women to be toothpick skinny. I'd say most men prefer a little extra meat on her bones."

A poll asked attached to his column asked readers what their opinions were on Williams in the Oklahoma City Thunder cheerleader outfit.

Voters could choose from three options. Either they thought Williams had "the perfect look to be an NBA cheerleader," "she could use some tightening up in her midsection," or "she has no business wearing that outfit in front of people."

Williams politely fired back at the post on Twitter.

"To be womanly always, discouraged never," she wrote.

"We wouldn't know what blessings were if we didn't go through trials. Thank you to EVERYONE for the compassion and love today. I'm in awe," she tweeted on April 24.

CBS Houston has since removed the post from its website, but a cached version of the page is still available online.

The Houston Chronicle reported that Crawford was a pseudonym for Anna-Megan Raley, who once blogged for the paper and posted a video of her audition to be a Houston Dynamo soccer team cheerleader. Raley's Twitter accounts, under her name and her alias, Crawford, have been deleted.

This isn't the first time a professional sports team cheerleader has been criticized for her looks.

Former Green Bay Packers cheerleader Kaitlyn Collins took to YouTube to post a video in response to a cruel post where she was called "ugly" and "an eyesore" on an unofficial Chicago Bears Fan page in February.

http://gma.yahoo.com/sports-blogger-...opstories.html

---------------


Good example of internalized sexism and misogyny.

[Kobi]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The officer in charge of the U.S. Air Force effort to curb sexual assault in the military was arrested over the weekend for allegedly grabbing a woman by the breasts and buttocks in a parking lot not far from the Pentagon, officials said on Monday.

Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Krusinski, 41, was arrested on Sunday and charged with sexual battery after the alleged incident in the Crystal City area of suburban Arlington, Virginia, officials said.

An Arlington County Police spokesman said the woman fended off Krusinski, who was under the influence of alcohol, and when he attempted to grab her a second time she was able to call the police, who arrived a short time later and detained him.

Krusinski initially was held on a $5,000 unsecured bond. He has since posted bond and been released from the Arlington County Detention Facility, said the spokesman, who confirmed Krusinski's name and arrest but did not have his rank or title with the Air Force.

The Air Force said that Krusinski, whom it identified as a lieutenant colonel, had been removed from his job as chief of the service's sexual assault prevention and response branch after his arrest. The branch is responsible for overseeing the Air Force's sexual assault prevention effort.

News of the arrest came as the Pentagon is preparing to release its annual report on the problem of sexual assault in the military.

A total of 3,192 cases were reported in the fiscal year that ended September 30, 2011, a 1 percent increase in reporting from the previous fiscal year, according to last year's report.

Pentagon officials have said the actual number of sexual assaults, including those that go unreported, is much higher, possibly as many as 19,000 a year.

The Air Force has faced a series of embarrassing sexual assault scandals over the past year. An investigation at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, that began in 2011 has so far turned up 59 cases of sexual assault of military recruits by drill instructors.

General Mark Welsh, the top Air Force officer, called the scope of the case "stunning" during a congressional hearing earlier this year.

In another case, the top general in charge of an Air Force court martial at Aviano Air Base in Italy overturned the sexual assault conviction of a lieutenant colonel, threw out his one-year prison sentence and reinstated him to duty.

That case has prompted U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to recommend that Congress alter the military justice system to limit the ability of a military commander to throw out court-martial verdicts.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/head-u-air-...223841205.html

[femmeInterrupted]

Originally Posted by Kobi

Each year, an ever-increasing number of men, women and their families are joining the award-winning Walk a Mile in Her Shoes®: The International Men's March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault & Gender Violence. A Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® Event is a playful opportunity for men to raise awareness in their community about the serious causes, effects and remediations to sexualized violence.

There is an old saying: "You can't really understand another person's experience until you've walked a mile in their shoes." Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® asks men to literally walk one mile in women's high-heeled shoes. It's not easy walking in these shoes, but it's fun and it gets the community to talk about something that's really difficult to talk about: gender relations and sexual violence.










http://walkamileinhershoes.org/

-----------------------------------------


This campaign, started by a man, is perhaps well intentioned but really irks me. From the red stiletto on the web banner, to the pictures of men in fashionable heels, to the "tips for walking in heels" suggestions, it stinks of stereotypical images and perceptions of women, and of how a woman dresses invites sexual assault.

"A playful opportunity for men to raise awareness in their community about the serious causes, effects and remediation's to sexualized violence." Playful and sexual violence are two concepts that should never be associated.

I find it very sexist. Is it just me?

It's not just you.
I'm very familiar with the work of the White Ribbon Campaign, from which this endeavour sprang forth.

There is something deeply sexist about the message it brings. The 'amusement factor' of watch men tromp down the road in stiletto heels aside, there's something very 'publicity stunty' about the whole thing. Is the best way to bring issues of male violence to women ( sexual or not) by wearing your mother's or girlfriends high heels and assuming that 'walking a mile in her shoes' is going to make a difference? Let's face it, heels on or not, the power imbalance in the gender divide, and the resultant violence and oppression it brings isn't brought to surface by what feels like a well intentioned ally effort, but none the less, is still sexist. The notion that by walking in high heels they have actually 'felt what it's like to be a woman walking through this world' is as ridiculous as a white person donning black face and 'walking a a person on colour through this world' to high light racism and the violence it brings.

My other issue is creating an 'amusing' connection with sexual violence. There is no "humorous light" to sexual assault. There is no brevity and fun to it, during or after. When seen through the lens of survivors, it becomes a disgusting display. Again, the ally-ship is appreciated, but I am left with the feeling that this was and is a 'gimmick'.