Women are fighting back!?

Question

Or society is, anyway.

I remember a few months back, someone posted up a link to some 60s ads which showed women being the stereotypical housewife, obedient to their husbands and family, and the general outrage many Yahoo users expressed.

Now, I've found a link to some similar 60s ads, but the message is ... slightly different.

http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.stickergiant.com/Merchant2/imgs/125/y8139_125.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.stickergiant.com/page/sg/PROD/magfunmen/y7812&h=100&w=125&sz=5&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=QNeEtXecEdOjLM:&tbnh=72&tbnw=90&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmen%2Bare%2Blike%2Btoilets%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

And let me just say - I'm not a feminist. But I couldn't help noticing the parodies these ads make of the originals.

Your thoughts?

This is probably a better link:

http://www.stickergiant.com/page/sg/PROD/magfunmen/y7812

SP - what?

SP and Rio - you are both right about the meaning (or rather, lack of) these ads have. I meant they were fighting back as in using the same method to counter the original ads. All meant to be in good fun - I don't support the motive behind these ads and their messages.

I saw all of these in a humorous light and I was hoping others could too. If anyone was seriously trying to use these messages to fight misogyny, I would feel very sorry for them as they suffer from a lack of education.

I give up! See them in whatever light you want.

Shelob - that's exactly the impression I received about these pics as well.

Answer 1

haha i love this..its funny and true..but gotta love them

Answer 2

I'm not sure exactly what the question is, sorry. But there is no doubt that the ads from any period represent that period's biases, and the 50s and 60s were definitely primarily male in the public/business shpere and women in the home/domestic sphere. Those ads, by our more contemporary standards are sexist. Pretty much by definition parodies are going to turn those extremes around, so they will appear to be "reverse-sexist." In fact, they are trying to illustrate what it would be like for the shoe to be on the other foot. In reality, they rarely actually promote the reverse sexism. I enjoy these types of parodies because they bring out the knee-jerk reactions of those males who are threatened by equality.

By the way, for anyone who thinks all feminists are female, they aren't. Males can be feminists too! And we don't "hate men." We simply believe that a person should have some freedom to express themselves as they like without having to conform to an out-dated standard that is designed to reinforce their insecurities.

Sorry for that digression, but this is an important subject for me and some comments that are so blatantly ignorant irritate me to no end.


EDIT: Someone said change men to women in these parodies and what do you think. Well, since these are parodies, changing the male to female would be changing them back to the originals, which, at that time in history, was accepted as correct and appropriate for mass communication. So changing it back simply shows how sad previous sexism was.

Answer 3

I knew a couple who did this kind of thing in the UK in the 1980's - they called themselves Chic Pics and they were very successful. It was not seen as anti male - more tongue in cheek as the original ads had given the women such a raw deal - making them look like Stepford Wives and all that. It was never the vicious stuff that passes for humour on the misogynist and 'antimisandrist' sites that I've seen, and this looks fairly innocuous.

Answer 4

"Society is fighting back"? I don't think so. Society has more pressing problems to be worried about than to see if it is the feminists or masculists who make the most deriding ads.

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Hey, Lighthouse, don't get all upset. You surely have seen that the "humorous light" trait you mention is mostly displayed by the "non-offended" group, while the other is prone to claim "Sexism!". The reverse is equally true. Yeah, there are "oversensitives" in both sides.

Answer 5

I don't believe in fighting hatred and sexism with even more hatred and sexism. This isn't a good thing, fighting misogyny with misandry is taking us a step back.

And yeah, the same things goes to masculists who fight misandry with misogyny. It's not getting anyone anywhere..

Answer 6

Equally sexist, but somewhat more pointless.

Answer 7

Fighting back against what exactly? Don't feminists usually consider themselves above men? Isn't this just 'stooping down to their level'?

Misandrics are fun, they can never seem to take what they dish out.

Well of course misandry is accpted, it's done by feminists, who are women, and god knows women could never do anything wrong, much less be held responsible for said wronging.

Answer 8

I find them as offensive, frankly.

The way men are treated in the media these days is abhorent. All hapless dimwits or screw-ups in commercials or TV shows are the men and the wives are portrayed as their long-suffering but sweetly tolerant, superiors, shaking their heads with a condescending smile as Dear Old Dad gets into yet another scrape.

Women deserve equal rights as men and to have the same opportunities as men; however, I fail to see what ridiculing men is going to accomplish in the equality of women.

I'm 45 and feel very strongly that the women of my mother's generation, the older Boomer women, did us younger women NO favors with their Steinem-worshiping, bra-burning, abortion-touting rants. Luckily, they didn't get ahold of my husband like they did some of the other guys of my generation when they were young and turn them into emasculated wimps or worse, women-haters who would rather slam a door in a woman's face than open it for her.

Thanks a HEAP, ladies.

Edit: To those who find these ads funny, great...you have that right, but what's good for the goose...

Replace "Men" with "women" in that ad.

There.

Still funny to you?

Nothing personal honey...but you DID ask for "our thoughts" and not for agreement. Thanks for providing an outlet for one of my pet peeves.

Answer 9

Reverse sexism, is still sexism....not fighting back.

Answer 10

misandry :o)

misandry is acceptable in today's society... originally and still heavily promoted by our equality seeking sisters, the feminists.


JEMma - just because you happen to be a female worshipper, doesn't mean men who take offense at misandry are somehow fearful of 'equality'. Feminism does not promote equality, it promotes female supremacy as you will know if you read NOW.org or Andrea Dworkin and the like.

Answer 11

Gee. Those are brilliant.

They should have gotten a man to write them.