General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: DU should be collectively ashamed that people here deny that objectification of women is a problem. [View all]DanTex
(20,709 posts)Men who get business jobs wear suits. They have to decide what color tie to wear.
Women, on the other hand, face a whole quandary just deciding how to dress. You can't be too sexy, or you won't be taken seriously. But then you can't be seen as trying not to be sexy, or you'll be seen as an anti-man feminist. If a man in an office gains 20 pounds, nobody cares. If a woman in an office gains 20 pounds, everyone starts chattering. Yes, this is what happens.
If you are a woman, and you go into a meeting, and someone asks you to pour some coffee, do you do it? If you do, they might think you're a secretary. But then you don't want to specifically not pour the coffee just to prove that you're not a secretary. Then you're being hostile.
And so on. This is the kind of BS that women have to deal with. And part of the reason for it is a culture that places immense value on a woman's appearance, and treats women as sex objects in many ways. It's got nothing to do with being prudish or offended at the sight of an attractive woman in a bikini. It's about reinforcing certain gender values that affect women through society in negative ways.