Women and VideoSift: Why I'm a feminist. Guys, I quoted you.
I originally wrote this in reply to a comment made about http://www.videosift.com/video/Dita-Von-Teese-New-Orleans-Burlesque-StripTease-Performance because the video annoys me and I got all uppity about it.
People think that feminism is outdated and irrelevant today. I'm really sad about this.
I love men. Men, this is NOT an attack on you. I think you're wonderful people. Gender stereotypes are perpetuated by women just as much as they are by men. I just want to point a few things out to you, so I compiled this list for you in the hope that it will illustrate to you some of the reasons that I am a feminist.
Most people see the world through the eyes of a man and they don't even know it. This is called the Male Gaze. REMEMBER THAT TERM AS YOU READ. Men look, women are looked upon.
Now let's take a look at the Sift, say, Top Sifts of all time. Now, I understand that most of the people with videosift accounts are male and that the comments reflect that. It's understandable.
1. A very talented MAN playing the ukelele
2. Two talented BOYS' well-made lightsaber video
3. Autistic BOY being awesome at a b-ball game
4. Talented MALE robot dancer
5. Prairie Dog, generally accepted as MALE. Thus: Drama KING
6. Very clever rant about Pachebel. Again, a talented and clever MAN.
7. FINALLY, an intelligent WOMAN with integrity. But, wait! She's also very beautiful. Do you think this would be the #7 sift if she hadn't been so gorgeous? I don't think so. Listen to some of the comments:
"Plus, uhmm - she's like a hot Christiane Amanpour. But I like her integrity too."
"She's 40% Kylie Minogue and 60% Naomi Watts."
"...Plus, shes hot."
"Is there anything better than a hot, articulate, angry blonde ... I don't think so."
"Lara Logan is hot. Not only is she drop dead pretty, she is smart, she has an acerbic tongue and she tells the truth. Lately, she has been wearing tight tops with a push-up bra that really make her tits looks great. More Iraq stories, please............"
"shes hot and reaaaaaaly intelligent..."
"I want this woman to have my children."
"Lara Logan, will you marry me?"
I give major props to the guys of videosift for focusing FAR MORE on her integrity, intelligence, and how articulate she is. I'm not being sarcastic. They really were very good about that. But I really, really think that a lot of those votes had everything to do with the COMBINATION of brains and looks. If this had been an ugly woman, it would not have received NEARLY as many votes, I'd bet you anything. Moving on.
8. Awesome commercial. The Wind is a tall MAN doing funny things. Love this sift.
9. Drug spiders. MALE spiders? (Mr. Crack Spider, etc.), Male narrator.
10. Quantum Physics narrated and explained by a MALE scientist.
11. Clever prank, talented FEMALES, MALE narrator. (Yay!) All old/overweight women are the ones being tricked, all beautiful and young females are the tricksters. Some sample comments:
"...also, they were hot."
"Those twins could prank me in the bathroom anytime."
"Twin hot German chicks in a bathroom is guaranteed to make #1."
Again, the majority of the comments had nothing to do with the way the girls looked, but on the prank itself. Cool. Good job, people. Moving on.
12. Jon Stewart (MAN) being funny and clever and awesome.
13. A beautiful GIRL with a great bod doing something pretty cool. Comments:
"She can spin on my escalator any day she likes."
"This is cool and I think it's pure science. For example, it would be interesting also to rub her down in various oils and see how it affects the results. Or underwear versus no underwear for example. What would happen?"
"She's a hottie."
"oh and this is *nature too because humans are part of nature.
and *sexuality because those tight jeans make her look sexy to me."
"I predict a chubby girl stuck between the glass railings of a shopping mall escalator near you."
"Indeed, perhaps she will leave a trail of freshly erected posts behind her as she spins her way from town to town."
"I suspect she already left a trail of freshly erected posts, both at the original venue and among some of the male sift viewers judging by the comments."
"Videosift seems to have an immense fondness for rotating women."
"You males are all full of bull putty. If this was a 15 year old pimply faced fella doing this it have about 20 votes and an eia tag immediately."
14. Dolphins blowing bubbles
15. Cool music video. MALE vocals, MALE hands.
Okay, 3/15. At least we're doing better than the movies.
Here is a list of the top 40 box-office movies of all time. I have pointed out the gender of the protagonist.
Titanic (1997)- Male
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) - Male
Shrek 2 (2004) - Male
E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)- Male
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) - Male
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) - Male
Spider-Man (2002) - Male
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)- Male
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)- Male
Spider-Man 2 (2004) - Male
The Passion of the Christ (2004)- Male
Jurassic Park (1993) - Male
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)- Male
Finding Nemo (2003) - Male
Spider-Man 3 (2007) - Male
Forrest Gump (1994) - Male
The Lion King (1994)- Male
Shrek the Third (2007) - Male
Transformers (2007) - Male
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) - Male
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) -
Male
Iron Man (2008) - Male
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) - Male
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) - Male
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) - Male
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) -
Male
Independence Day (1996) - Male
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
(2003) - Male
The Sixth Sense (1999) - Male
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) - Male
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe (2005) One could argue that Males/Femalse share the protagonist spot! WOOHOO!!
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - Male
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) - Male
Home Alone (1990) - Male
The Matrix Reloaded (2003) - Male
Meet the Fockers (2004) - Male
Shrek (2001) - Male
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) - Male
The Incredibles (2004) - Male
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) - Male
I could keep going, but I think you get the picture. WOW! Women SHARE the starring role in 1/40. NOT BAD!
Any questions?
Fun link courtesy of Mundanest:
http://blag.xkcd.com/2008/04/10/two-female-leads/
People think that feminism is outdated and irrelevant today. I'm really sad about this.
I love men. Men, this is NOT an attack on you. I think you're wonderful people. Gender stereotypes are perpetuated by women just as much as they are by men. I just want to point a few things out to you, so I compiled this list for you in the hope that it will illustrate to you some of the reasons that I am a feminist.
Most people see the world through the eyes of a man and they don't even know it. This is called the Male Gaze. REMEMBER THAT TERM AS YOU READ. Men look, women are looked upon.
Now let's take a look at the Sift, say, Top Sifts of all time. Now, I understand that most of the people with videosift accounts are male and that the comments reflect that. It's understandable.
1. A very talented MAN playing the ukelele
2. Two talented BOYS' well-made lightsaber video
3. Autistic BOY being awesome at a b-ball game
4. Talented MALE robot dancer
5. Prairie Dog, generally accepted as MALE. Thus: Drama KING
6. Very clever rant about Pachebel. Again, a talented and clever MAN.
7. FINALLY, an intelligent WOMAN with integrity. But, wait! She's also very beautiful. Do you think this would be the #7 sift if she hadn't been so gorgeous? I don't think so. Listen to some of the comments:
"Plus, uhmm - she's like a hot Christiane Amanpour. But I like her integrity too."
"She's 40% Kylie Minogue and 60% Naomi Watts."
"...Plus, shes hot."
"Is there anything better than a hot, articulate, angry blonde ... I don't think so."
"Lara Logan is hot. Not only is she drop dead pretty, she is smart, she has an acerbic tongue and she tells the truth. Lately, she has been wearing tight tops with a push-up bra that really make her tits looks great. More Iraq stories, please............"
"shes hot and reaaaaaaly intelligent..."
"I want this woman to have my children."
"Lara Logan, will you marry me?"
I give major props to the guys of videosift for focusing FAR MORE on her integrity, intelligence, and how articulate she is. I'm not being sarcastic. They really were very good about that. But I really, really think that a lot of those votes had everything to do with the COMBINATION of brains and looks. If this had been an ugly woman, it would not have received NEARLY as many votes, I'd bet you anything. Moving on.
8. Awesome commercial. The Wind is a tall MAN doing funny things. Love this sift.
9. Drug spiders. MALE spiders? (Mr. Crack Spider, etc.), Male narrator.
10. Quantum Physics narrated and explained by a MALE scientist.
11. Clever prank, talented FEMALES, MALE narrator. (Yay!) All old/overweight women are the ones being tricked, all beautiful and young females are the tricksters. Some sample comments:
"...also, they were hot."
"Those twins could prank me in the bathroom anytime."
"Twin hot German chicks in a bathroom is guaranteed to make #1."
Again, the majority of the comments had nothing to do with the way the girls looked, but on the prank itself. Cool. Good job, people. Moving on.
12. Jon Stewart (MAN) being funny and clever and awesome.
13. A beautiful GIRL with a great bod doing something pretty cool. Comments:
"She can spin on my escalator any day she likes."
"This is cool and I think it's pure science. For example, it would be interesting also to rub her down in various oils and see how it affects the results. Or underwear versus no underwear for example. What would happen?"
"She's a hottie."
"oh and this is *nature too because humans are part of nature.
and *sexuality because those tight jeans make her look sexy to me."
"I predict a chubby girl stuck between the glass railings of a shopping mall escalator near you."
"Indeed, perhaps she will leave a trail of freshly erected posts behind her as she spins her way from town to town."
"I suspect she already left a trail of freshly erected posts, both at the original venue and among some of the male sift viewers judging by the comments."
"Videosift seems to have an immense fondness for rotating women."
"You males are all full of bull putty. If this was a 15 year old pimply faced fella doing this it have about 20 votes and an eia tag immediately."
14. Dolphins blowing bubbles
15. Cool music video. MALE vocals, MALE hands.
Okay, 3/15. At least we're doing better than the movies.
Here is a list of the top 40 box-office movies of all time. I have pointed out the gender of the protagonist.
Titanic (1997)- Male
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) - Male
Shrek 2 (2004) - Male
E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)- Male
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) - Male
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) - Male
Spider-Man (2002) - Male
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)- Male
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)- Male
Spider-Man 2 (2004) - Male
The Passion of the Christ (2004)- Male
Jurassic Park (1993) - Male
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)- Male
Finding Nemo (2003) - Male
Spider-Man 3 (2007) - Male
Forrest Gump (1994) - Male
The Lion King (1994)- Male
Shrek the Third (2007) - Male
Transformers (2007) - Male
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) - Male
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) -
Male
Iron Man (2008) - Male
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) - Male
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) - Male
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) - Male
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) -
Male
Independence Day (1996) - Male
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
(2003) - Male
The Sixth Sense (1999) - Male
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) - Male
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe (2005) One could argue that Males/Femalse share the protagonist spot! WOOHOO!!
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - Male
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) - Male
Home Alone (1990) - Male
The Matrix Reloaded (2003) - Male
Meet the Fockers (2004) - Male
Shrek (2001) - Male
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) - Male
The Incredibles (2004) - Male
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) - Male
I could keep going, but I think you get the picture. WOW! Women SHARE the starring role in 1/40. NOT BAD!
Any questions?
Fun link courtesy of Mundanest:
http://blag.xkcd.com/2008/04/10/two-female-leads/
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