Note the other side of the coin: men would risk a gauntlet of mockery if they did shave their legs. O wore makeup. Or wore their hair in any way beyond a limited number of conservative hairstyles. Or, sometimes, if they were just peppy and smiley all the time. No, men are expected to be either nice guys or macho bastards, but they can never be emotionally expressive. (Or, really, they can, but it must be in the socially-accepted manner. Men can get angry, they can be violent, but they cannot cry, and they have to worry about people thinking they're "just out to get laid." On one hand, they can't be aggressive, and on the other they can't be weak. And god forbid men do anything "gay.")
The social requirements and restrictions for women and men both suck. (Which is not to belittle your experience in any way, but to say that you're completely right, and I feel that way too
( ... )
first of all, I know all this about men. One of my best friends is a gay guy and I have a little brother, too. I'm not talking about societal oppression, either. I mean I could call it that, but really I see it as cultural. I mean, it IS! In Europe women didn't used to shave their legs, though I bet that's changed. I guess it's marketting too, but it really also is cultural- the expectations of women and men. very much America. but I think the word "oppression" is too strong, too- sounds like marx or something. I really don't feel oppressed, more like inconvenienced by American culture.
Yo, is this Janie?nerfulnessJune 16 2005, 14:43:37 UTC
Hi hi! Tis Chrissy. I'm totally with you on the shaving legs thing. It's such a pain in the ass to shave them all the time. One way I've figured out to get around that is just wear long pants all the time. Then no one can tell that you haven't shaved your legs.
she does now, though. But I don't really care whether people do or not, I was more upset by the PRINCIPLE of the thing, and the fact that that guy didn't bother kim or laura at all.
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Note the other side of the coin: men would risk a gauntlet of mockery if they did shave their legs. O wore makeup. Or wore their hair in any way beyond a limited number of conservative hairstyles. Or, sometimes, if they were just peppy and smiley all the time. No, men are expected to be either nice guys or macho bastards, but they can never be emotionally expressive. (Or, really, they can, but it must be in the socially-accepted manner. Men can get angry, they can be violent, but they cannot cry, and they have to worry about people thinking they're "just out to get laid." On one hand, they can't be aggressive, and on the other they can't be weak. And god forbid men do anything "gay.")
The social requirements and restrictions for women and men both suck. (Which is not to belittle your experience in any way, but to say that you're completely right, and I feel that way too ( ... )
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Tis Chrissy.
I'm totally with you on the shaving legs thing. It's such a pain in the ass to shave them all the time.
One way I've figured out to get around that is just wear long pants all the time. Then no one can tell that you haven't shaved your legs.
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But I don't really care whether people do or not, I was more upset by the PRINCIPLE of the thing, and the fact that that guy didn't bother kim or laura at all.
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