(I promise I’ll post thoughtful, substantive, probably curse-free posts that actually mention the Boychick soon — I have several ideas that are just waiting to get fleshed out — but while my butt is being kicked and my energy sapped by the Cold of DOOM, you get short, pissed off, off-topic, substance-”lite” rants. Sorry. Only not.)
I don’t care if it’s a metaphor; I don’t care if you’re simultaneously getting your radfem on and calling out the colluders (although there seems something misogynistic in dismissing someone one disagrees with with accusations of pandering to the patriarchy, even if supporting hegemony is a result of the acts, but whatever); I don’t care if you’re using it ironically to point out the obvious sexism in choosing an anti-woman woman candidate to try to capture the woman vote:
Stop calling women vaginas.
Seriously. Just fucking stop. Stop using vagina as the badge of womanhood. Stop calling the token woman the vagina candidate. Stop saying the only difference between (cisgendered!*) men and women are penises and vaginas.
I’m so sick of hearing about women and vaginas. It may have been radical once, but by now, unless you are talking about vaginal birth, The Vagina Monologues, or where to put a tampon or diaphragm, the use of “vagina” is just both overused and underimpressive — and it is really, really offensive. And yes, misogynistic.
So just. fucking. stop already.
*Seriously, can the use of “vagina=women” get more cissexist? Not only is vagina so not the be all end all of womanhood — and yes, I don’t care if you think you’re pointing out the fallacy, or phallusy, of that tired meme, you are supporting and perpetuating it — it’s not even the most accurate if you want to get all scary stupid gender essentialist. How about uterus? That gets more to the “core” of the matter, and (bonus!) manages to exclude and offend even more women, whose uteri have retired, or been removed, or who were both without one for whatever reason. If you’re going to be a sexist pig, might as well do it whole hog.
Well…. I do see what you’re saying and you’ve put your finger on what made me feel comfortable about the “hand back your vagina” thing… but… is there not a case to be made for calling this out at the original blog entry?
(I’m just remembering how it felt when I found out someone had taken issue with an article I wrote… in another article, rather than in reply.)
Yup, although hers was just the proximal trigger, not the sole reason for it. I didn’t have time to find an example of the Palin/vagina thing that was driving me insane a few months ago, when I wasn’t yet blogging.
But yes, I was thinkimg I needed to do that, I just don’t know how to go about it. I’m not clear on my bloggiquette yet. Suggestions, please?
You’re probably talking to the wrong person. My netiquette knowledge is limited!
I suppose I would just leave a comment on the original piece in the first place, to open up discussion?
OK, I tried. Eep!
(Panzoophiliacs unite!)
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