Not into feminist rants? GO AWAY.
*January 30, 2008
Chad says I'm the most complicated feminist ever.
And he's probably right. When you're raised Baptist and convert to the Episcopal church just in time for your quarter-life crisis, but not before you underwent at least two dozen separate discussions in your college writing classes about the nonpresence of a gender-neutral third-person singular pronoun, and especially the presence of certain gender-exclusive alternatives in the Bible, things tend to get a little confused, no?
I'm still figuring some things out.
But I do know which things bug me, and these new Wal-Mart commercials, where the women are acting like football players who have just scored a touchdown, performing various physical feats as they prepare Super Bowl snacks, which culminates with the women serving these Super Bowl snacks to a room full of males who are mostly sitting on their asses just waiting to be served said Super Bowl snacks, I dunno. It bugs me, okay?
At first I thought I was making a big deal about it. So I tried to boil these commercials down to their main points: The women cook. The men watch football. And the women serve the men. Nope, not better. Because apparently 1. Women are surely not interested in football, 2. Women are much more interested in preparing food, 3. Women love to serve men, all of whom are interested in football and are not interested in preparing their own food.
I understand that women are the primary demographic for, well, everything. But can't at least one man open a freaking bag of chips? Or could a woman be congratulated for something other than opening a bag of chips?
Like perhaps for those incredible gravity-defying break-dance moves she just pulled there on the front porch. In celebration of opening the bag of chips.
Have y'all seen these commercials? What do you think?
I haven't seen them, but I understand. The gender-sterotypes in commericals are atrocious. And seriously, why can't the boys get off their butts and help with the food? It's so stupid.
Okay, so I didn't actually have anything constructive to say, but from one complicated feminist to another, I understand. ~ L
- Posted by Lauren | January 30, 2008 2:14 PM
I think it's an ad by Wal-Mart. Their demographic doesn't usually have GED's. At least not in my neighborhood. Injecting higher level thinking into it is like trying to teach a pig Calculus.
~Jef
- Posted by Edge | January 30, 2008 2:25 PM
As devil's advocate, wouldn't you say that on the whole MOST women would prefer NOT to watch football and do something else, such as cook? It's why they say stereotypes exist for a reason. I don't think the commercial exists to paint women as servants of men. It could also be subliminally painting men as idiots who can't do anything but watch a gladiator-style event on an idiot box.
How have you been?
- Posted by David | January 30, 2008 6:37 PM
As a feminist, I usually hate all commercials, as they are gender-biased. You never see a man grocery shopping; you never see men pondering which toilet bowl cleaner to use. Do you see them iron? Do laundry? Cook? It's so shady. I'm totally with you on hating the Wal-Mart commercial.
On a side note, I hate football & always cook for my man on Superbowl Sunday. Then again, he's the one who cleans our house, not me, so food is the way I pay him back. Plus. I'm just the better cook.
- Posted by thegirlfromtheghetto | January 30, 2008 6:54 PM
yeah, i think it's asking too much of a commercial to make sure it represents more than one moment of a life. It's a question of art imitating life imitating art, i suppose. I personally would rather be in the kitchen away from the chaos, and I love to serve people. I don't do it because I think its a woman's place, but because it suits me.
and when i am at wal-mart, i see far more married women with the snacks than married men unescorted. are you asking wal-mart to tell men to do the shopping and cooking?
i guess i'd only be offended if someone actually put the stereotype on me. And no one ever has! tg
- Posted by jen | January 30, 2008 7:28 PM
I'm right there with ya... If fact, your post got me so fired up I had to write my own on my blog...
- Posted by Word Perv | January 31, 2008 7:29 AM
I see what you mean, even though I haven't seen the commercials, but based on your description I think I agree with David and Jen.
- Posted by Kathleen | January 31, 2008 8:21 AM
I don't guess that I've seen the whole commercial because I haven't seen the break dancing woman serve the chips or anything. However I did think, "Well that was stupid of that woman to shake up the Pepsi and then spray it all over the front lawn. Waste of a perfectly good Pepsi. And also, never in my life have I seen a Wal-Mart that was that clean and tidy."
- Posted by Sadie | January 31, 2008 9:11 AM
Ha ha ha ha! Such a good point.
But then, check out all the commercials that make middle-aged men seem stupid.
- Posted by Deborah | January 31, 2008 10:01 AM
No kidding. I thought we left that kind of marketing back in the 50's. I haven't seen them, but that kind of advertising bothers me too.
Or the fact that we don't have a baby changing station in the Men's bathroom at work, only in the women's. Like...Hmm. Did we not think this through. My own manager (a man) has complained about this fact before.
- Posted by QueenBee | January 31, 2008 2:40 PM
While I do not find it necessary to jump up and down and high five everyone for the awesomeness that is food, I do love to serve. In fact, the list of things I am bringing to the Superbowl party is growing because I just want to make it all. My grandma always says the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach. So it is a joy for me to provide them with snacks so they can watch their game while I sit in the kitchen with the girls and chat.
And really, I don't think I would actually eat what my husband would prepare. The thought just scares me.
- Posted by Lauren | January 31, 2008 3:05 PM
hahah...this is funny.
I have seen those commercials, I tend to think the media in general doesnt give women enough credit- but I do think its pretty bad ass that they were flipping around like crazy rather than wearing heel and pearls, while casually setting down a plate of treats in front of men with glazed over expressions.
- Posted by Chelsea Talks Smack | January 31, 2008 6:59 PM
You beat me to the rant on this topic. It has been bugging me since I first saw the commecial...and it bugs me even more every time I see it again.
Kudos to you on your blog post.
I have quoted you here: http://secondinnocence.blogspot.com/2008/02/wal-mart-is-run-by-men.html
I hope you don't mind. Yours was a great post and I hope readers at Second Innocence will take a look. Even better, I hope readers of your blog will take a look at ours. We are a wee little blog hoping to reach a bigger audience.
Cheers! Go Giants!
- Posted by Mächtige Maus | February 2, 2008 2:27 PM