Comments on: SEXIST BEATDOWN: Fake “Boobies,” Hot Girl Jobs, and Megan Fox Edition

By: Citizen Taqueau

Citizen Taqueau — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:38:23 +0000

Snobographer: Aha! Yes, I understand what you were getting at now. Thank you for explaining. Yes, it’s like there is this idea of increasing “retention” of POC in fields like engineering, but the thing that isn’t discussed among provosts and such is the culture of majority-white universities and research facilities, which tends to discourage POC maintaining an active connection with their home communities, if those communities are marginalized. That can mean anything from the Hall Advisor giving the hairy eyeball to friends who visit from home, to firms passing over resume’s from people with African-American or Spanish-sounding names. And yet (I have observed in higher education) POC are supposed to strive to assimilate into those institutions, leaving their communities behind and counting themselves lucky. This is not the same thing as (Hawt) women being encouraged to enjoy being treated like objects, of course, but I catch your drift. The nasty slippery language that disappears oppression. That’s what I think both of us are talking about.

By: snobographer

snobographer — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:36:52 +0000

I didn’t take you as trolling, CT, and I thought you made your point well. I was just commiserating. I’m sorry I was unclear.
Re: men of color and job fields. I haven’t heard the exact word “empowering” a whole lot. At least not in the last 20 years or so. But I’ve seen the general idea employed. The idea that more POC in science and academia for example empowers black and brown communities, which I think is probably true. Even if one is coming from the pov that the master’s house can’t be destroyed with the master’s tools, the idea of people and communities of color being empowered by assimilation into historically white institutions is at least not nearly as ridiculous as the assertion that sex work “empowers” women. That’s just something people say to maintain the status quo.

By: Citizen Taqueau

Citizen Taqueau — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:14:45 +0000

@Snobographer: OK, I guess my comment was interpreted that I was trolling?

What you say is correct, and I left it out of my OC due to obviousness and not wanting to belabor points already agreed on in this space. My point was not made well, I guess. Here’s what I mean: can we not get rid of this term “empowering” once and for all? It’s insidious at worst and meaningless at best, is my point.

On another note, where does one hear/read “empowering” used about job fields and men of color? I just haven’t ever, just maybe that “credit to the race” chestnut that I would hope is not used anymore. Gah! More things to cringe about.

By: GATECREWGIRL

GATECREWGIRL — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:05:53 +0000

As a new reader to your blog, I have to say you had me at the J.A. reference. Great piece on Ms. Fox. I also enjoyed your oil rig metaphor. As a young woman in the sciences who works for an oil company, I’ve been called a “whore” by more than some. In actuality, it is a great job, I get to think creatively and my work is valued by my peers (who are mostly old men). It is FUN. Cannot the same be said about Ms. Fox?

By the way, I drive a high MPG vehicle (the SR-500 gets ~75mpg) and recycle. Which is not a government requirement here in Texas. I guess that is the equivalent of dating Brian Austin Green…

By: snobographer

snobographer — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:03:24 +0000

Virginia Woolf was rather conventially attractive, actually. I didn’t think Kidman was far off.

Citizen Taqueau wrote:

4) We don’t hear about any job of any kind being “empowering” for men of any stripe.

Well men don’t need to be empowered. They have all the power.
Or, second thought, there’s the fact of men of color breaking into industries and positions they’d previously been excluded from – say investment banking or aeronautics. I seem to recall some talk of that being empowering to their race. But not the male half of their race specifically, just the race, because the male half of any race is the only half that ever counts anyway.

5) Some ladies like their sex jobs. We know this. But why is that line of work supposed to be “empowering” when you don’t hear that word used to describe any other kind of job.

To make excuses for the fact that for every one woman in the industry who likes it there’s about a million women and girls in the industry who are trapped and hate it.

By: amellifera

amellifera — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:27:03 +0000

@JFRUH

totally agree. see also Nicole Kidman for The Hours

By: Feminism to a neurotic extreme » Blog Archive » Women’s Studies Meets Slasher Flick: Result Is Not Quite Ginger Snaps

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:49:27 +0000

[...] the third: I forgive Megan Fox for Transformers now. This proves she is fully cognizant of her creepy manufactured Sex Goddess status. And isn’t above making fun of [...]

By: Citizen Taqueau

Citizen Taqueau — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:21:29 +0000

Here’s something:
1) Having control over one’s own finances provides one a measure of control over one’s circumstances.
2) Working at a job one enjoys is fulfilling.
3) The idea of a job of any sort being “empowering” is really more of a privileged lady thing, since unprivileged women have always, always had to bring in an income.
4) We don’t hear about any job of any kind being “empowering” for men of any stripe.
5) Some ladies like their sex jobs. We know this. But why is that line of work supposed to be “empowering” when you don’t hear that word used to describe any other kind of job.

By: Isa

Isa — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:06:48 +0000

“Why do they take them? Why do people take jobs on OIL RIGS, Jesus. Because the pay outweighed or was equal to the yikes factor.”

That is pretty much it. I live in an oil patch city. Even the guys doing crap work like digging holes and painting pipes are making pretty decent money.

By: susanita

susanita — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:09:10 +0000

Jane Austen reference, FTW!