What Came First, the Ad or the Attitude?

Apparently the back-to-school special this year is anti-women.  One of the top stories today on Jezebel: JCPenney's 'Too Pretty For Homework" Shirt Is A Steal At $9.99

Image from Jezebel.

"Perhaps not since the launch of Teen Talk Barbie ("Math class is tough!") have we seen a mass retailer market a product to girls that so explicitly associates intelligence with being a boy, and looking pretty with being a girl. Why worry about homework when you can be pretty? School work — that's boy stuff! Never mind the number of girls who like school, who derive a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem from successfully learning and mastering new information and skills. They probably only have to do that because they aren't pretty, the poor things."

 

Thank you Jezebel for linking this into your article!

If you have kept up with my blog, and even if you haven't, from my first post Welcome Wagon, I directly addressed how I wasn't sure what kind of shape this blog might take.  I didn't want to pigeon hole myself into only one specific category of topic as is suggested for bloggers; I wanted to allow my varying interests, the news, and my values to help mold this into something bigger than just fashion, food, or create a blog that was a women only readership.  My topics, no matter what they are have varying influences, and although many are concerning what are deemed "women's issues" and subjects that are certainly covered in any Women's Studies Intro class, these issues are not just women's issues.  For every man/male identified, father, grandfather, uncle, brother to a sister, and friend to any woman, these messages constantly bombarding women of all ages affect us all.  This isn't a cry out of victimization, it is acknowledging that changes still need to be made.  It is important to start allowing the word feminist to flow freely from our mouths no matter what sex or gender we are.

"An important stage in the development of political consciousness is reached when individuals recognize the need to struggle against all forms of oppression. The fight against sexist oppression is of grave political significance - it is not for women only. Feminist movement is vital both in its power to liberate us from the terrible bonds of sexist oppression and in its potential to radicalize and renew other liberation struggles." - bell hooks

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