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Original poster

Only females do laundry?

41 replies

Ginfox · 15/10/2014 11:58

The winner of this award is a beautiful photo of a female Blackbird, in a garden, with washing hanging out to dry in the background. Nothing wrong with the photo.

Link

The title is "The Suburban Mum", presumably given by the photographer. Which has successfully bloody annoyed me, but also made me wonder if I'm seeing issues where there are none (or minor at least).

I've had very little sleep, so am more than usually irritable today Brew

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YonicScrewdriver · 15/10/2014 23:27

David Attenborough is a top feminist chap, IIRC.

EBearhug · 15/10/2014 21:36

Yeah, but female blackbirds are actually identifiable, whereas there are quite a lot of fleeting views of little brown jobs (LBJs), which are probably something ever so rare. Or not.

Original poster
Ginfox · 15/10/2014 19:42

My crush on CP is still very much active Puffins.

Also we must find out from him the secret to being so well preserved at 50+.

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Damsilli · 15/10/2014 19:34

It's a shame Johnny Morris is no longer with us. And the PG Tips adverts with chimps. Can we petition to have this rebooted?

PuffinsAreFicticious · 15/10/2014 19:29

Can I vote for Chris Packham? Still have last vestiges of massive crush from the 80's for him.

MrsBuffyCockhead · 15/10/2014 19:27

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Original poster
Ginfox · 15/10/2014 19:24

Spook it does matter a bit, but not too much. But all the things that matter a bit add up to a lot I suppose.

Anyway I'll march with you Buffy, so as not to waste your artistic efforts. Where should we go first? Chris Packham's house? Or straight to the top - David Attenborough?

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MrsBuffyCockhead · 15/10/2014 19:15

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UptoapointLordCopper · 15/10/2014 19:06

Buffy's gone a bit strange since she's become MrsCockhead. Grin

Spookgremlin · 15/10/2014 18:59

Well that's an afternoon spent painting "more male wildlife pictured with domestic chores" on old bedsheets I won't get back.

That just made me spit laundry detergent over my keyboard Grin

Spookgremlin · 15/10/2014 18:57

I don't know if that's like with like though, you never have to bake if you don't want to, it is something you can enjoy and excel at, laundry is a never ending shit job that someone constantly has to keep on top of.

downbytheriverside my ds picked up the iron at nursery school and said "my dad has one of these at home!" When I told my own dad this story, he said "weren't you embarrassed?"

Because I'm a SAHM and it's woman's work, see? It might be why I think this stuff matters. A bit. Not too much.

MrsBuffyCockhead · 15/10/2014 18:50

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Original poster
Ginfox · 15/10/2014 18:43

Not sure about your idea for a campaign Dam Grin

Actually I think it's more about options than status. About the idea that men and women are equally able to carry out either task. And girls growing up assuming that fun jobs like laundry don't automatically fall to them.

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DownByTheRiverside · 15/10/2014 18:25

One of my happy memories is being told by DD's nursery that she'd had a time out for yelling ' NO! NO! IRONS ARE FOR DADDIES' as she tried to prevent another girl from using one in the home corner.
Yes, we had a chat about other homes being different, but daddy is still the laundry man 20 years later.

PuffinsAreFicticious · 15/10/2014 18:18

Absolutely. Down with that sort of thing.

Damsilli · 15/10/2014 18:10

Isn't complaining about associations between Mums and laundry - but also saying 'Yay for Mums toolbox' kind of going with the idea that baking is lower status to putting up shelves?

The annoyance is not that the mum blackbird is associated with laundry but that a dad wouldn't be? Maybe start a campaign for more male wildlife pictured with domestic chores. Vixens with motorbike oil changes and foxes with doilies for the nest of tables...

Spookgremlin · 15/10/2014 17:12

Don't get me started on the patriarchal bloody sparrows.

UptoapointLordCopper · 15/10/2014 17:05

I would also like to object to "female blackbird". It should be "brownish bird, the male of which species is black". Wink

I guess we would end up with lots of brownish birds then. Hmm Grin

m0therofdragons · 15/10/2014 16:59

That reminds me, I must hang the washing up before dh gets home! Not because of gender stereotypes, but dh did 2 lots this week so probably my turn.

UptoapointLordCopper · 15/10/2014 16:58

I remember the days when buffy was reasonable.

Some days I think it's the patriarchy's other people's turn to be reasonable.

MrsBuffyCockhead · 15/10/2014 16:51

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Original poster
Ginfox · 15/10/2014 16:48

Nicely put Spook. Although you did get carried away with that sweeping statement at the end

We're reasonable people Grin Speak for yourself.

I nearly put this thread in AIBU. Can you imagine?!

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MrsBuffyCockhead · 15/10/2014 16:42

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Spookgremlin · 15/10/2014 16:28

Because it's nonsense, damsilli.

Spookgremlin · 15/10/2014 16:28

Why are you seeing this photo of a blackbird as a depiction of a 'housewife' though? The title is 'mum' and it's a blackbird.

Some mums aren't housewives or SAHMs.

Why is a SAHM depicted with laundry and not children?

The fact that 'mum' is shorthand for 'doer or housework' is a problem for lots of women.

Presumably these 2 million SAHMs in the UK might be depicted as involved in caring for their children, not by the menial household tasks that are a by-product of everyone's life, SAHM or not. If they are proud it's of raising their children not their washing lines, I suspect.

It's perfectly possible to idly discuss the connotations of an image without needing to 'impose rules' on it. Feminists can chat about trivial stuff the same as other humans can, without instructing people to burn their blackbirds. We're reasonable people.

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