Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

Unproblematic women

36 replies

TheChampagneGalop · 30/07/2020 14:25

A phrase I have seen on twitter. You shouldn't like JK Rowling, she is problematic. Be a fan of these unproblematic women instead.
I wanted to vent about it here because the phrase disturbs me a lot. Apparantly what women should aim for in life is to not be "problematic".
Be quiet, don't express opinions, especially not when it comes protecting women's rights. It would be so easy for any of these "unproblematic queens" who are currently okay to be "stanned" to be cancelled the second they say the wrong thing.
I say we need more problematic women, complex women expressing their opinions, women who dare to be loud.

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
nepeta · 31/07/2020 11:11

It is, however, fascinating to think which demographic groups can always be criticised on Twitter, whatever else might be happening, and which groups are seen as lots of different individuals while others are seen as one giant mass out of which spoonfuls can be taken out to be admired or berated, but always as part of that mass.

I can't see women telling men which men they are allowed to admire. It might happen but would never get any sway.

compulsivesnacker · 31/07/2020 05:44

Problematic? Pish. I aspire to be a fucking nightmare.
And frankly, if I was getting approbation from the likes of the twitter great and good, I’d know I was doing something wrong.

Singasonga · 31/07/2020 05:32

"Problematic Woman" sounds like a T-shirt waiting to happen.

DidoLamenting · 31/07/2020 04:42

@TheChampagneGalop

Stan comes from the Eminem song with the same name about an obsessive stalker/fan. But many young people use it as a different word for fan or supporting an artist.
And thereby completely missing the point of what Eminem was saying.
TehBewilderness · 31/07/2020 03:07

I have a suspicion that unproblematic is the latest creepy d00d euphemism for manic pixie dream girl.

EBearhug · 31/07/2020 02:58

I think I've achieved more as a problematic woman than if I'd just sat down quietly and said nothing.

SetYourselfOnFire · 31/07/2020 02:46

😂 How is Rihanna unproblematic?! That's not a dig, I just can't fathom their criteria.

Durgasarrow · 31/07/2020 02:21

I read someone on twitter wrote "problematic is the new moist"

IloveJKRowling · 30/07/2020 22:55

Saying women are only allowed to like 'unproblematic women' sounds EXTREMELY boring, to be honest. Fuck that. Also, I do so love JKR so if she's problematic, I definitely want to be.

I also want to raise two problematic daughters who won't let other people tell them who they can and can't like, who make up their own minds, and stand up for themselves and their rights.

DadOnIce · 30/07/2020 21:13

I've seen the gif of the 'unproblematic women' on Twitter, but, because I am middle-aged, I only recognise two of them, Rihanna and Angelina Jolie. I have nothing against either of these women, who seem very good at what they do.

But it's very telling that the man (?) who is inviting people to like these women for being 'unproblematic' has deliberately chosen clips of these people (they're not all actual women, I'm guessing - right?) looking pouty, swishy, demure, fluttery, flirty, sexy, giggly, hair-tossy, etc., etc. In other words, exactly as he would like them to be.

I'm guessing it would have been too 'problematic' for him to have chosen some leading female scientists, astronauts, artists, composers, writers, business leaders, educators, politicians and doctors... right?

Xiaoxiong · 30/07/2020 21:04

Wow that is fucked up. I remember that song - talk about proving my point, Stan kills his pregnant girlfriend at the end. Even as a dumb teen listening to Eminem the first time round I knew what Stan was doing wasn't something to emulate, even joking about it.

NiceLegsShameAboutTheFace · 30/07/2020 20:18

Like this?

Original poster
TheChampagneGalop · 30/07/2020 19:48

Stan comes from the Eminem song with the same name about an obsessive stalker/fan. But many young people use it as a different word for fan or supporting an artist.

OP posts:
boatyardblues · 30/07/2020 19:04

@AgnesNaismith

Not just a twitter thing....taught in feminist classes at Russel group universities too.

Serves to silence the class in unified uncomfortableness and shame. You can no longer argue a point for fear of being ‘problematic’ and once you are ‘problematic’ there is no coming back.

I love that line in Aliens where the company guy tries to shame Ripley into complying and she says: “I’m happy to disappoint you.” Who wants to be an unproblematic woman if it means being a doormat?
Xiaoxiong · 30/07/2020 18:44

Is it true that "stan" is a portmanteau of "stalker-fan"?? I just had to google it. Do people not know how horrific and destructive stalking is? And what it can lead to in terms of femicide?

CatandtheFiddle · 30/07/2020 18:23

Women are "problematic" by definition

Yes, because we are not men.

DrDavidBanner · 30/07/2020 17:38

Not just a twitter thing....taught in feminist classes at Russel group universities too. Shock

At times like this I'm glad I left school at 16

WeeBisom · 30/07/2020 16:31

I'm noticing on Twitter that all of these 'unproblematic' women we are supposed to emulate are super feminine, attractive to the male gaze, and silent - just sashaying around looking beautiful and not saying anything. How inspiring. We must be beautiful sex objects and not spout any 'problematic' views.

Collidascope · 30/07/2020 16:14

[quote TheChampagneGalop]Another example.
twitter.com/soft_dnp/status/1288794405655023616[/quote]
Ah, so women should be beautiful, wear pretty dresses and walk about gracefully while pouting. What a progressive, refreshing point of view.

It would have been one thing to show the achievements of women who believe TWAW (Bernadine Evaristo, Margaret Atwood) but instead they decided to do a fashion shoot video.

Original poster
TheChampagneGalop · 30/07/2020 16:06

Another example.
twitter.com/soft_dnp/status/1288794405655023616

OP posts:
Skyliner001 · 30/07/2020 16:04

Can you link to the tweet please.

Original poster
TheChampagneGalop · 30/07/2020 16:03

Thank you for the book recommendation Collidascope. I need to get away from twitter and read something better.

OP posts:
AgnesNaismith · 30/07/2020 16:02

Not just a twitter thing....taught in feminist classes at Russel group universities too.

Serves to silence the class in unified uncomfortableness and shame. You can no longer argue a point for fear of being ‘problematic’ and once you are ‘problematic’ there is no coming back.

Original poster
TheChampagneGalop · 30/07/2020 15:59

It's interesting because if I knew nothing about the context this term 'unproblematic women' was being used in I think it would conjure a vision of extreme religious ideology - something akin to tenets of Evangelism or Islam.

Exactly. But we are told that being "unproblematic" is progressive.

Here is the official Netflix account tweeting about "stanning unproblematic queens" (their definition being girls who tell doctors to not correctly sex trans children): twitter.com/netflix/status/1286391321746276353

OP posts:
DrDavidBanner · 30/07/2020 15:22

Is this a Twitter thing? I'm glad the've put the dog whistle away and have gone back to being overtly misogynistic.

I'm sure these guys would love to live in the middle east or Russia where being a problematic woman is a capital offence.