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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

How does this help gay or gender-non-conforming children?

60 replies

JellySaurus · 22/02/2022 10:37

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-60464528

How does two straight men dressing up as an over-sexualised parody of women help gay or GNC children? Or even gay or GNC boys? Because it certainly doesn't help gay or GNC girls.

A friend's ds is a primary school teacher. NQT (or whatever it's called now. Anyway, young.) For Mental Health Week recently he wore a different feminine item to school every day. A dress, or skirt, or make-up, or accessory. That is supportive for GNC boys. That is teaching them all tolerance and acceptance of self-expression. Not teaching them that the only alternative to gung ho masculinity is to mock women while hiding yourself within the caricature.

OP posts:
Whatwouldscullydo · 22/02/2022 12:59

Why can't they be expected to exhibit the same behaviour as everyone else though?

ie not mocking others or being misogynistic.

EeeICouldRipATissue · 22/02/2022 12:57

Being themselves.

What does that even mean.

Feeling able to dress how they want and if that's in glittery dresses, lots of make up, high heels and big wigs, then fair enough.

Whatwouldscullydo · 22/02/2022 12:55

And if women are supposed to busy not give a shit what these men are doing then why can't these boys do the same?

You cant say one set of people shouldn't care what others think then think that another set of people should be able to.mock women this way sonthey aren't bullied.

Which is it?

Whatwouldscullydo · 22/02/2022 12:53

Being themselves.

What does that even mean.

If " yourself" is a misogynistic twit who hates and mocks women then being themselves is the last thing they should be being tbh

Gumbomambo · 22/02/2022 12:52

It’s hardly trailblazing for LGBTQ youth, it’s the back end of the very popular drag bandwagon because that’s what Ant & Dec d . Mr Tumble has been dressing up as a woman (Aunt Polly) for years on kids TV.

EeeICouldRipATissue · 22/02/2022 12:51

How are girls and women supposed to feel, seeing two men dress up in a parody of their bodies and the stereotypical crap men IMPOSED on women as if it is a part of US?
Don't know about anybody else, but I do know I never gave a shiny shit what others were doing.
I never wore make up, never wanted to and didn't care that everyone else did.
Going by your argument, I see others in make up and think I should be too.
So what if men want to drag up in high heels and a shit ton of make up?
I don't take it personally.
As I said, they're not being me.
They're being themselves.

LauriePartridge4Eva · 22/02/2022 12:48

@EeeICouldRipATissue

is no more appropriate in mainstream life than a gimp mask Well we'll have to agree to disagree then.

There's no difference.

LauriePartridge4Eva · 22/02/2022 12:47

Horrible. How are girls and women supposed to feel, seeing two men dress up in a parody of their bodies and the stereotypical crap men IMPOSED on women as if it is a part of US?

And the man in the article saying his greatest fear was to be laughed at by other men....so he decides to bond with them over laughing at women instead. Hmm

EeeICouldRipATissue · 22/02/2022 12:40

is no more appropriate in mainstream life than a gimp mask
Well we'll have to agree to disagree then.

Whatwouldscullydo · 22/02/2022 12:39

Express what though. What exactly are they expressing. Wanna wear make up and a dress fine wear make up and a dress

Reduce women to heels boobs and make up, make fish jokes and call yourself flow job and act like.you are doing the world a favour by introducing children to porny ideas of womanhood from.imside a man's head...no thanks

JellySaurus · 22/02/2022 12:38

If someone wants to express themselves in drag, that's up to them.

Fine, in a drag nightclub. It is no more appropriate in mainstream life than a gimp mask.

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JellySaurus · 22/02/2022 12:36

@EeeICouldRipATissue

Women are not a physical or emotional punch bag here to absorb every issue caused by everyone else Nobody's said we are?
Except when men's facilities remain for males' exclusive use and women's facilities are forced to accept males. Prisons, changing rooms, support fir female survivors of rape, hospital wards where women are lied to when a male is placed in a women's ward, women told to stop 'weaponising' their abuse, women's healthcare being robbed of its sexed terminology. Need I go on? All to pander to men's desires.
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EeeICouldRipATissue · 22/02/2022 12:34

Then you see the problem.with drag? Uniting people with a common goal to dehumanise, ridicule , and mock women?

No, because I don't see it like that.
I don't see it as mocking me.
They're not me.
I am.
If someone wants to express themselves in drag, that's up to them.

Whatwouldscullydo · 22/02/2022 12:32

Then you see the problem.with drag? Uniting people with a common goal to dehumanise, ridicule , and mock women?

Normalising men in make up should just consist of men being men in regular clothes with make up.

Not making a joke out of us.

EeeICouldRipATissue · 22/02/2022 12:29

Women are not a physical or emotional punch bag here to absorb every issue caused by everyone else
Nobody's said we are?

Whatwouldscullydo · 22/02/2022 12:19

So as I said. Unite in misogynistic behaviour. Fuck that. Women are not a physical or emotional punch bag here to absorb every issue caused by everyone else

EeeICouldRipATissue · 22/02/2022 12:17

Bullies bully. They simply find something else
True, but if it stops and makes them think about one aspect it's better than nothing, surely.

JellySaurus · 22/02/2022 12:17

Why do you want to normalise offensive behaviour?

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Whatwouldscullydo · 22/02/2022 12:16

Bullies bully. They simply find something else. Its dealt with precisely nothing.

Men in woman face is not inspirational

EeeICouldRipATissue · 22/02/2022 12:13

Do you really think that teenage bullies would be less likely to ridicule boys wearing make up because they think Ant & Dec (aged 46) did it too?

It might help to normalise it a bit more for want of a better word.

Nowayhozay · 22/02/2022 12:09

My ds is trans and these two dressing in drag could not be further removed from my child's world.
Nothing in common whatsoever.
My ds just wants to melt into the background not parade in such a way.

If anything I would imagine that gives fuel to the bullies.

Whatwouldscullydo · 22/02/2022 12:07

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JellySaurus · 22/02/2022 11:57

She's saying that by putting it onto a mainstream slot, people such as the bullies will maybe not be so quick to ridicule/bully as they might see actually its OK to dress up /wear make up?

It's fancy dress. It's fancy dress accompanied by some pretty offensive performative behaviour.

Are you saying that it should be ok to go to school or office like this?

It's ok for women or men to wear makeup and it's ok to dress unconventionally, but that is not what drag is, nor what it represents.

OP posts:
Justme56 · 22/02/2022 11:52

My son’s school has quite strict rules on wearing makeup for either sex. Whilst I understand the mothers concern about bullying surely it depends on what he is wearing and when. If he is looking like a drag queen each day at school is it acceptable? If he is doing it in his own time that’s a different matter. Like many, I was a teenager in the 80’s/90s and quite frequently saw men wear make up. It was actually seen as quite cool. However I guess the difference was that men seemed to have their own style which wasn’t a parody of women.

HipTightOnions · 22/02/2022 11:50

She's saying that by putting it onto a mainstream slot, people such as the bullies will maybe not be so quick to ridicule/bully as they might see actually its OK to dress up /wear make up?

Do you really think that teenage bullies would be less likely to ridicule boys wearing make up because they think Ant & Dec (aged 46) did it too?