Is the Future Female?

[SleepingStandingUp]

Looking at the International Women's merchant in our local supermarket, all emblazoned with THE FUTURE IS FEMALE and wondering what message that would send my sons and nephews or my mainly male Beavers?

Does it not matter cos they'll just grow into men and therefore their male privilege overwrites their feelings?

Is it better this way, that they know most women would prefer them to become obsolete?
Or is it just lazy marketing and I'm not the only one who wouldn't touch something that pushes for a lack of equality the other way?

Yabu- the future IS female
Yanbu- the future should be equality

'I'd just like them and my nieces to want equality, not to think one has to be over the other.'

Do you nieces a favour, and let someone else give advise and raise them. You're probably best as far from them as possible.

It's just a marketing slogan

I agree. Ill thought through, at best, not helpful and probably damaging to boys. It’s not going to help those young men who see their female peers do better in school, uni, etc feel better about being male, even though I agree that young females need empowerment. The wording implicitly sets up a competitive dynamic between the sexes and I strongly believe that what is required is promotion of understanding and equality. Removing barriers to success of either sexes should not be seen as coming at the cost of the success of the others.

In terms of the underlying attitudes/values communicated, what do you think of the slogan ‘The future is black’ on supermarket products? I’m mixed race and I don’t think it would be helpful, I see it as needlessly antagonistic. Maybe I’m biased because of my mixed heritage but I would prefer to see a future that encourages all.

I don’t think it’s lazy marketing though. Marketing spews out messages that target audiences want to hear and will part with money for. However, it isn’t socially responsible marketing for the reasons I outlined above, and I dislike it for that reason.

So how does it work (taking aside I think the idea is ridiculous) do women breed without men and work put away never to give birth to a male?

Do we all wear badges?

Lazy marketing. I’d walk straight past it. I don’t think my sons would notice or pay attention to it either.

I don't think it's damaging, to be honest. As another poster said, even male children born right now will have their male privilege into their old age, they needn't worry.
Instead of a bag upsetting me, I'd be more upset that my boys have a fantastic chance of being promoted above women and paid more for equivalent roles thanks to the gender pay gap. How many men have you heard saying they wouldn't bother to try to do well in certain professions because it's an "old girls club" where men just can't get ahead?

Agreed. I find it infuriating how many women don’t seem to realise how men still rule the world. The past is male, the present is male, and there are few signs at the moment that the future is going to be anything different. This doesn’t mean that your boys are not important- far from it - but since they are part of the ruling class then it would be good if they grew up knowing this and acting responsibly within that context.

You know what, you're right. Someone get the Spice Girls on the blower and tell them that "girl power" is misandrist.

Never mind all those little girls who had the confidence to answer everyday sexism with "I can do anything I want!" because of slogans like this. 🙋🏻‍♀️

Noone has said men have no role. You are finding offence that isn't there.

This.

What does 'female' actually mean, though?

Have you signed the petition to ask the government to pin this down?

www.mumsnet.com/talk/petitions_noticeboard/4722618-petition-to-update-the-equality-act-thread-2?page=38&reply=124418885

Women have so so far to go before we achieve equity on a worldwide basis. So far. And for every two steps forward, we all take one and three quarters of a step back.

It won't happen in your lifetime, or your sons.

One of the major hurdles will be battling internalised misogyny. The idea that women must compete for and exist to please men rather than supporting other women is a deeply ingrained and damaging one. There is currently no equivalent to the horrible saying 'bros before hos'. That kind of sisterhood is not widespread but it is growing, look at the reaction to Sarah everard's murder.

Looking at a tiny display for IWD that dares to celebrate women in a supermarket and somehow coming to the conclusion that not only is this an attack on men in general but on a small boy"s future is probably a very good example of the hurdles women face from other women.

Id be far more concerned about the effect of men like Andrew Tate on your son's future than a little bit of female empowerment.

Pfft.....

Some posters would have had a conniption watching me lead the winning debate team at grammar school against the boys team in the 80s.

I successfully argued "This house believes Men are obsolete".

Then went out with a boy in the audience who took the opportunity to remind me of his superiority during the three of four weeks we dated whenever he could.

So I learned early on we can have our equality, as long as it doesn't undermine the male ego, and this pattern has not changed much both personally and professionally.

I don't hate men - my late DP was for the most part an ally, my sons are mostly on board with the idea of equality but cultural conditioning runs deep and I've occasionally had some sharp words with them (they are adults, late 20s).

As it goes, I'm not even sure if the future is human, never mind one of the billion iterations of identity, what with AI and apps for that.

In the grand scheme of things, ridiculous advertising slogans are designed as a sop, a nod to an imagined zeitgeist or to stir the pot further. Marketing and propaganda like this are tentacles of the Hydra and designed to part people from their cash for a largely imagined worthy cause.

No men will be harmed by this campaign, and no women will truly benefit. So, nothing will meaningfully change.

I'm a big fan of absurdism and nihilism these days.

But then I'm old and cynical.

It annoys me because it's just a cynical marketing tool. Asda are just using it to virtue signal and, more importantly for them, make some bucks. Not that long ago they were promoting an organisation which is happy for men to colonise womanhood and which seemed paedophile adjacent. So Asda can do one.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3940259-Why-are-ASDA-normalising-paedophilia-and-Child-Abuse

I've noticed someone just upthread has posted a link to a petition which could be very important for women's rights in this country. I'd urge you to take a look, sign it and share it.

Well the future is clearly not going to be female and absolutely no one believes it will.

It’s just a marketing slogan to encourage girls to feel ambitious and capable and that all opportunities are open to them. And thereby to slowly redress inequality in leadership and decision making positions.

I was two shops away, a pp thought I was lying because its apparently in Nov. I don't think i could have done much 33 hours early for Beavers in that 5 minutes 🙄

You're suggesting I should give up custody of my nieces because I don't like FEMALES ARE THE FUTURE?

I mean I don't actually have custody of them, but I'll be sure to tell my sisters that I can no longer see them. Should I give up my sons too?

OH NO! how will the men and boys cope with having ONE SINGLE SOLITARY DAY ALL ABOUT WOMEN???

lock them all in so they can't see it OP; you can't be too sure about the dangers posed to men and boys by IWD

Thank you, I think you've conveyed it more eloquently than me, given pp's are advocating I never have custody of any female children abd remove myself from their lives

They can create a successful embryo from two eggs. Given that would require IVF or similar, it wouldn't be impossible to select for sex. I'm not saying that's going to happen, but we're really not far from the possibility. Or using sperm taken from male genitals. I mean it's all very dystopia future, and ethically wouldn't get passed without a major revolution. But scientifically, we could.

But I don't think the people who make the cups want to cull men, just put them in "their place" as below women, like women have been and are considered now by many. Personally, I don't think that's what anyone needs, including women

well OP your fear for your sons seems to be that you are scared that women will try to put them below women and make them second class.

In other words that men will be treated how women have been treated by men for millenia?

Drink some camomile tea. By Thursday it will be back to Situation Normal Men In Charge Of Everything (except possibly caring duties)

I don't disagree @Loics

If the only way you can empower girls is by portraying men as inferior, or by suggesting they should be, you need a different way of doing it.
Girl power, female power, women power isn't the same as the future if female imo.

As another poster said, we wouldn't accept THE FUTURE IS BLACK etc even if we agree those groups needed empowering.

Won’t anyone think of the poor menz!

when the c30% pay gap has closed and men have stopped murdering women we might be equal. Right now we’re not so I have no problem with galvanising female allyship.

No one accused you of lying, or said IWD is in November

I don't disagree that the future is (hopefully) equal. But that's a shit slogan, and Asda (or whatever shop) are just trying to flog stuff. From a female empowerment perspective "the future is female" is kinda cool.

I thought it was sisters before misters? Which you can at least use when you're 8 yos are squabbling over a boy, whereas any of mine who came home says bros before his wouldn't be going out to date until they were 30.

And like I said earlier, I don't think one display in Asda is going to have all the men rounded up for soerm donations then executed so we can create a female only society from 2040. More the individual thing.

What's your cup say Magenta Beaver?
Females are the future.
What about boys miss?
No kid, you have inherent male privilege so you just aren't as important.