Can we stop with the stupid ‘can I speak to the manager/mum bob’ comments

[Birdie379]

I see the same ‘joke’ over and over and over again. We’re not rude about any other style of hair cut so what makes a short bob open to it?

I’ve had versions of bobs my whole adult life. I’m chronically ill and it takes a toll on my hair. It’s fine and thin. It can’t handle being coloured. It always looks best in a short sharp bob, cut into my neck at the back. Any longer and it looks like rats tails, any shorter and it sits flat to my head.

Reading the constant piss-take comments about my hairstyle gets me down (and there’s at least one on every short hair style thread).

It’s not even funny, it’s just boring.

"it's just a relatable meme, and it absolutely has zero to do with reasonable women standing up for themselves... it's poking fun at the 'customer is always right/ twat with expired coupon who treats retail workers like shit...' there is a male equivalent in the form of sunburnt, beer belly short man with sandals and wrap around blue reflective sunglasses who insists he's going to 'take it straight to the top' grin I love a good starter pack meme."

You don't think that it's telling that the middle aged woman meme is the one that's caught on? No? No analysis or anything?

I'm old enough to remember the 'page boy' and 'Purdy' cuts.

@LiveInAHidingPlace You can analyse it through a feminist lense if you like, if picking apart jokes is your thing. Im not particularly bothered if a negative meme is geared toward women, there's plenty of tropes aimed at men. I really don't care that much, sorry.

"I really don't care that much, sorry."

No need to apologise. Enjoy your hilarious joke where men are laughing at your lack of power.

@MildThing- I had calipers up to my hips and ugly brown leather boots in the early 70’s. (Australia) People weren’t kind enough to refer to them as orthopedic... they called them “Spac boots”. (Spac was a very derogatory abbreviation of spastic which you can now be arrested for using, thank goodness!!!) I had them until I was eight. You’d think I’d never wear boots again, but I love them. *The moral of the story that I’m laboriously getting to is that there are a lot of ignorant people out there, and they suck - but boots are cool.

@LiveInAHidingPlace Sorry you feel that way. Someone from head office will be in touch with a voucher for a complimentary coffee

virginpinkmartini

ROAR

@Manontry I know, I know. Not that funny. But the curmudgeonry of it all just gives me 'thou doth protest too much' vibes. Its just a bloody meme.

You sound like the kind of person who would ask to speak to the manager though op.

I still maintain that all women with hair shoulder length or shorter have bobs unless they can demonstrate otherwise.

1 inch clipper cut. I refuse to identify as having a bob.

Men are laughing at our lack of power
Good grief, well I'm laughing myself too at that massive overreaction to a joke. It's not even about rational women standing up for themselves. As pp said it's the 'I have an expired coupon but you owe me this anyway' attitude that this joke represents.
Not every woman is amazing and great lol, there's many actual feminist issues and this is not one of them.
And before anyone gives me a list of reasons lecturing me scout why it is, I'll save some time.
No thanks, life is short enough

It’s such a shit joke though. It’s not funny, it wasn’t funny 12years ago and it’s still not funny now. Yes humour’s subjective bla bla bla but a shit lame tired old joke is a shit lame tired old joke and this is one of them.

It’s just women running other women down, op. Just the usual I think. Like frumpy, mum boots and all that.

Still, it seems fairly harmless, until it isnt.

If it is any comfort I have only ever come across that crap on mumsnet.

But, in defence of the thing, like a devils advocate whatsit, I will say that I think the ‘talk to manager’ element makes people giggle because it’s one of those things you thought yrs ago and didn’t imagine other people had noticed it - I even wonder if it is a stereotype we have picked up from tv drama, soaps?

I’m not in the business of ‘being offended’ but some are more unsavoury than others. Mutton for instance is far more incendiary.

I’m 45, I chose cats instead of kids 🐈 (although don’t have one at moment) but I am always bemused and saddened by the ‘mum’ prefix when used to downgrade a style or interest. The presumption that being a mother robs you of something is ridiculous. That ought to be challenged and rooted out.

Amen @Sux. If anything makes women look bad, it's when they can't take equal treatment aka a joke at their expense. Not that it's a joke aimed at women in general anyway. People who act as if they are totally blind to stereotypes are annoying virtue signallers.

Stop saying things aren't funny!

YOU don't find it funny, fine. That doesn't make it not funny.

It's funny to a lot of people because it's based in truth. Theres a guy one also, btw.

53maidenover
Friends in retail have

It turns out there's an overlap between "can I talk to a manager" and "I demand to see the head about this relatively minor issue but I want people to think I mean business".

People talk about mom jeans, dad dancing, dad jokes. It's just life and people making silly observations.

Not that it's a joke aimed at women in general anyway. People who act as if they are totally blind to stereotypes are annoying virtue signallers.
Very true, but also very common on MN. There's loads of people who claim not to see any stereotypes or trends or observe anything unusual or out of context and they never think anything negative about anything anyone does (unless it's a MIL or stepmum).

You should hear what we say about blokes with mullets too, though.

The trouble is though that memes can have a normalising effect.
There was a particularly revolting one going around a while ago, the 28 and dating a 14 year old starter pack which poked fun at the 28 year old guys "who are probably still living in Mom's basement and don't do their own laundry" rather than seeing them as child abusers.

That's a scary concept.

That haircut must never be normalised.

When I go back to my home town I see that haircut a lot... usually paired with a fake fur coat and corned beef legs. It’s like the last decade hasn’t happened at all. I don’t however consider it a bob. Bob haircuts are not created equal though and if someone is described as having a frumpy bob I would suggest it’s because they have a frumpy bob or they are drying it in a way which is less fashionable ( curling it under too much ) No one in their right mind would describe Una Therman in Pulp Fiction as frumpy.

The can I talk to the manager haircut isn’t a bob. I don’t know why people think Bob means short. It doesn’t. Itmeansshort an uniform in length maybe with and asymmetric edge (ie longer at the front than at the back). If it has choppy bits it’s not a bob. If it has layers it’s nit a bob.

Re putting assertive women down it’s not. It’s about putting down those annoying people who complain to staff (and treat them like less than human) overnon issues.

Re putting assertive women down it’s not. It’s about putting down those annoying people who complain to staff (and treat them like less than human) overnon issues.
This^^

There is a difference between being assertive and being the sort of person who likes to try and throw their weight around over nothing whilst trying to seem important.

Just Like there is a difference between being a perfectly normal person who tells the truth in a kind way Vs someone who "just tells it like it is". The person who "tells it like it is" is usually an arsehole and rude.

Sorry Karen but I think it is quite funny actually