Blatant Example of Sexist Depiction of Women in the Media

[HengshanRoad]

It's nothing new, but it's everywhere, and it's so frustrating.

The Times begins a description about an academic thus:

"The Beijing professor is a picture of petite perfection on a London hotel sofa, wearing what we might call Westernised Chinese Smart: a blindingly white designer tunic, precisely tousled hair, short black skirt and patent-leather ankle-boots. Only a snag down the knee of her tights leavens her impenetrable neatness. This 41-year-old married mother is a fast-talking embodiment of modern China."

Would a man ever, EVER be described like this? His looks, his marital status, his physical stature?

eugh!

"the beijing professor is a picture of muscular perfection on a london hotel sofa, wearing what we might call westernised chinese smart: a blindingly white designer shirt, precisely gelled hair, tight black trousers and patent leather brogues. only a smudge down the knee of his trousers leavens his inpenetrable neatness. this 41 year old married father is a fast-talking embodiment of modern china"

no, dont think i have ever read anything (unless he was being interviewed about his outfit) that talks like a man as though he were a prize cow in a show ring.

about a man, rather than like.

Out of interest who wrote the article and which section was it in?

Bleurgh!

Not entirely related, but has anyone seen these Men Ups - photos of men in poses and with expressions you normally see women adopting in advertising.

A bit like Boooooyhoo describing the professor in the same way if she had been male.

This is the article:

women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/relationships/article6160664.ece

I'm not sure why it is in the "Women" section, since it is an article about an academic text. I guess since it's a female academic, she didn't deserve a place in the main section...

(of The Times website, I mean.)