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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

A realisation about husband

9 replies

mypoosmellsofroses · 03/02/2018 14:20

Just posted on the F1 thread and realised how much my husband has changed in 10 years.

For a long time I have been the main earner, we share all tasks equally and I never witnessed any belittling of women by him. Until one day when he was helping a family member with a presentation and asked me to look it over.

Completely unrelated to the subject of the presentation was a picture of a scantily clad attractive woman. I questioned this and said "is this appropriate" He then contacted the man who created the presentation and said "Is this appropriate" After a while the man came back and said "It's OK, I've checked and the only team members who I'm presenting to are men, there's no women there"

DH says "OK" I go ballistic and then calm down enough to say, "Would it be OK to have a buff young chap in tight shorts in the presentation?" He was like Hmm "No, that would just be silly"

A few months after that he called out his BIL for making some crude comment about a page 3 girl and said "Thats my Sister you're sitting next to, on what planet do you think that's OK?"

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago and he came home from work and mentioned that he had asked for some POS from a rep, an outdoorsy type product and had been given posters showing young women with their back to the camera in micro shorts. He said "I put them straight in the bin, it's not fucking relevant to the product and it's lazy shit marketing and insulting to our customers"

By Jove I think he's got it! Not that he was ever deeply misogynistic, it's just that he's never questioned the background stuff before, and now he seems to see it everywhere.

I think that's a lot of the problem now, yes we have some deeply dyed in the wool women haters but far more men that fall into the "Generally nice guy that respects women but can't see what all the fuss is about re grid girls/banter/sexy woman advertising plumbing supplies etc etc"

Don't know what the answer is, suspect with DH it just took me pointing things out and giving reverse examples for him to see that this stuff goes on with no logical reason other than "Men do - women decorate"

OP posts:
QuentinSummers · 03/02/2018 16:45

I love this!

Myunicornfliessideways · 03/02/2018 18:35
Grin
UpstartCrow · 03/02/2018 20:23

I believe we need to specifically teach this kind of empathy all the way through school, as a basic life skill. I wonder how many problems it would prevent.

TheNavigator · 03/02/2018 20:47

It is odd, because my DH didn't need taught this by me and had already 'got it' over 30 years ago, without my help. Are men going backwards, do you think? I wonder if the fashion for 'lad culture' in the 90s is to blame as we long predate that. All this strict gender demarcation and Barrie pink is very recent, when we were young 'uns it was all doc martins and short hair for girls.

mypoosmellsofroses · 03/02/2018 22:23

Not sure, my Dh is 58 so his formative years were very much of the Benny Hill/Carry on culture , whereas I have sons of of 19 and 24 who absolutely get it despite modern "norms", they are both very vocal feminists and "terfs" into the bargain.

Have to admit I'm very proud of both of them for the many times they have stood up and spoken out even in the face of going against popular opinion amongst their peers.

OP posts:
TheNavigator · 03/02/2018 22:40

Ok, your DH is a wee bit older than mine ( not much!) but that may explain it? I have to say, my DH never would never have needed me to tell him a scantily clad woman didn't belong in a work presentation! I think that would be my (very low) baseline before I married someone Grin

HelenDenver · 05/02/2018 15:02

Progress!

Ekphrasis · 05/02/2018 20:35

Awesome!

My Dh hadn't twigged a few finer points (but wouldn't have seen the point of the scantily clad woman and felt it inappropriate) till I pointed out a few 'reversals' - sort of drips here and there to help him see.

I think as he's from a family if all boys and not a very worldly or opinionated mother, more subtle things really hadn't got through.

SophoclesTheFox · 05/02/2018 20:45

Your DH sounds like a good'un, roses. I'm glad to hear some positive stories, because I'm really disheartened by the last week or two in feminism.

I also smiled at Barrie pink from thenavigators post above - who's 'e then? Grin

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