Fashion Forward

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Having some non-heated arguments with co-workers about the male gaze, spawned in part by the now old news Seth McFarland skit at the Academy Awards about all the actresses who have shown their boobs in movies. And then someone else sent me a link to a video response about all of the men who've show themselves, so to speak in movies. It was sung by a guy though, so does that count? It's called "We Saw Your Junk."


And then I recently realized that I still have this sexist speech sometimes--like today, we went to lunch at Houston Hall and there happened to be a set up for coffee. I wanted some coffee, but I knew it was for an event and so felt like I might get in trouble if I took any. Molly, on the other hand, very confidently went up and got a small cup, took her time to add sugar and creamer, and paused to take a sip, all in line of a security guard who said nothing. So, I took some too, and then later, I said to Molly, "That took balls." But...Can I find another way to say that? Like, so the implication is that what she did--this being confident and taking what she wanted--was a masculine thing to do. Courage = male. What can I say instead? She and Liz P. suggested we exchange the word "balls" with "nips." The new phrase then is, "That took nips." This is neither masculine or feminine--everyone has them (for an explanation as to why men have nipples, go here).

And then in class the other day--this feminist theater class I'm taking at Penn--one of the women mentioned that Yoko Ono is creating a line of clothes, and some of them play with the counter gaze...Dressing men in ways that emphasize their crotches in the same way that so much of women's clothing accentuates chest, hips, ass. Here's an example:

 I think it's funny. I'm ordering a pair of pants for Dan




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