Don’t Be That Twee Patronizing Blog
I think it’s great that there have, in the last few years, with the successes of Jezebel and The Hairpin, been a few online magazines and blogs popping up who specifically aim for a woman/feminist-centric audience. It’s great that not only is this population being recognized, but that younger, talented, and oftentimes not so well-established women writers get a chance to write about the things that interest or entertain them for a pretty sizable audience.
It is not so great, however, when that idea gets sort of pissed on/watered-down with a sickeningly twee, patronizing blog owned by wealthy celebrities and quasi-celebrities who hire their untalented trust fund friends (with only a sprinkling of actually talented people) to pathetically cloak status quo messages and themes in a twee/”quirky” sort of package (you know, just do a terrible job at ripping off other good/funny, better articulated ideas).
Here are some of the things that have particularly irked me, with regards to what I can only assume to be a general attitude toward their audience:
* A “Don’t Be That Girl” column that has the tone of a catty, passive-aggressive, slut-shaming mother: Don’t wear high heels when you go out, ladies, because, as usual, you and your irresponsible drunken harlot self will just end up getting rabies. Even if I may agree with the ultimate sentiment of “being barefoot is public spaces is kinda gross”, I don’t purport to speak for a monolith of “us” “girls”– not to mention that I’m well over the age of 12, which I believe qualifies me as a “woman”, actually.
* An overly-precious web design that once again communicates an overall sense of “oooh look at us cuuuuuuuuuuutesy little GIIIIIRLLLLLLS”. Look, we’re GIGGLING when you scroll the mouse over our large-eyed little heads! Tee hee he heeeeeeeee!!!! VOMIT.
* Barely coherent narrative structures that reflect the possibility that the writer has not advanced in school beyond 9th grade. It’s insulting to presume adult women would want to read the ramblings of someone who can barely string together a sentence, especially since there is a wealth of talented, funny writers who freelance all over the place.
* Pointless displays of excessive optimism.
That said, I actually like some of the writers on this particular site, and my intent is not to be destructive towards other women (simply because they are women). Rather, I’d just rather not stand idly and pretend like I’m supposed to like something so blatantly stupid just because other people have the same type of genitals as me.
Photo courtesy of Blog is not a Four Letter Word
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