But I do find it hard not to take the decision to cover women's bodies to a greater degree than men's bodies as an accusation.
Indeed. What makes me angry about this is that societies almost always punish women for being what (most) men find attractive, without really requiring men to bloody well control themselves like the adults they ought to be. Streets not safe for women? Put them under curfew and blame them for being in the wrong place and wearing the wrong attire; after all, it's not as if we can expect men who think they're so much better than women to actually exhibit self-control, right? No one ever turns around and makes any kind of serious proposal that since the men are causing these problems, they ought to be the ones under watch and curfew so that women can walk around in safety, whereas many societies around the world think it's perfectly fine to infantilize women and curtail their activities.
One of the reasons I'm not interested in being religious is the degree to which this attitude is embedded in nearly all religions that I know of. Women are so distracting, it seems, that men must keep us under wraps, make us wear long, baggy clothing, cover our hair, make sure we don't speak out of turn or sing where men can hear. My feeling is that men being distracted by my mere existence as a woman is Not My Fucking Problem, except inasmuch as they attempt to make it my problem by restricting me instead of growing the hell up and controlling themselves.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
sorry, this stuff makes me ranty
Date: 2007-06-06 04:50 pm (UTC)Indeed. What makes me angry about this is that societies almost always punish women for being what (most) men find attractive, without really requiring men to bloody well control themselves like the adults they ought to be. Streets not safe for women? Put them under curfew and blame them for being in the wrong place and wearing the wrong attire; after all, it's not as if we can expect men who think they're so much better than women to actually exhibit self-control, right? No one ever turns around and makes any kind of serious proposal that since the men are causing these problems, they ought to be the ones under watch and curfew so that women can walk around in safety, whereas many societies around the world think it's perfectly fine to infantilize women and curtail their activities.
One of the reasons I'm not interested in being religious is the degree to which this attitude is embedded in nearly all religions that I know of. Women are so distracting, it seems, that men must keep us under wraps, make us wear long, baggy clothing, cover our hair, make sure we don't speak out of turn or sing where men can hear. My feeling is that men being distracted by my mere existence as a woman is Not My Fucking Problem, except inasmuch as they attempt to make it my problem by restricting me instead of growing the hell up and controlling themselves.