Based on the recent Pap smear post, it seems like a lot of women have had bad experiences with their gynecologist. I just wanted to mention a few things that helped me:

1. You can ask for a smaller speculum.
2. You can ask to insert a speculum yourself.
3. You can discuss your care with your doctor before they begin any procedure so they know what/where your needs and sensitivities are.
4. ALL of your questions deserve detailed answers that you can understand. Yes, even that question.
5. It's good to have the input of a doctor, and the internet and friends can also be a great resource for learning about things (how painful is X? is Y normal?), but you know your body. Just because a doctor or friend said something is normal does not mean it is. Advocate for yourself.

I'm in the US and I know healthcare isn't always accessible or affordable so we often have to go with whoever is available. If you're able to, it might be worth it to try different doctors until you find one that listens and respects you.

The best gynecologist I've ever had was actually a man. I was really against having a male gynecologist, but he was the only one available that was covered. He's actually the reason I know speculums come in sizes. I'd been going to a gyno for over a decade and none had ever discussed my comfort with me until he did. I know some people may have reasons not to have a male gynecologist, but if one comes highly recommended maybe they're worth trying.

Also, I know it's difficult to internalize, but please remember that it's a doctors visit. There's nothing shameful or embarrassing about needing to go to one or being examined by one. In general, the doctor is there trying to help you and not judge you. The way they treat you should be respectful, but if they do not it's not because you deserve ill treatment or are not worth the time to care for. They are just bad at their job and unfortunately that job involves intimate areas.

You deserve to be safe and healthy. Please do not let a bad experience stop you from getting healthcare. A person who did something harmful to you does not deserve to stand in your way. You deserve a long and happy life and I hope you won't let others interfere with that.

Please feel free to share other tips in the comments.

PS: Not all women have vaginas and some men need to see a gyno as well. We love and respect all bodies here. We just want them safe and healthy.

This is a video based on an article written about princesses trying to escape their abusive families in Dubai. Though their experience is obviously very specific, I think it's important we hear and remember their stories.

A month or so ago there was an uptick in influencers talking about how female microcelebs need to be wary of invites to Dubai. There's a lot of stories about basically forced labor and kidnapping, and horrific accounts of SA.

Abuse happens everywhere, but some places are better for survivors than others. I know the world is a beautiful place filled with beautiful people, but please be wary of where you're traveling and with who, and don't let powerful people convince you that a place is safe if you know it's not.

Link to the original article: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/05/08/the-fugitive-princesses-of-dubai

I probably wouldn't normally post this here, since it's only tangentially related to women's stuff, but there was a post about Dawkins and his AI earlier and I commented about this YTer and she has made a video specifically about this. Maybe it might interest some people. Feel free to remove it if not on topic enough.

This channel came up on my recommended recently and I've really been enjoying their videos.

I'm watching their long form content, but their most recent short is a nice self contained snippet that I think might resonate with people here so I wanted to share. It is just them lamenting the difficulty of decentering men and the male perspective: https://youtube.com/shorts/Fd2aph3pnYg

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/52502962

I would not venture into the comment section, but I think the post brings up a point for discussion. Menstruation is different for everyone (some women don't/can't some men do etc), so I figured I'd ask here what your relationship to it is and how you see other people relate to it. I personally think there's something very unique to menstruation itself that I would not relate to anything else, having experienced things far more and far less painful or affecting, but I know that's not how everyone views it. Having said that, I think there's a lot of discussion around women's periods and I understand the desire to relate to them regardless of your personal experience with them. I would love to hear your individual perspectives on how you talk about your cycles to people, or if you do so at all, and how their responses affect your desire to talk to them about that going forward.

I have a friend that like me has had medical issues arise because of their cycle, and though we've had similar experiences I am least likely to bring up my experiences when she's talking about hers because I want to give her feelings as much space as possible. She does the same with me. I'm not sure if it's like that for others, but I think the more severe the issue the more likely I am to verbalize sympathy than empathy. On the other hand, I can pretty casually talk about it with some friends who have a more average experience with them. I'm least likely to talk about it with my male friends, but I have some close ones that I will mention it to and they always step up their support if I bring it up, since I mostly bring it up if I'm noticing I need some extra support. Because of the way my cycle affects me, and maybe because I am really lucky, my partners have been mostly really good about recognizing it and offering support when needed.

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/52502962

I would not venture into the comment section, but I think the post brings up a point for discussion. Menstruation is different for everyone (some women don't/can't some men do etc), so I figured I'd ask here what your relationship to it is and how you see other people relate to it. I personally think there's something very unique to menstruation itself that I would not relate to anything else, having experienced things far more and far less painful or affecting, but I know that's not how everyone views it. Having said that, I think there's a lot of discussion around women's periods and I understand the desire to relate to them regardless of your personal experience with them. I would love to hear your individual perspectives on how you talk about your cycles to people, or if you do so at all, and how their responses affect your desire to talk to them about that going forward.

I have a friend that like me has had medical issues arise because of their cycle, and though we've had similar experiences I am least likely to bring up my experiences when she's talking about hers because I want to give her feelings as much space as possible. She does the same with me. I'm not sure if it's like that for others, but I think the more severe the issue the more likely I am to verbalize sympathy than empathy. On the other hand, I can pretty casually talk about it with some friends who have a more average experience with them. I'm least likely to talk about it with my male friends, but I have some close ones that I will mention it to and they always step up their support if I bring it up, since I mostly bring it up if I'm noticing I need some extra support. Because of the way my cycle affects me, and maybe because I am really lucky, my partners have been mostly really good about recognizing it and offering support when needed.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/post/36368232

https://mstdn.social/@amydiehl/115805764426843059

Saw this posted elsewhere on Lemmy and thought it might belong here: https://youtu.be/yCdwm2vo09I

Would be interested in what you all think about it, so feel free to share in the comments. I was a little surprised by the women being interviewed, but diversity of opinion regarding this is understandable.

I worked with a lot of large machines at one point and the older man running the room joked about one of them that "if she starts acting up just give her a little smack on the rear". Obviously, this was not actually something anyone did and would not help anything. The machine was sturdy so it wouldn't have done much, but it was so expensive that even if it would have we would have been loath to not be gentle with it. He was of a different era, and generally very nice and respectful, but that's the kind of thing we could stand to lose in my opinion. It didn't bother me per se, and it's the kind of joke I might make among some of my friends, but I also have friends I would not say that in front of. It's so very strange to me that had that been brought up as an issue some people might lament losing the "culture" of the work or something. Can you imagine bringing a playboy into work and being so casual about it that you actually open and use it in testing. I'm used to a boys will be boys workplace, and some chatting about NSFW stuff and some sharing of pics, but something about it being a magazine seems next level.

The book of the month is "Gingerbread" by Helen Oyeyemi.

Trigger warnings: None I could find. I will update this if anyone has more information and would like to let me know.

We had no suggestions, so I chose this one. I chose it because we've had requests for foreign authors (most have been from the US), and varied genres. Though the author does not appear to like the term magical realism, I hope this book might hit the mark for some people that had requested more of that. Though it's not necessarily a holiday novel as suggested, I hope the folklore inspirations and through line of gingerbread have at least a little holiday magic. Feel free to comment your suggestions for next month!

::: spoiler Springboard Questions I would like to include some discussion questions that are community specific and relevant to feminism, and not generic book club questions, so these will likely be questions I ask regarding every work, subject to change of course.

Some things to think about while reading:

• Do you think this work is told from a feminist perspective? Why?
• Do you think the authors gender or gender identity affected their choice of subject, writing style, or perspective character?
• Does the narrators gender or gender identity affect the work? If so, how?
• Did this work change your opinion on anything? If so, what and why?

This is not a homework assignment. You can choose to address any or none of the questions posed here, or talk about your general thoughts or whatever else. Please feel free to pose your own questions in the comments as well. These should serve as a handy springboard if needed, but not a mandatory outline for your comment. :::

The movie of the month is Carol (2015)

Trigger warnings (per AI - I want to be as complete as possible with these so if the AI one seems more complete than what I find elsewhere I use that): nudity, sex and sexuality, psychological abuse, homophobia, institutional abuse, and alcohol/smoking

We had no suggestions this month, so I picked this since it takes place around the holidays (we can have a Diehard style discussion of it's a Christmas movie in the comments). It was also well reviewed with several awards, and was written by a woman. There seem to be a few sites where it is available for streaming, some of which are free with ads, so hopefully everyone will have at least one way they can watch.

::: spoiler Springboard Questions Same spiel as above: I would like to include some discussion questions that are community specific and relevant to feminism, and not generic movie club questions, so these will likely be questions I ask regarding every work, subject to change of course.

Some things to think about while watching:

• Do you think this work is told from a feminist perspective? Why?
• Do you think the authors gender or gender identity affected their choice of subject, writing style, or perspective character?
• Does the narrators gender or gender identity affect the work? If so, how?
• Did this work change your opinion on anything? If so, what and why?

This is not a homework assignment. You can choose to address any or none of the questions posed here, or talk about your general thoughts or whatever else. Please feel free to pose your own questions in the comments as well. These should serve as a handy springboard if needed, but not a mandatory outline for your comment. :::

Comments are spoilers territory. If you want to use spoiler tags in the comments, please do, but it is not required. If you venture into the comments please keep in mind this is a discussion thread for media so there will likely be spoilers.

Going forward This is a community project. I would like to get input regarding written works and tv/movies that would be a good fit for this. I will leave a comment on this thread that you can respond to if you'd like to offer a suggestion. One suggestion per comment please. You can comment multiple times though. I'd like to make sure the selections are widely accessible, so please add that information if you know for sure something is in the public domain or available online, as that makes it easier to recommend. If you commented suggestions last month and they were not chosen, please feel free to comment them again! I will try to favor the most voted on replies each month, and if you don't comment this month it won't be considered unless there are no other suggestions. Please vote on the other comments you see there (I will not be voting since I'm organizing). I'd like to pair heavier topics in one media with lighter topics in the other, just in case you're wondering why a specific piece was not chosen. Things like language or availability may also affect the selection. I'm also open to changing or adding discussion questions.

Excited to hear your perspectives on this month's picks!

Please feel free to participate in previous conversations. Here is a running list of our prior months: https://lemmus.org/post/16011446 https://lemmus.org/post/16649908 https://lemmus.org/post/17483092

PS: Even if you have seen or read the media for this month before, I would encourage a reread or rewatch to best participate in the discussion!

Apologies for the delay!

The November book is “The Beauty Myth” by Naomi Wolf as suggested by klemptor.

Trigger warnings (per AI - I couldn't find them listed online and I've not read it before, so please note these may be incorrect or incomplete): Eating disorders, mental health, suicide, physical abuse, sexual abuse, medical procedures and trauma, pregnancy and abortion, and general content warning for all the kinds of body shaming one would associate with western beauty standards (racism/classism/fatphobia, etc)

This was the only suggestion, so it made the choice easy, but feel free to comment for next month!

::: spoiler Springboard Questions I would like to include some discussion questions that are community specific and relevant to feminism, and not generic book club questions, so these will likely be questions I ask regarding every work, subject to change of course.

Some things to think about while reading:

• Do you think this work is told from a feminist perspective? Why?
• Do you think the authors gender or gender identity affected their choice of subject, writing style, or perspective character?
• Does the narrators gender or gender identity affect the work? If so, how?
• Did this work change your opinion on anything? If so, what and why?

This is not a homework assignment. You can choose to address any or none of the questions posed here, or talk about your general thoughts or whatever else. Please feel free to pose your own questions in the comments as well. These should serve as a handy springboard if needed, but not a mandatory outline for your comment. :::

The November movie will be I'm Your Man (2021)

Trigger warnings: I could not find any, but there are likely adult themes

We had no suggestions this month, so I picked this since it seems relatively light in tone, was well reviewed with several awards, and was written by a woman. There seem to be a few sites where it is available for streaming, some of which are free with ads, so hopefully everyone will have at least one way they can watch. Please note that it is in German, so you may need subtitles.

::: spoiler Springboard Questions Same spiel as above: I would like to include some discussion questions that are community specific and relevant to feminism, and not generic movie club questions, so these will likely be questions I ask regarding every work, subject to change of course.

Some things to think about while watching:

• Do you think this work is told from a feminist perspective? Why?
• Do you think the authors gender or gender identity affected their choice of subject, writing style, or perspective character?
• Does the narrators gender or gender identity affect the work? If so, how?
• Did this work change your opinion on anything? If so, what and why?

This is not a homework assignment. You can choose to address any or none of the questions posed here, or talk about your general thoughts or whatever else. Please feel free to pose your own questions in the comments as well. These should serve as a handy springboard if needed, but not a mandatory outline for your comment. :::

Comments are spoilers territory. If you want to use spoiler tags in the comments, please do, but it is not required. If you venture into the comments please keep in mind this is a discussion thread for media so there will likely be spoilers.

Going forward This is a community project. I would like to get input regarding written works and tv/movies that would be a good fit for this. I will leave a comment on this thread that you can respond to if you'd like to offer a suggestion. One suggestion per comment please. You can comment multiple times though. I'd like to make sure the selections are widely accessible, so please add that information if you know for sure something is in the public domain or available online, as that makes it easier to recommend. If you commented suggestions last month and they were not chosen, please feel free to comment them again! I will try to favor the most voted on replies each month, and if you don't comment this month it won't be considered unless there are no other suggestions. Please vote on the other comments you see there (I will not be voting since I'm organizing). I'd like to pair heavier topics in one media with lighter topics in the other, just in case you're wondering why a specific piece was not chosen. Things like language or availability may also affect the selection. I'm also open to changing or adding discussion questions.

Thank you all for your comments last month. Excited to hear your perspectives on this month's picks!

If you missed last month, please feel free to see what great insight your community members brought to the conversation: https://lemmus.org/post/16649908

Here is a running list of our prior months: https://lemmus.org/post/16011446

Some highlights from last month (not to play favorites!):

• This was one of LadyButterflys favorite movies, so definitely check out her comment!
• dandelion mentions that the film felt a bit like an exploitation film at points and I can't help but agree.
• klemptor had some great responses for the book of the month, and brought up how the perspective character allows for a better look at the misogyny standard in that day.

PS: Even if you have seen or read the media for this month before, I would encourage a reread or rewatch to best participate in the discussion!

I saw this in F.D Signifiers community post and I think it fits well here: https://blackgirlwatching.substack.com/p/one-battle-after-another-review

TW: racism, sexual assault, abandonment

I didn't see the movie so I don't have much to add, just wanted to share.

Lots of great suggestions for this month's book club!

I made the determination based off of votes, which was not super helpful because the highest voted only had two votes, but still. Democracy is democracy!

Our next book shall be “Herland” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman as suggested by Okokimup.

Okokimup commented with several suggestions, but I chose this one because it is thematically relevant to last month which might be helpful for discussion, it is available for free through project Gutenberg, and because it might be more palatable with less trigger warnings than some of the other suggestions. I am still trying to balance a heavy movie with a lighter book, and this is more about a utopia, and from what I can tell does not include as much violence as the movie of the month. It is on the shorter end as far as books go, so hopefully will not be an overly huge time commitment.

Trigger warnings: allusion to attempted sexual assault, racism

I would like to include some discussion questions that are community specific and relevant to feminism, and not generic book club questions, so these will likely be questions I ask regarding every work, subject to change of course.

Some things to think about while reading:

• Do you think this work is told from a feminist perspective? Why?
• Do you think the authors gender or gender identity affected their choice of subject, writing style, or perspective character?
• Does the narrators gender or gender identity affect the work? If so, how?
• Did this work change your opinion on anything? If so, what and why?

This is not a homework assignment. You can choose to address any or none of the questions posed here, or talk about your general thoughts or whatever else. Please feel free to pose your own questions in the comments as well. These should serve as a handy springboard if needed, but not a mandatory outline for your comment.

For the October movie we will be watching Thelma & Louise as suggested by klemptor.

There seems to be a few sites where it is available for streaming, some of which are free with ads, so hopefully everyone will have at least one way they can watch.

Trigger warnings: domestic abuse, sexual violence, general violence, guns, suicide

The writer, Callie Khouri, won an academy award for best original screenplay for this movie. I'll be taking that as an invitation to pay particular attention to word choice, so I'm hoping to see some realistic Bechdel approved dialogue.

Same spiel as above: I would like to include some discussion questions that are community specific and relevant to feminism, and not generic movie club questions, so these will likely be questions I ask regarding every work, subject to change of course.

Some things to think about while watching:

• Do you think this work is told from a feminist perspective? Why?
• Do you think the authors gender or gender identity affected their choice of subject, writing style, or perspective character?
• Does the narrators gender or gender identity affect the work? If so, how?
• Did this work change your opinion on anything? If so, what and why?

This is not a homework assignment. You can choose to address any or none of the questions posed here, or talk about your general thoughts or whatever else. Please feel free to pose your own questions in the comments as well. These should serve as a handy springboard if needed, but not a mandatory outline for your comment.

Comments are spoilers territory. If you want to use spoiler tags in the comments, please do, but it is not required. If you venture into the comments please keep in mind this is a discussion thread for media so there will likely be spoilers.

Going forward This is a community project. I would like to get input regarding written works and tv/movies that would be a good fit for this. I will leave a comment on this thread that you can respond to if you'd like to offer a suggestion. One suggestion per comment please. You can comment multiple times though. I'd like to make sure the selections are widely accessible, so please add that information if you know for sure something is in the public domain or available online, as that makes it easier to recommend. If you commented suggestions last month and they were not chosen, please feel free to comment them again! I will try to favor the most voted on replies each month, and if you don't comment this month it won't be considered unless there are no other suggestions. Please vote on the other comments you see there (I will not be voting since I'm organizing). I'd like to pair heavier topics in one media with lighter topics in the other, just in case you're wondering why a specific piece was not chosen. Things like language or availability may also affect the selection. I'm also open to changing or adding discussion questions.

Thank you all for your comments last month. Excited to hear your perspectives on this month's picks!

If you missed last month, please feel free to see what great insight your community members brought to the conversation: https://lemmus.org/post/16011446

Some highlights (not to play favorites!):

• ZDL had a great comment about the book of the month that touched on Daoism, which added a whole new layer to an already richly layered work.
• Dandelion explained that they didn't perceive the movie of the month as feminist, which was a new angle to me and changed my perspective.
• Okokimup talks about the movie of the month and brings up body diversity and a huge plot hole I didn't even think of (it's not a top level comment, but still worth reading as a standalone!).
• Vanth brings up some other media that is in conversation with the book of the month.

PS: Even if you have seen or read the media for this month before, I would encourage a reread or rewatch to best participate in the discussion!

Seems like there might be enough traction, so here we go!

Our first "book" shall be “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula K LeGuin.

It is a short story that is readily available online. If you cannot purchase it, rent it, or find it online please let me know and I will provide more information on how to get it.

Trigger warnings: emotional abuse, grooming, and child abuse

I would like to include some discussion questions that are community specific, and not generic book club questions, so these will likely be questions I ask regarding every work, subject to change of course.

Some things to think about while reading:

• Do you think this work is told from a feminist perspective? Why?
• Do you think the authors gender or gender identity affected their choice of subject, writing style, or perspective character?
• Does the narrators gender or gender identity affect the work? If so, how?
• Did this work change your opinion on anything? If so, what and why?

I don't know if I'll start adding generic book club questions, but if you'd like more general discussion questions of the works going forward, please let me know and I can include some. There's just a lot of discussion available already for this specific piece and I don't want answers to common questions to overshadow more nuanced discussions that center women which is why we're all in this community. Also, this is not a homework assignment. You can choose to address any or none of the questions posed here, or talk about your general thoughts or whatever else. Please feel free to pose your own questions in the comments as well. These should serve as a handy springboard if needed, but not a mandatory outline.

Our first movie will be Kpop Demon Hunters. There were some other suggestions, but I wanted to keep it a little lighter considering this months book has some serious trigger warnings and I wanted people to be able to participate in at least one of the two, even if they would rather not engage in heavy topics. This is an animated movie available on Netflix. I know this is a little exclusionary, but there are some other ways to watch it as well.

Trigger warnings: animated violence/gore, discussion of demons and the afterlife

Same as above: I would like to include some discussion questions that are community specific, and not generic movie club questions, so these will likely be questions I ask regarding every work, subject to change of course.

Some things to think about while watching:

• Do you think this work is told from a feminist perspective? Why?
• Do you think the authors gender or gender identity affected their choice of subject, writing style, or perspective character?
• Does the narrators gender or gender identity affect the work? If so, how?
• Did this work change your opinion on anything? If so, what and why?

I don't know if I'll start adding generic questions, but if you'd like more general discussion questions of the works going forward, please let me know and I can include some. There's just a lot of discussion available already for this specific piece and I don't want answers to common questions to overshadow more nuanced discussions that center women which is why we're all in this community. Also, this is not a homework assignment. You can choose to address any or none of the questions posed here, or talk about your general thoughts or whatever else. Please feel free to pose your own questions in the comments as well. These should serve as a handy springboard if needed, but not a mandatory outline.

Comments are spoilers territory. If you want to use spoiler tags in the comments, please do, but it is not required. If you venture into the comments please keep in mind this is a discussion thread for media so there will likely be spoilers.

Going forward This is a community project. I would like to get input regarding written works and tv/movies that would be a good fit for this. I will leave a comment on this thread that you can respond to if you'd like to offer a suggestion. One suggestion per comment please. You can comment multiple times though. I'd like to make sure the selections are widely accessible, so please add that information if you know for sure something is in the public domain or available online, as that makes it easier to recommend. Please vote on the other comments you see there. I'd like to pair heavier topics in one media with lighter topics in the other, just in case you're wondering why a specific piece was not chosen. Things like language or availability may also affect the selection. I'm also open to changing or adding discussion questions.

Thank you all for your interest. Excited to hear your perspectives!

PS: Even if you have seen or read the media before, I would encourage a reread or rewatch to best participate in the discussion!

I know we're small, but would there be enough people here interested in committing to a book club or maybe just a movie or show watching group? The book club could maybe be for short stories to start, or less than one book a month. Something manageable and low pressure. A movie or tv group would be one movie a month. I have a lot on my lists that I don't have a lot of irl friends interested in. Would love to have a place to chat about that media with women who have also experienced the media. I could take this to book communities, but I'd like to increase my consumption of media related to women so I feel like there might be some natural interest here.

I am pretty open to all kinds of literature and Parade by Rachel Cusk was recently suggested by a book influencer I follow. Really interested to see if anyone else here read it. I was not a fan. I read some reviews to see if I missed anything, and several people seemed to have walked away with a similar position as I did. Really interested in seeing some other perspectives though.

On the other hand, Soldier Sailor which was also recommended by them was exceptional. It was an easy read, especially considering I had sandwiched it between two denser novels, but it was the most moving to me personally. I'd recommend it to anyone, even if they are not personally interested in having children.

I know we're a small community, and it's unlikely enough people have read either of the above since there's so much out there, so please feel free to comment with your most recent reads that touch on feminism or women's issues and what you thought about them. Or just comment with general book recommendations? If we can do female authors or female protagonists, or some kind of relationship to women that would be cool, but also open to whatever you wanna share.

I think I've already mentioned children of time here, but always happy to rerecommend it. It's a book jam packed with commentary on sex, gender, and society.

I have a lot of friends in marriages/ltr and it seems like someone is always compromising on something they originally thought they were looking for. You often hear "not who I was looking for, but who ended up being perfect for me" or similar lines. I'm not encouraging lowering standards, but I think we've all experienced shifting priorities for partners. What are some "musts" that you became flexible on and how did that turn out? What are some "nevers" you became flexible about and how did those turn out? Your experience might not help everyone, but it could provide insight to others.

Some personal examples: Must: like reading I had a long relationship with someone who basically never read anything. I still had friends I could talk to about books, and they spent their time building things. I realized it's a nice plus, but not a necessary part of a relationship for me.

Never: workaholic I had a year long relationship with a workaholic. They tried so hard to back off from work, and I knew I was important to them, but so was their job. I ended things after a year because of this. Still a never again, but I'm taken now so hopefully it won't matter going forward.

To start, I want to mention that I am trying to keep my post feminism related and not politics related. Sometimes it's hard to separate the two, but I know that there is a no politics rule, and I am trying to respect that while still having a discussion that is currently heavily steeped in politics, but just have it from a feminist perspective and not a political one. If this post either crosses the line, or does not fit here, please feel free to remove it. 

Below is a description of one of the ads. Some ads are different and in my opinion less pointed though also not great imho (the boob one), but I think this is the one that most people take the most issue with: The video pans up her body as she is laying down buttoning jeans while saying "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue." The ad ends with "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans."

Admittedly, if I saw this ad apropos of nothing, I would think it was incredibly tone deaf, but I don't think that I would take to the Internet about it. It's part of the discourse now, so I might as well.

My take in general is that women were and still are sexualized and I will not fault them for profiting off that, but this isn't just about her being attractive, it's explicitly referring to her genetic makeup and how great it is. At a time when women are being stripped of their rights (I think feminism is pro choice so I hope that's not coming across as political) and being told they have forgotten their place, talking about people in terms of their genetics feels like a dog whistle harkening back to a time and place where women were viewed as broodmares for men with "superior genes". Do I think she's a racist or is that AE is filled with racists? Potentially not, but I think this is an overall indicator of the current culture and its backlash against badly positivity and inclusivity.

I'm going to date myself, but I remember when aerie (a brand under American eagle) refused to photoshop its ads. This feels silly to type out and like something an anti feminist would make up to make fun of someone for, but I remember stopping and staring in front of one of their ads. I'd not seen someone with my features so naturally displayed in an ad before. It's making me tear up a little because I remember feeling like I could actually be seen as beautiful despite my "flaw". The girl in the ad was smiling and clearly just so pretty and I thought, if she can be then maybe I can too. It left such a huge impact on me. I won't get further into it, but I have a feeling that no one that looks like me will be featured in this ad campaign. I'm "conventionally attractive" and even I feel this way. If they had released a slew of ads at the same time with different people saying they have great jeans it maybe would be different (all blue jeans because imho it'd be a bad look to have people talk about black jeans though I've seen people suggest that), but this as a stand alone ad is not it.

I was hoping as a society we would be moving towards the whole "content of their character" thing, and to have a clothing ad tell us that personality is determined by genes, a thought that was used to suggest that certain races were culturally inferior, is honestly not where we should be. My feminism is intersectional, and this ad is certainly not. Any further part of this ad campaign, even if it were to include more diversity will be tainted by them having fanned the flames of racism in order to... sell more pants. It's frustrating to realize that they want us to be upset because it keeps them relevant. It feels like they would incite race riots if it'd increase sales and I think that makes them bad jeans.

I actually wear AE jeans and have since aerie didn't photoshop their ads. I will not be buying more. I don't want to support a brand that spends my money advertising like this, so I guess this is also a jean recommendation thread?

Thoughts on Sydney Sweeney in general: I obviously don't know her, and I want to stress that women should feel comfortable and confident in their bodies and with their sexuality, but ever since the selling soap with her bathwater in it stunt, I got bad vibes. This post is already pretty long, but imho selling her bathwater feeds into misogyny. It normalizes "gooner culture" in a way that's insulting to men (this idea that all men are sex crazed to the point of wanting to clean themselves with a woman's dirty bathwater), and degrading to women (this idea that a well known celebrity is willing to fulfill this desire to be so explicitly a sex object - not sex symbol sex object - makes it seem like a thing normal women should want or accept). I think sex work is real work, and people are individuals responsible for their own actions, but part of feminism is understanding where you are in the current hierarchy and using that position to uplift others and influence the culture. This does not seem to uplift men out of the "men are base sexual creatures" stereotype or uplift women out of the "here to serve your desires" stereotype. It's not her job to be feminist but she could use her job to be a vocal feminist and she has not done so, if anything she is working against feminist causes.