But first,
This is how pleased I am when you Lovelies give feedback/share the blog with friends:
Okay, enough lead up. Here it is.
Killerball
Imagine a society where only women traditionally competed in sport. It has just been in the last few decades that men have been permitted to participate but primarily in certain sports deemed masculine.
Parents buy their young girls toy trucks or cars, GI Janes and practice tossing killerballs in the backyard while little boys are encouraged to play 'nice'. Tea parties and dolls are provided for the precious prince dressed head-to-toe in masculine pink and these make-believe sessions are to be done indoors with little noise. By age 6, both boys and girls believe that girls are better than boys at physical activity. By the time boys reach age 13, their fitness and self-esteem levels drop drastically and 80% are on some sort of diet.
Many Old Girls’ sports with their associated exclusive clubs have been uproarious about men's recent intrusion into their domain. At these clubs, wealthy women socialize, smoke cigars, sip expensive aged liquor and reminisce about better days while their men mind the children.
The most lucrative sports are women's. Many men's sporting organizations have enforced strict uniform codes which state that uniforms must be tight, form-fitting and expose a lot of skin in order to alleviate 'constriction' problems. About three decades ago, a piece of legislation was enforced which required that women and men receive equal funding within university sporting institutions. Since this time, the number of male coaches in men's sport has fallen drastically, with more females obtaining the best paying positions.
The most watched elite sport that women are encouraged to play since they could take their first steps is Killerball. This sport requires players to line up and throw the ball at the player up to "kill' as they run across the court, attempting to dodge the other team's aim. The rest of the team is spread out on the court and attempts to block their player from being struck. Woman-on-woman defense is permitted and frequently fistfights arise from aggressive play. This violence is a favorite amongst fans who cheer the two players on, yelling, "Atta, Girl!"
Those players who cannot make a 'kill' are told they throw like boys. Those players who are struck and let their emotions 'get the better of them' (they wince in pain or even worse, cry) are told to, "Suck it up and take it like a real woman."
Very few men participate in this sport and those who do are called, "unmanly", "butch" or even worse, "gay". Their mothers can be heard complaining that, “Little Bobby just wants to be one of the girls,” and “I wish Andrew wasn’t such a Tamgirl.” After the final whistle blows, it is customary for players to show good 'sportswomanship' and shake hands with opponents; although less sportswomanship behaviour is played endlessly on news sports highlights.
The Thompdaughters
One of the most publicized and idolized couples in the world are Ms. Thompdaughter and her husband, Mr. Thompdaughter. She is a professional Killerball player and has just signed the most lucrative contract in the history of Killerball. Thompdaughter's rock hard body adorned with plenty of tattoos graces the cover of multiple magazines from all over the world at any one time. Her husband is also famous for his astonishingly thin, petite frame, which he admits is from, "just not eating." He is idolized by little boys and lads the world round for his impeccable fashion-sense.
Fans of Mr. Thompdaughter pour over magazines like Coquette and Demure and purchase products that promise to lengthen their eyelashes or make their lips have that "just-been-kissed look". For those with the money, injections of Botulinum Toxin A allows for a permanent fullness and ‘come-hither’ appearance. Many men dye their long hair, paint their nails masculine colours and will take frequent breaks during the day to check their make-up. Messages from the media, fellow men and women as well remind men that the ultimate achievement in life is to be young, beautiful and in a beneficial relationship with a wealthy woman.
Once a young boy reaches puberty, his father takes him to the department store for his first ‘Corsit’ with constricting ‘guyters’ that attach to the underwear to form a shapely package. A boy who has matured at a relatively early age will struggle to find a garment that will flatten his package so as to avoid the unwanted attention of older women as clothing for men is nothing if not form-fitting. His father will often remind him that women love his asset and it can help him attain many things in life. In fact, other men will shell out big bucks to have a routine procedure to implant synthetic fillers into his anatomy for aesthetic appeal. Some men claim there has been a shift from getting implants to please women to one of increasing self-esteem of the man all the while having various consequent medical complications.
Primarily fathers raise children and the majority of teachers are men. Lack of true female role models results in many girls feeling lost once they reach puberty. They model older sisters and look to Gal’s magazines and sports stars for guidance on how to assert their femininity. Some of the girls feel strange looking at pin-ups of the gender they played alongside and grew up with but see women adorning their lockers, rooms, computer screens and even workspaces with nude guys in submissive poses.
Those girls who feel most effeminated often can be thought of compensating through overt displays of feminity; they regularly strut, spit, swear, become fervent supporters of Killerball and call boys and men things like: Babe, Bird, Chick, Fox, Doll, Angel, Bunny, Kitten, Broad. Some men point out the metaphorical connotation of some of the terms implies being domesticated or prey. Similar to this, is the way in which some Blacks used to use ‘Boy’ or ‘Girl’ to refer to adult Caucasians. Those men who point out discrepancies between the treatment of the genders come under criticism for wanting too much or being ungrateful.
Your reactions, thoughts, questions?
Is this situation desired? Why or why not?
Does stereotyping affect just women? How could it be harmful to men as well?
I'll leave you with a quote that acts as a nice transition into the next post on The MENS Society recently established at ManU (of which I am a proud member).
“Discrimination doesn’t have a forward or reverse. Discrimination is the unequal allocation of resources. And it hurts those who get less.” Marion Lay
