Posts by Megan Wegan
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
So if Semenya has been accused of not being completely female I would suggest it's not just on a whim because she looks a little bit like a man.
No, but it is definitely part of it. It is a feminist issue, because a lot of people are basically saying "she's too good to be a woman. Oh, and she looks like a dude." (cue sniggering and offensive jokes.)
I've hesitated to talk about this issue, mainly because I don't really understand a lot of the science/biology that goes into it. But also, can you imagine how humiliating it must be for this girl, who was raised as girl, to have to whole world talking about this?
And it is worth pointing out that she's not exactly cheating. It's not like her coach is injecting her with testosterone (unless he is). Her body manufactures it naturally. In the same way that some athletes have better fast-twitch muscle fibres, or are freakishly strong, or incredible balance. In most sports, we celebrate people with genetic talents and abilities, don't we? Why should she be any different?
-
I feel like I should have hugged you harder on Saturday.
But, as the other Megan said, no one is better equipped to cope than you.
-
Right, folks. It is my weekend, and in about an hour, I am about to sit down to lunch at the Restaurant of the Year.
I am fairly certain that my dining companion isn't going to assume my low cut dress isn't an invitation of any kind, but rest assured, I will be vigilant. I was considering putting on lipstick too, but that could be a bridge to far for teh men of Welly to cope with. But rest assured I will be vigilant.
Anyway, you've all (mostly) been charming, and Emma, and this thread rock 15 kinds of awesome.
I'll be back on Monday, or earlier, depending on how slow the internet is in rural Canterbury this weekend.
-
If you don't agree with a majority position then just listen. Women only. Men get out. If that is netiquette then so ends discussion. Sad.
Ian, that's not what Emma's asking you to do. "Inhale for a minute and just listen" does not equal get out.
-
I been thinking about that, I wish I 'd been on that ferry.
Ironically enough they were on the same ferry with me on the way back. Having had a lovely weekend with some awesome women (and a fortifying glass of wine) I wasn't in the mood for the bullshit, and gave them the death stare. They at least had the grace to look embarrassed.
And there was another man on the ferry who had heard what they were saying, and while I was drinking my coffee, twisted a paper napkin into a lily and handed it to me with a smile. Quite renewed my faith that there _are_ lovely men in the world. With whome, like Craig, I don't mind a good flirt.
-
I suppose though to win the series they were only 7 points down.
Good point, I hadn't considered that. Then it was kind of justified. It didn't work though, and constantly fouling Kirk Penney who is a good free throw shooter (9/13) just allowed the Tall Blacks to stretch the lead.
-
There was one in the UK who notoriously gave a rapist a light sentance because the person he attacked was wearing a miniskirt.
Oh, you don't have to look offshore for that. Remember this?
"If every man stopped the first time a woman said "no", the world would be a much less exciting place to live".
-
-
On the other hand you have put forward great arguments about the irrelevance of what a woman wears. In Megan's case the old guys might have been scared off if she was strutting her stuff - she might have looked more confident in her sexuality and guys like that are cowards, I think.
That's exactly it, because these things aren't just about appreciating a woman's body, or wanting to get laid or whatever. They are all wrapped up in power plays and dominance and so forth.
I do struggle with some of those 'beauty' things myself, because I know impossibly Photoshopped people (for example) are bound to make some less media-savvy young women feel like shit. It's difficult and complex stuff.
Yeah, I stopped buying magazines a couple of years ago, and have not regretted it since. It was a great realisation to come to that while I'm never going to look like the women in those magazines, those women don't actually look like that either.
Doesn't stop me peering in the window of every shoe shop I see though.
It must have taken a lot of courage to keep talking about this stuff, over and over, until people really *heard* you. Thanks, second wave.
Word.
-
Angus. (And others)
I've been thinking about this overnight, and here's an example that might demonstrate what we're talking about.
A couple of years ago, I caught the ferry from Wellington to Picton. Before 6am, I was sitting in the ferry terminal, minding my own business. I was wearing jeans, sneakers and a hoodie. I wasn't showing any skin, and cleavage, I wasn't tottering on high heels. I wasn't wearing red lipstick, or false eyelashes or any other makeup. I wasn't 'asking for it'. I was a girl who'd had to get up at 5am, and I looked like it.
Four old men were sitting about 10 metres away from me held a conversation, for at least five minutes about me. About my body. About how, if the boat sank, my breasts would be good flotation devices. Sitting cross-legged in a chair gave them license to discuss my legs. They even weighed in on my hair, and whether it was my natural colour and how exactly they could find out. The fact that I was using my cellphone gave rise to the question of who I could possibly be communicating with, because how could anyone like me? When we went on board and I went to get a coffee, they discussed what I might eat.
Their conversation was audible not only to me, but to a number of other passengers. I was humiliated, ashamed and intimidated. The irony is, had I been in a pretty frock with lip gloss and some kick-ass shoes, I might have felt confident enough to confront them, and tell them the bottom of the ocean actually _is_ the only place they'd get their hands on my breasts.
So tell me this. Is that harassment? Was I taking "offense at someones innocent endeavour to engage" me? And how exactly could I have protected myself against it?