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Feb. 3rd, 2003 10:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
andrewduckerThings that annoy me #51442 - blindly following cultural definitions of aesthetics
Note: Joe, this isn't supposed to be a personal attack on you. You just happened to trigger this particular rant off.
Joe recently referred to himself as "looking like a girl" because of his long hair. I've always detested that kind of statement, because it categorises people far too tightly. "This is what a man looks like, That is what a woman looks like. If you step outside of these defined boundaries, you will look like someone of the opposite sex." It's as annoying to me as saying "This is what Black people dress like, That is what White people dress like." It's a culturally imposed straitjacket that doesn't mean anything in the greater scheme of things.
Sure, we grow up with cultural definitions for what genders look like, how they behave and how they think, and yes I think there are certain in-built tendencies, but those tendencies are purely statistical in nature and shouldn't be applied to specific people. It's like saying "Women are shorter than men." Sure, on average, but that doesn't mean that every woman is shorter than every man, or that you ought to discriminate based upon that. If height is what's necessary, then discriminate based on that, not based on averages.
I'm not sure if there would be a better way of phrasing what Joe meant (presumably "I looked reminiscient of the way that most girl's look in the culture I live in") in a way which wouldn't cause the same kneejerk response in me, and that's probably down to the fact that I've been the butt of thousands of cracks about the length of my hair (and its fuzziness, but that's generally a separate issue).
I generally object to all statements of "This is a right way to look, that is a wrong way" largely because I view all aesthetics as being entirely personal and not really any business of the person making the observation. Saying "I like the way Zebediah looks, I don't like Yves looks" is entirely reasonable, of course. Nothing wrong with stating a preference.
Note: Joe, this isn't supposed to be a personal attack on you. You just happened to trigger this particular rant off.
Joe recently referred to himself as "looking like a girl" because of his long hair. I've always detested that kind of statement, because it categorises people far too tightly. "This is what a man looks like, That is what a woman looks like. If you step outside of these defined boundaries, you will look like someone of the opposite sex." It's as annoying to me as saying "This is what Black people dress like, That is what White people dress like." It's a culturally imposed straitjacket that doesn't mean anything in the greater scheme of things.
Sure, we grow up with cultural definitions for what genders look like, how they behave and how they think, and yes I think there are certain in-built tendencies, but those tendencies are purely statistical in nature and shouldn't be applied to specific people. It's like saying "Women are shorter than men." Sure, on average, but that doesn't mean that every woman is shorter than every man, or that you ought to discriminate based upon that. If height is what's necessary, then discriminate based on that, not based on averages.
I'm not sure if there would be a better way of phrasing what Joe meant (presumably "I looked reminiscient of the way that most girl's look in the culture I live in") in a way which wouldn't cause the same kneejerk response in me, and that's probably down to the fact that I've been the butt of thousands of cracks about the length of my hair (and its fuzziness, but that's generally a separate issue).
I generally object to all statements of "This is a right way to look, that is a wrong way" largely because I view all aesthetics as being entirely personal and not really any business of the person making the observation. Saying "I like the way Zebediah looks, I don't like Yves looks" is entirely reasonable, of course. Nothing wrong with stating a preference.
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no subject
I don't consider you black because you don't act black.
Are you a man or a woman? (Read: "I don't know whether to fuck you or beat the shit out of you..." Pick one and try it, peckerwood.)
You couldn't know anything about oppression, because you're bisexual and use your heterosexual privilege. (What the fuck!?!)
You're awfully quiet for an American.
People say stupid things, Andy. It's a fact of life. ;)
And I like your hair, dammit.
A.