While a man writing a column taking on the powerful may be seen as authoritative, a woman doing the same thing may be seen as castrating. If a man writes a scathing piece about men in power, it’s seen as his job; a woman can be cast as an emasculating man-hater.Barber writes about a male blogger who commented on her blog: “LaShawn, as much as you preach, I wonder if you have a HUSBAND and a FAMILY??? Probably not.” She observes:
Unfortunately this sort of response is what women, married or single, have to deal with from disgruntled men. A woman with strong opinions is a shrew. If she’s unmarried, it’s because of her “preaching” (read: nagging).She responds by cutting him off. Ha!
And, yes, it is a common thing to inform a woman who expresses strong opinions that she either needs a man to tone her down or that she will never be able to get a man. Has anyone ever said to an outspoken little boy: "No one will ever marry you"? That is what little girls hear, and it's quite crushing. To speak up, it seems, is to make personal sacrifices males are not called upon to make.
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