July 24, 2014
The newest attack in the war on women: Men commenting on the food women eat.
Be careful, guys, women are taking notes and tweeting about your off-handed remarks about what they are eating, and what you might imagine is lighthearted and even charming, they are portraying as an effort to control their bodies.
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58 comments:
Rather a change of front on the part of the Grauniad, no? I mean, the idea of what a person eats being nobody's business but their own.
Ha! I told a date in college that she had a healthy appetite, and it took me a few seconds to realize that that was a stupid thing to say. Pretty woman with a fit figure. I was just surprised by how much she could eat.
Don't care.
Learn to fight or shut up.
Oh wait - excuse me:
I thought I was a white person talking to blacks,….
Most of the comments are simple small talk and harmless banter. We used to call that "social interaction".
Sadly, the humor impaired are in charge now and they provide guidance to the perpetually offended.
Because it's so, so, very hard to ignore what some meathead has to say.
Are you really gonna blog about this? I don't like it, it's not cute.
Ahh, the era of taking offense. We've resurrected an old Victorianism in a new way.
I don't care what anyone eats. I consider it incredibly rude and intrusive to comment to any stranger about their eating habits. But, we now have this nanny state programmed to regulate eating as "good" and "bad".
Perhaps the men were concerned because the extra calories could lead to obesity, which leads to higher health care costs, which all of society must pay for.
I guess we can solve this federally mandated portion sizes and banning "bad" food. Oh, wait, we already do that....in schools.
Women are all about openly criticizing men at every opportunity and attempting to control men's conduct using words.
We're equal now, so they can shut it.
was picking out chips at the store and a man told me "Don't do it! You're so beautiful." Let me buy my food in peace, dude.
Now, they're just making stuff up....
what you might imagine is lighthearted and even charming, they are portraying as an effort to control their bodies.
What don't they portray as an effort to control their bodies?\
Besides easy abortion and free birth control that is.....
I don't tell women what I am thinking when they eat a banana. It is better this way.
Because no man ever -- ever, ever, ever -- commented harshly on what another man was eating.
Women sensuously eating hot dogs is not a topic of discussion.
Watching women in the produce aisle choosing a particular size of cucumber is not worth mentioning in public.
Ice cream cones. melting ice cream on the lips and tongue, lick, lick, lick. My lips are sealed.
If skin on certain women became any thinner, everything inside would fall out.
Carrots. Phoebe Cates. Those who can remember, will.
Are you really going to tweet that?
A woman's body may belong to her, but the rest of society has to bear the costs of her behavior.
These people are actually being polite. They could say, "Oi, ya tart, have any idea how much your bariatric procedure's gonna cost?!"
A woman is only entitled to privacy within the sanctified confines of her abortion mill.
My office-mate travelling with an airsick female co-worker eyed her airline meal and asked, "Are you going to eat that?"
So he got two airline meals.
That was back when airline meals were good.
He was not strong on needless sympathy.
Man, get what you want, then get the heck out? You don't want a narrow minded shrew.
Woman, dump the jerk. You can't stand his small talks, or vicious talks, why waste your time on him?
Just following Michelle Obama's lead.
Barefoot and pregnant is only a start. A mandate of low carb and lactose free eating must be applied as well according to the Fifty Shades of Grey eating handbook.
Phoebe Cates!? I made a chicken souvlaki for her in 1985. She was performing at La Jolla Playhouse. My laser-like gaze could have burned a hole right through her, but she didn't even glance at me.
She only picked at her chicken souvlaki, and left half on her plate. Now, that is how a lady eats.
My brush with fame, sigh...
Be careful, guys, women are taking notes and tweeting about your off-handed remarks about what they are eating, and what you might imagine is lighthearted and even charming, they are portraying as an effort to control their bodies.
My wife does that. But she has a travel writing blog and part of traveling is eating.
I just wish I could get chaep french food and not have to go to France.
"Strangers passing comment on women's meal choices is another sinister way to exert control over female bodies"
Either that or it's a harmless conversation icebreaker. Her response to it depends a lot on how attractive she finds the stranger.
Be careful, guys, women are taking notes and tweeting about your off-handed remarks about what they are eating, and what you might imagine is lighthearted and even charming, they are portraying as an effort to control their bodies.
We men try to do what we can on an individual basis. Not all of us can be mayor of New York, so we think globally and act locally.
The more women are in control of their lives, the more they complain about being controlled by outside forces (usually men). Why is that?
I've never heard a man criticize a female stranger in public about what they are eating.
I have heard equal opportunity teasing amongst friends and colleagues. However, the only truly nasty comments were by vegans and vegetarians toward other people.
madAsHell,
"I was picking out chips at the store and a man told me "Don't do it! You're so beautiful." Let me buy my food in peace, dude.
Now, they're just making stuff up…."
Bullshit - I practically brought a white party to a halt by eating corn chips,...
What can I say?
White people are weird,...
Some of the remarks on that site are not meant to judge, others are not.
This is something a lot of mother's due to daughters too. "Do you really need that?" "Calories, calories." I was 8 when my sister said to me, "Enjoy that peanut butter now, you won't for long." So for a stranger to comment, yeah, it's annoying and hits a nerve with many women.
Some of the comments are just as annoying as "Smile!" commands from strangers which I doubt men get as often as women.
Is this an English thing? I've never seen a stranger do this.
I was eating pasta salad on train. Guy walks over, grabs my food and throws it into bin. "You shouldn't be eating that."
In America, one would assume that the man was mentally ill and politely nod until he moved on to the next car.
I once heard a man say to his wife, "You don't need that," in reference to a Snickers bar. That's not a cultural problem though. That's the wife's problem of a husband in need of training not to say embarrassing things in public.
"Be careful, guys, women are taking notes,…"
And, if white men today are anything like their fathers, they'll be terrified,...
I only comment when she's eating my food. Things like, if you wanted that why didn't you order it?
And may one comment on a man who's seen opening a box of OrganicGirl brand salad mix?
I get "Smile!" once in a while. And I am a middle-aged man.
Since this appeared in a UK newspaper, I assume the instances cited occurred in the UK. Because of their healthcare system, what's on your plate is everybody's business. #EverydaySexism? No. More like #EverydayStatism.
P.S.: Since this is the UK, the "chips" referred to aren't what we think of as chips. (Those would be "crisps.")
At headquarters, I sometimes hear disapproving talk in the cigar room about how poor food choices enfatten young women and make them less easy on the eyes.
I assure you, though, this is not official policy of the Patriarchy Inc.
I'd never be so rude as to commment on even a simple acquaintance's food choices or eating habits; in public! even more never.
What bothers me is that people interpret a comment as a confronting. At least I don't recall reading (in the Guardian article) about anybody tweeting about having violence done to her by a comment.
Who comments to strangers about what they are eating? What are you, nuts?!?
Brian McKim & Traci Skene said...
...Because of their healthcare system, what's on your plate is everybody's business
Because of their dental system, encouraging them to smile is not recommended.
"... and what you might imagine is lighthearted and even charming, they are portraying as an effort to control their bodies." Or anything else one might say about anything.
There are a few causes worthy of offering unsolicited advice or unvarnished criticism. An individual's eating habits are not one of them.
Because women never comment about what and how much men are eating?
"The Crack Emcee said...
And, if white men today are anything like their fathers, they'll be terrified,..."
Yes, us white guys should aspire to be like black men when it comes to women.
@The Crack Emcee: And, if white men today are anything like their fathers, they'll be terrified,...
At least most of us white men know who our fathers are.
Black boys on the other hand, ...
Bullshit - I practically brought a white party to a halt by eating corn chips,...
It wasn't the corn chips...it was getting nude, climbing on to a table and doing the Black Power salute that did that.
Apparently, I need to turn in my white card. I have no idea why anyone would care that Crack was eating corn chips. Too loud?
Must be some (perceived?) racial thing, because he threw in that white folks stopped a party (well, and because it's Crack), but...
And now I've spent way too much of my life wondering why Crack ate junk food.
Dumbass women giving total strangers way too much power. Spare me.
Well, based on this women are apparently trying to control what men say, and thus control their minds. So everyone's even steven!
Bullshit - I practically brought a white party to a halt by eating corn chips,...
Were you trying to eat them with a fork?
Otherwise, I don't understand.....
Sorry ladies, if you eat Hamdingers it's going in the blog. Black letter policy ...
madAsHell said...
Now, they're just making stuff up....
Have you (Gentle Reader) or people you know had similar things happen? Me neither.
About half the quotes didn't say they were from men.
But I vote for "auditory hallucinations brought on by suppressed guilt". Or just BS.
Since our "beloved" "commenter" Betamax brought up Phoebe Cates today, made me remember...
This is someone whom I admire a bit. She walked away from her career to raise her family, and barely looked back. Who else does that.
My favorite role of hers was in "Drop Dead Fred." This is a movie that mischievous children will enjoy, but it also has a theme about psychological healing. Anyone working on unresolved issues about a parent will notice the symbolism. In my favorite scene, the adult Lizzie manifests a tree in her bedroom, climbs it to confront her mother, and then frees her younger self from emotional bondage.
Ooops, spoiler alert / trigger warning.
James Bond's investigative method was provoke and confront.
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