I often feel odd when I see the titles of some “for women” articles. More often than not, the woman-specific elements in the articles seem to be sexist, even when the articles themselves are not just full of bad advice. Here I will talk about the types of article that annoy me the most.
How to be a superwoman
The articles about how to be a good mom, a supermodel, a good wife, and a successful business woman (and have it all at the same time, of course) are all over the place. This is embarrassing, because it preys on the insecurities women have about their role in society and tries to motivate them to become superwomen, which is impossible. You can’t have it all, because nobody can. People (not only women) have to make choices. In fact, even if this article was composed by a Wonder Woman, I’m not going to read it.
How to please your man
There are so many variants of this type of article, that one can spend an eternity reading them all (even though they speak about the same things). Some authors insist that women should do their best to serve men, which is insulting not only to feminists, but to men, too. What about some helpful communication advice?
How to “make” your man change/do something
This is a piece of useless advice which does not worth the paper it is printed on. You will not going to make him marry you, help you around the house, clean the dishes or become a better person if he does not want to. Moreover, no one wants to be changed by someone else. These articles make men think that women are totally crazy and devious.
How to look thinner
Just a good sales pitch. Let’s take a shirt, a dress, or pants and write that they will make you look thinner and women will buy them. Well, who needs healthy eating and exercises when you can just create an illusion that you are 10 pounds thinner with the help of some clothes?
Look at all of these women who are better than you
All of those lists of beautiful and successful women, top 100 hottest women in history, etc. create objectification. All of those articles about hotness and beauty are the problem because tastes differ. Where are the articles about the most intelligent or funny women or whatever? I cannot agree that there are only 50 beautiful women in the entire world.
What kind of methodology do you use?
How to charm him on a date
Talk about work to charm him! Tell short and funny stories to make sure that he listens! Get ready for a lack of romance! I insist that we stop manipulating the situation to attract someone. It's a banal thing to say, but be yourself. Do not try to show off and things will happen naturally.
I guess that is the truth about all of those confusing pieces.
About the author: Christine Berman is a professional freelance writer specializing in different social topics. She graduated from the University of Florida and has a Ph.D. in Sociology. Currently, she works as an academic writer on http://chicessays.com/.