grkBoy Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 This is a spinoff of musemaj11's topic. So while there's this list of what "real men" do, what should be the list of what "real women" should be like? I invite men and women to offer up to this. Just be realistic though. Fire away... Link to post Share on other sites
Pierre Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 This is a spinoff of musemaj11's topic. So while there's this list of what "real men" do, what should be the list of what "real women" should be like? I invite men and women to offer up to this. Just be realistic though. Fire away... Real women are good a cook and have a career. Link to post Share on other sites
zengirl Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I find it amusing how a man made the "Real Men" thread and a man made the "Real Woman" thread. Perhaps it suggests men are more concerned with such things than women. Link to post Share on other sites
Metis Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 A "real woman" eats like a construction worker, but has the figure of a 10-year-old boy. A "real woman" happily renounces a career and flushes decades of hard work down the drain in order to have more time for cooking, cleaning and changing diapers. A "real woman" is between the ages of 14 and 35. A "real woman" has her own opinions, but does not express them when it can create conflict. A "real woman" has a voice, but does not use it to say anything that may make men feel uncomfortable. A "real woman" wants to get married and have children, but does not propose to men or put pressure on a boyfriend to wed her, or in any way appear eager. A "real woman" is clever, but not intelligent; cute, but not witty; shrewd, but not smart; superficially cultured, but not educated. A "real woman" is content with what she has, no matter how little that is. A "real woman" dresses in such a way as to avoid making the impression of a "butch dyke" while at the same time, not looking like a "slut". A "real woman" never lets slip any hint that she knows something that a man does not, or can do something better than he can. This includes items in the domestic sphere, which are normally her responsibility. A "real woman" does her level best to appear stupid, incompetent and weak, but only to the degree where it reinforces a man's ego, not to any degree where it actually begins to inconvenience him. A "real woman" talks less than she is talked about. A "real woman" should be able to take care of herself without making it obvious. Just some of the things I heard growing up. Link to post Share on other sites
PlumPrincess Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I wouldn't want to be called a "real woman." I prefer not to be categorized like that. Link to post Share on other sites
verhrzn Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Real women are attractive. Real women are cheerful/happy/positive. Real women are dependent but not TOO dependent. Real women are popular. Real women are sexy but not too sexual. Real women do not voice their opinions too strongly. Real women shouldn't be passive, but they shouldn't be TOO assertive. The list is actually not mine, but comes from a couple of books on teenage female culture like 'Queen Bees and Wannabees" and "Odd Girl Out." While the tendency is to scoff because they are ideals as outlined by teenagers, children are actually a great social mirror... They absorb and adhere to social norms with the acute ferocity of a child, unable to determine grays and individual choice. If you want to see gender norms strictly enforced, look at teenagers. Link to post Share on other sites
Metis Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I just thought of another one: When "real women" talk to each other, the only permissible topics of discussion are: (1) men; (2) children; and (3) how to make themselves more attractive to men. Link to post Share on other sites
Woggle Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 She is willing to live up to the standards she sets in others She is willing to do everything for a man that she demands they do for her She has a sense of accountability. That is all. She does those three things and everything else should fall into place. Link to post Share on other sites
Metis Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Incidentally, grkBoy: Greece is awesome. Link to post Share on other sites
Mme. Chaucer Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Real women ONLY experience and express their sexuality within a committed and formal relationship with a man. If at all. Link to post Share on other sites
GorillaTheater Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 A "real woman" eats like a construction worker, but has the figure of a 10-year-old boy. Not so. A Real Woman should be shaped like Kim Kardashian. But speak much less often. Link to post Share on other sites
Metis Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Not so. A Real Woman should be shaped like Kim Kardashian. But speak much less often. Okay, but she must still eat "real food", right? Link to post Share on other sites
Mme. Chaucer Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 For the record, this list is not comprised of things I necessarily find to be negative, and I "am" quite a few of them myself. As with the "real men" list, though, I believe that it is wrong for a person's worth to be determined by how well they & their behavior conform to the traditional gender roles. Real women are nurturing. Real women love children and have maternal feelings. Real women are sensitive. Real women have domestic skills. Real women have a responsibility to look as pretty as possible. Real women know when to take a back seat to any man. Real women have good personal hygiene. Real women don't use foul language. Real women are often not rational. Real women are mysterious. Real women are catty. Real women are poor at maths and science. Real women are nesters. Real women know how to make a man feel like a real man. Real women put themselves last in a family. Real women gossip. Real women love shopping. Real women are whimsical. Real women see themselves through the eyes of men. Link to post Share on other sites
GorillaTheater Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Okay, but she must still eat "real food", right? So long as I get my quota of semi-cooked beef, potatoes and beans, she can eat whatever she wants. As long as it's inexpensive and doesn't smell weird. Link to post Share on other sites
Metis Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 So long as I get my quota of semi-cooked beef, potatoes and beans, she can eat whatever she wants. As long as it's inexpensive and doesn't smell weird. Wow, I've seen YOU've been corrupted by feminism. I was led to believe seeing a woman consume lettuce makes a Real Man feel like he's being stabbed in the eyeballs. Link to post Share on other sites
Author grkBoy Posted November 7, 2011 Author Share Posted November 7, 2011 I find it amusing how a man made the "Real Men" thread and a man made the "Real Woman" thread. Perhaps it suggests men are more concerned with such things than women. It's all meant in fun. Link to post Share on other sites
Woggle Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I once saw a woman eat salad and my eyesight has never fully recovered. Link to post Share on other sites
Mme. Chaucer Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Real women are more oriented to marriage and family than career and/ or adventure. Link to post Share on other sites
Sanman Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 If she will split the income, split the chores, treat me well, be easy to live with, and give good head, I'll be happy and do the same. Link to post Share on other sites
Author grkBoy Posted November 7, 2011 Author Share Posted November 7, 2011 Just some of the things I heard growing up. Is that what you believe though? If not, what do you think then? Incidentally, grkBoy: Greece is awesome. I love going there and all over Europe...too bad it's in such a mess right now. Link to post Share on other sites
Woggle Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 If she will split the income, split the chores, treat me well, be easy to live with, and give good head, I'll be happy and do the same. This it in a nutshell. As long as a woman is fun to be around and easy to get along with most men are more than happy. Link to post Share on other sites
zengirl Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 It's all meant in fun. Wasn't sure; hence the wink. In that case: Real women clean the house in high heels. Link to post Share on other sites
verhrzn Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 This it in a nutshell. As long as a woman is fun to be around and easy to get along with most men are more than happy. That right there is the attitude we're trying to critique. "Fun and easy to get along with"... where is the room for complex human emotions? For differing opinions? In this viewpoint, that a "real woman is fun to be around and easy to get along with," it reduces a woman to not a person (a person is allowed a whole range of emotions, and doesn't need to be 'fun' and 'easy' all the time) but an emotionless, sex-giving robot. Link to post Share on other sites
Metis Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Is that what you believe though? If not, what do you think then? I think it's a whole lot of manure. It's just too bad when you grow up with these ideas, it takes time to realize just how ridiculous they are. In terms of what I really think, I don't like using the word "real" as a signifier of positive qualities. We are all different, and we are all real. It's rather presumptuous to suggest (at least according to the language used) that individuals who don't fit a certain set of criteria are actually fake, or don't exist. Besides, when the word "real" is used in the context of gender, it invariably suggests that one gender has a monopoly over certain positive qualities over the other gender, and that's ... kinda insulting. Like, for example, if we say that real men are courageous, that would imply that women, as a rule, are not; if a woman is courageous, that makes her more like a man than a "real woman". In reality, men and women are a lot more alike than we are different (people who like to expound on our differences seem to forget that we are, after all, members of the same species), and we share the same strengths and foibles. It doesn't mean everyone is identical to everyone else. It means both positive and negative qualities belong to one gender as much as the other. I love going there and all over Europe...too bad it's in such a mess right now. It's really worrying, and I hope it turns out all right. I was in Greece before the crisis, but you could already see that just changing to the euro put a lot of strain on the economy (or at least on the ordinary middle-class people sector of it). Link to post Share on other sites
OneFootOut Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I'm stunned. No wonder I'm single - LMAO I guess I'm just a real human being. I do my best with what I have, get through one day at a time, and strive to be a decent good person Link to post Share on other sites
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