Last week, an article from The Odyssey titled “7 Reasons Why Dating A Sorority Girl is Better: A Guys Perspective” began circulating on social media, and responses to it were explosive. This piece is chalk full of sweeping generalizations and ignorant stereotypes about college-age women, such as “every sorority girl is attractive.” Seriously? Not only is this comment offensive to women who are not involved in the Greek system, but it portrays women who are involved in sororities as a broad, one-dimensional stereotype.
While Notre Dame does not have a Greek system, this article is offensive to women everywhere, and this writer’s arrogant assessment of an entire gender is extremely problematic. The article has since been taken down off the website, but unfortunately, it was not one-of-a-kind.
While at dinner this past week, my friend pointed out to me another article that is strikingly similar to the piece from The Odyssey, and that is equally, if not more offensive. This second article is from Thought Catalog, and is titled “13 Things a Woman Can Do To Be More Attractive To Men.”
This article is written by John Smith (actual name? pseudonym? worried he might never get a date again after posting this article?), and through his piece he strives to enlighten women on how they can make themselves more appealing to the male gender, and how to keep themselves in line so that the men in their lives stay happy. To accomplish this, he so affectionately argues that, “Men don’t want a bag of bones, nor do they want a woman who looks like she is smuggling beach balls. I suggest three to four times a week of cardio-esque activity. Regarding your diet…you do not need to starve yourself; you do not need those greasy chips either.” Hey, back at ya buddy. John Smith clearly understands women very well, as this is exactly the kind of encouragement we love to hear.
But seriously, what is with this guy? His list of suggestions for women includes several patronizing commands, such as, “Be feminine,” “Be submissive,” and “Be intelligent.” What century are we living in? I feel like I’m reading a how-to guide from the nineteenth century on how to be a proper woman. If I had to venture a guess, I would say that this article was written after a bad break-up…but that’s beside the point.
Yet, women are certainly not free from blame. There are just as many articles out there criticizing women as there are about the inherent flaws of men, and how men need to act in order to meet a woman’s standards. One such example is a piece from Total Sorority Move titled “8 Reasons Why You Should Not, Under Any Circumstances, Date Fraternity Men.”
The title alone of this article is extremely insensitive, and it argues that every frat guy possesses the same negative qualities, making them completely taboo in the dating world. The writer of this article commences her piece with, “Here are a few reasons why you should let these Greek cutie pies cook a little more in the oven before you sink your teeth into them,” and argues that these men all possess flaws such as, “GUYS LIKE TO SCREW” and “GUYS FEAR COMMITMENT.”
Why are we attacking each other like this? These articles are condescending, unproductive, and generally toxic for both genders. Just because a person may have experienced a painful break-up or a broken heart does not mean that they should lash out at the enitre opposite sex, criticizing an entire gender because of how that person in their past has made them feel. No one is perfect, neither gender is inherently better than the other, and we need to stop tearing each other apart through angry rants on the internet and lists of suggested self-improvements. Respect and love for all is the best possible solution, and remember that one insensitive stereotype does not encompass every person.
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