I agree that this is her perspective and her experience (and I stated that the kind of sexism she's experienced is horrible), and she is 100% entitled to feel that way for herself. My issue was more with the idea that she (and others) have to pick one or the other (the "instead") bit and it made it seem (to me) that she was suggesting that women who care about their appearance can't have time for other (intellectual) endeavors. If megpie71 had written a comment along the lines "I don't care about my appearance, the original speakers comment therefore offended me because people don't pay attention to 'plain' (her word) women they only care about conventionally 'attractive' women" I would not have even looked twice. The problem I had with the comment was this idea that it was either-or.
Actually the last quote you quote is problematic. It doesn't read "it wouldn't leave much room (FOR ME) to program". In fact, megpie71 writes two sentences earlier
"Because, let's face it, trying to meet the criteria for "attractiveness" in this society is an exhausting exercise.".
That, to me, reads like a much more general statement, not necessarily relating to her experience, but written in the comment as if it's a universal truth.
(Sidenote: the comment about the active lifestyle has to do with the fact that I take time to actually do those things - because I enjoy them, which therefore leaves somehow "less time" for the "hard intellectual yakka".)
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(no subject)
Date: 2012-09-18 02:00 pm (UTC)Actually the last quote you quote is problematic. It doesn't read "it wouldn't leave much room (FOR ME) to program". In fact, megpie71 writes two sentences earlier
"Because, let's face it, trying to meet the criteria for "attractiveness" in this society is an exhausting exercise.".
That, to me, reads like a much more general statement, not necessarily relating to her experience, but written in the comment as if it's a universal truth.
(Sidenote: the comment about the active lifestyle has to do with the fact that I take time to actually do those things - because I enjoy them, which therefore leaves somehow "less time" for the "hard intellectual yakka".)