Feminism unintentionally made women fat and ugly

[Miggy]

Feminism meant that I could go to work (which I enjoyed and was good at) while my husband stayed home with our babies (which he enjoyed at was good at). Feminism means that I can mow the lawn and repair the car while my husband does the washing and ironing. I could go on.

If I have to be fat & ugly so MrMiggy and I can play the roles in life that make us happiest, I can live with that.

[thoughtful]

Feminism. DUH.

Things feminism is also responsible for:

Anorexia

Bulimia

Orthorexia (eating only exactly what a particular diet says you should)

Strength training instead of cardio

Cardio training instead of strength

Flexibility training, just in general

Salad

Donuts

Sit-down restaurants

Drive-thrus

HFCS

Cane sugar

Kale

And the list goes on...

Not . . . kale! :pink-shock:

:::faints like a woman in a too-tight corset:::

:lol:

[Confused_by_religion]

Not . . . kale! :pink-shock:

:::faints like a woman in a too-tight corset:::

:lol:

...and of course war, famine, pestilence and bad television.

[OnceModestTwiceShy]

Oh gosh If you wanted to go into why people are fatter you would have an enormous long list. It isn't just an over-abundance of year-round plentiful food items packaged in ways to entice us, it isn't just lower levels of activity*, and it certainly is not because many people stopped smoking (I know plenty of fat people who smoke.) You also have to talk about how we walk so much less because our neighborhoods don't have sidewalks and our supermarkets are all miles away. We also have air conditioning and heating to keep us comfortable year round instead of sweating and shivering the pounds off.

*My favorite example of this is car windows: they went from manual crank to push button. Who remembers cranking windows? It took a bit of effort.

I have always wanted to try a corset because I grew up reading a lot of Victorian literature so the long dress with the corseted waist was my ideal of femininity. However I worry about digestive problems. Goodness knows the tight waist on my smallest jeans can cause me a bellyache if I wear it too long

In my early 20s I had a corset obsession and wore them daily. And your instinct is correct because after about a year I developed the worst heartburn, which I still have. :/

[spud]

I love kale, and eat it almost every day. It's supposed to be one of the best foods one can eat. Thanks feminism!

How do you prepare it? I haven'y eaten it since I was a kid, but I remember it as tough.

[docmom]

Feminism. DUH.

Things feminism is also responsible for:

Anorexia

Bulimia

Orthorexia (eating only exactly what a particular diet says you should)

Strength training instead of cardio

Cardio training instead of strength

Flexibility training, just in general

Salad

Donuts

Sit-down restaurants

Drive-thrus

HFCS

Cane sugar

Kale

And the list goes on...

DS reading over my shoulder "DOnuts!! I love Donuts!! Thanks, Mom"

[Cleopatra7]

How do you prepare it? I haven'y eaten it since I was a kid, but I remember it as tough.

I cook kale with a veganized Southern recipe, meaning it boils for ninety minutes to two hours, depending on how thick the stalks are. If you like, you can pm me, and I'll give you my recipe.

[Andromeda]

I find the whole idea that Republican women are pretty and Democratic women are ugly to be a simple-minded idea that is mostly based on comparing Hilary Clinton to Sarah Palin. For a certain conservative, Patriarchal segment of the US, the most important, sometimes the only value to a woman is her appearance. Brains, education, experience are not important to them. It isn't that the Feminist movement has turned women ugly and fat, it is that the Feminist movement has told women that their appearance is not their sole worth to society. Older women can have something to contribute. Women who are not flawlessly beautiful can do the job just as well (unless your job is lap dancer or porn star.)

This. Whenever someone claims that conservative women are prettier, I always think the real reason is that the conservative movement selects for "pretty" (see: the Fox News women anchors, in addition to Palin) and does not allow un-conventionally-pretty women in major roles. The liberal world, while still certainly infected with some looksism here and there, generally doesn't choose spokeswomen based on their prettiness, so you get the whole gamut of how women look, thus varying ages and sizes and makeup amounts and so on.

[J'ean Skirt]

This. Whenever someone claims that conservative women are prettier, I always think the real reason is that the conservative movement selects for "pretty" (see: the Fox News women anchors, in addition to Palin) and does not allow un-conventionally-pretty women in major roles. The liberal world, while still certainly infected with some looksism here and there, generally doesn't choose spokeswomen based on their prettiness, so you get the whole gamut of how women look, thus varying ages and sizes and makeup amounts and so on.

I hadn't thought of it that way, but there is a certain logic.

For me the only response is "why is this important?" Maybe it's 'cause i'm an ugly, fat feminist, but really, why does it matter? Being prettier doesn't make your ideas any sounder or your leadership any better.

There was a lot of "Men want to marry Sarah Palin and that's why you liberals hate her." And, um... no. I don't hate her because men want to marry her. That's just weird. And Wrong.

[Andromeda]

I hadn't thought of it that way, but there is a certain logic.

For me the only response is "why is this important?" Maybe it's 'cause i'm an ugly, fat feminist, but really, why does it matter? Being prettier doesn't make your ideas any sounder or your leadership any better.

There was a lot of "Men want to marry Sarah Palin and that's why you liberals hate her." And, um... no. I don't hate her because men want to marry her. That's just weird. And Wrong.

And the men I know don't want to marry her! The general consensus seems to be that she may be nice to look at, but she'd drive them nuts in five minutes, whether with her politics or her mannerisms or both.

[GolightlyGrrl]

This. Whenever someone claims that conservative women are prettier, I always think the real reason is that the conservative movement selects for "pretty" (see: the Fox News women anchors, in addition to Palin) and does not allow un-conventionally-pretty women in major roles. The liberal world, while still certainly infected with some looksism here and there, generally doesn't choose spokeswomen based on their prettiness, so you get the whole gamut of how women look, thus varying ages and sizes and makeup amounts and so on.

THIS!

There are unattractive right wing women-Rep. Virginia Foxx, Kathryn Jean Lopez, Charlotte Allen, Maggie Gallagher, etc., but you're not going to see them on the political talk shows, FOX, morning news programs, etc., because they don't fit the conservative meme that conservative women are hotties.

Sure, liberals like to look at attractive people. I know I do. However, I do notice that liberals tend to also care about what's below the surface-intelligence, skills, talent.

Speaking of so-called hot conservative women, I made the mistake of listening to one of the Chicks on the Right radio broadcasts. I could barely make it past five minutes. These are two forty-something women who talk like mall chicks circa 1982. They also use childish insults to rip apart liberals, feminists, Democrats, progressives, etc. Rep. Nancy Pelosi is Nancy McBotox or just McBotox. Ashley Judd is Assley Judd.

Take a look at their "Chicktionary." It's a mean girl's slam book. Can you imagine Rachel Maddow doing this (crickets chirping)?

http://www.chicksontheright.com/features/chicktionary

[Talitha Cumi]

I've only ever tried kale twice, and both times it was awful. Of course, both times it was raw. What is the best kale recipe that doesn't involve bacon? Maybe I can give it a try. I desperately need more veggies in my diet. I have a fundie-level lack of vegetables.

[J'ean Skirt]

I've only ever tried kale twice, and both times it was awful. Of course, both times it was raw. What is the best kale recipe that doesn't involve bacon? Maybe I can give it a try. I desperately need more veggies in my diet. I have a fundie-level lack of vegetables.

All good veggie recipes involve bacon. :)

That being said, you can sauté kale in olive oil and garlic. Add a little hot pepper flakes if you want. Serve when wilted. A splash of vinegar or lemon juice will be tasty.

The other thing we do with kale (it comes in our veggie box) is to add it to soups. It's really good in bean soups like www.sfgate.com/food/recipes/detail/?p=detail&rid=18079&sorig=qs. That's not vegetarian, but you can find vegetarian versions, I'm sure.

[Miggy]

Chop fine. Lightly fry in olive oil. Place in bowl. Lightly fry seasame seeds in same oil. Sprinkle seeds over kale. Serve as part of a salad. Mmmmmm.

[Arete]

All good veggie recipes involve bacon. :)

That being said, you can sauté kale in olive oil and garlic. Add a little hot pepper flakes if you want. Serve when wilted. A splash of vinegar or lemon juice will be tasty.

The other thing we do with kale (it comes in our veggie box) is to add it to soups. It's really good in bean soups like www.sfgate.com/food/recipes/detail/?p=d ... 9&sorig=qs. That's not vegetarian, but you can find vegetarian versions, I'm sure.

Roasting, roasting, roasting. I cannot preach the gospel of roasting vegetables enough (not for leafy greens).

[Arete]

I'm pretty sure I was going to end up average in face and above average in ass width whether feminism existed or not.

[thoughtful]

I've only ever tried kale twice, and both times it was awful. Of course, both times it was raw. What is the best kale recipe that doesn't involve bacon? Maybe I can give it a try. I desperately need more veggies in my diet. I have a fundie-level lack of vegetables.

I used to make colcannon with kale, many years ago.

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/colcannon/

[miffy]

Kale chips are the greatest food.

I wonder if people who think women are ugly now have seen candid photos of non celebrities from before 1960? The frumpy dresses, shoes that made ankles look huge, horn rimmed glasses, permed and set hair.....

[fun2beme]

I wonder if people who think women are ugly now have seen candid photos of non celebrities from before 1960? The frumpy dresses, shoes that made ankles look huge, horn rimmed glasses, permed and set hair.....

You made me nostalgic; now I want to pull out old family albums and look at pics of my grandmom and aunts.

[jenny_islander]

Women are less willing to take poison in order to lose weight or stuff themselves into girdles that leave red marks all over their torsos or use bleach on their bodies? Gosh, how horrible! Bad feminism! Bad! Bad!

And, yes, women who weren't professional celebrities tended to look super schlumpy by today's standards. The Judy Garlands of the day were living on chicken soup and speed. Judy from Osceola was making chicken hot dish and going out in curlers under a scarf.

ETA: This assumes that the half-formed memory that drives these screeds is the days when all the ladies on television were perfectly coiffed and groomed and gowned and never, ever, disagreed with men unless they could manage to do it cutely.

[Kailash]

I used to make colcannon with kale, many years ago.

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/colcannon/

My husband and I regularly make a vegan colcannon with kale. It's delicious! Even my veggie hating sister likes it.

Eta: we tried it with cabbage but much prefer kale.

[Miggy]

Roasting, roasting, roasting. I cannot preach the gospel of roasting vegetables enough (not for leafy greens).

No. For veges in general raw straight from the garden if possible or steamed. Roasting is for salvaging older veges.

[Talitha Cumi]

All good veggie recipes involve bacon. :)

That being said, you can sauté kale in olive oil and garlic. Add a little hot pepper flakes if you want. Serve when wilted. A splash of vinegar or lemon juice will be tasty.

The other thing we do with kale (it comes in our veggie box) is to add it to soups. It's really good in bean soups like www.sfgate.com/food/recipes/detail/?p=d ... 9&sorig=qs. That's not vegetarian, but you can find vegetarian versions, I'm sure.

Oh believe me, I'm not a vegetarian, but I would like to increase vegetables and reduce the meat I eat. My problem is with texture (so I'm not sure about roasted vegetables) and with weird emotional issues that have to do with lack of control early in childhood. I get anxious when I try new foods. One time my roommate backed me into a corner and shoved romaine into my mouth, which is how I learned I liked caesar salad. (Don't worry, I don't use high fat dressing, and I don't glop the dressing on.)

My bacon issue is that it's fatty and greasy and I don't love it like most of the internet seems to. Bacon and mustaches. I don't get you, internet.

[Andromeda]

Kale chips are the greatest food.

I wonder if people who think women are ugly now have seen candid photos of non celebrities from before 1960? The frumpy dresses, shoes that made ankles look huge, horn rimmed glasses, permed and set hair.....

This is another factor. People will trot out photos of actresses, models, and upper-class socialites to "prove" that no one was ever fat or plain before the modern day, but it "proves" it about as well as using photos of Gisele Bundchen and Paris Hilton proves the same thing about the present. People obviously haven't seen, for example, all the family photos full of generations of sturdy farm wives with no makeup on. You can't generalize what "all people" looked like in an era based on its icons of wealth and beauty--most people, in any age, don't look like the icons. Just as your average undernourished peasant in the 1600s did not look like Helena Fourment.

ETA: And until very recently, the wealthy were way more likely to have their likeness recorded at all, and to have that likeness be preserved for posterity.

[jenny_islander]

Re the bacon thing, I think that people tend to love it because it's packed with umami, which makes our appetites happy, and it's sweet too. However, if you don't like grease, you can get the same effect with bacon cooked until crisp and then crumbled, or grated Parmesan (the best gratin for a casserole IMO), or balsamic vinegar, or a good soy sauce. They all carry that satisfying savory flavor. For sweetness without sugar, sauteed onions will help. I like that good old word "pasternack," which means "any root vegetable you have on hand that cooks up sweet." Try carrots or parsnips, or skirret or edible-rooted parsley if you can get any. Sweet spices such as ginger and cinnamon also combine nicely with savory foods to give the bacon effect without the bacon.

Oh, heck, I'll just give you a recipe. My carnivorous husband finds this to be just as tasty and satisfying as bacon, and believe me, that's saying a hell of a lot!

Take a pound of short pasta shapes, such as ziti, rigatoni, conchiglietti, and/or elbow macaroni. Substitute whole wheat pasta for 1/4 of the regular pasta for a more satisfying casserole without changing the flavor. Boil it until al dente. While you are bringing the pasta pot to a boil, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 9 x 13 casserole (or use olive oil). Saute 3 slivered yellow or sweet onions, each about fist-sized, in some olive oil, butter, or bacon grease. When they are soft, sprinkle with 2 teaspoons each salt and white sugar. Stir, put the lid on, and leave on Medium-Low until golden, about 20 minutes. While you wait, grate a pound of mozzarella.

Drain and rinse the cooked pasta and dump into a bowl. Stir in the cooked onions and a drained 8-ounce can of mushrooms if you have any. Pour into the prepared casserole. Sprinkle evenly with the grated mozzarella, then sprinkle generously with Parmesan. Bake until bubbly and well browned. Serve hot. If you used some whole-wheat pasta, all you need to make a square meal is a green vegetable or salad and a fruit-based dessert.

Feminist from childhood, BTW. And I cook! Gosh, how is that possible?