That thought occurred to me as I was commenting on Blog Sisters, and it seemed important enough to mention here in terms of the “girlism” issue. And it ain’t whatcha wear, it’s how you abuse it to manipulate.
In a comment on Shelley’s weblog, Frank Paynter says God I love a girl in a skirt and nylons and CFM shoes who smiles at me and makes me feel good to be a man.
There’s nothing wrong with that (except for the CFM shoes, which are hell on the feet!) if it’s just that — that simple visual acknowlegment that we appreciate the visual gender differences. It’s when the “girl” or “woman” proceeds to apply her female feminine wiles to manipulate that male’s “good feeling” to get what she wants that it fosters sexism. And it’s when the man confuses that “feel good” feeling with permission to treat the female in any way but as a human equal.
It ain’t whatcha got; it’s how you use it, how you abuse its latent power.