A Friday Rant

I'm growing more and more weary of gender stereotypes... and all the media and advertising that perpetuates it further.

While I don't expect that every person on the planet should WANT to eat healthier, I hate when commercials insinuate that men should want the greasy, cholesterol-laden, heart attack on a plate at every fast food or sit-down restaurant. A manly man doesn't eat salads. Well, why the hell not? If he wants a salad, let him eat a salad. If he wants a chicken sandwich, let him eat a chicken sandwich. If he turns down a triple cheeseburger with bacon and extra cheese sauce, that doesn't make him any less of a man.

On the same note, just because I'm a woman, please don't tell me that I prefer quilting and sewing floral fabrics into frilly little frocks over watching a football or hockey game. AND... I want people around me to be quiet during an intense play... I'm not a "silly old hen" who talks and talks and talks, distracting my husband during the game.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with women who quilt or sew... or who don't like or appreciate sports. Not at all!!! I'm just not that person, and I don't want to be stereotyped as such just because of my gender. And I don't want my husband to be stereotyped as "whipped" or whatever, just because he has learned the art of compromise. He doesn't have to be a caveman to be a man... and I love him all the more for that.

Do we need to realize there are differences between the sexes? Yes. In order to understand the human condition, I think it's very important. But do we need to pigeon-hole EVERYONE and assume that's just the way it is? NO.

Maybe I'm just lucky that I am married to someone who is willing to compromise. We both have our separate interests-- and that's good!-- but I don't think that either one of us would ever sacrifice the importance of our marriage and togetherness simply because he's a MAN, DAMMIT!, and I'm some simp of a woman.