You're Driving [My Vagina] Crazy!
Behold, the cover for the March - April 2009 Psychology Today.
Sorry, I thought this was "Psychology Today," not "Toilet Cleaning Sex Kittens of Suburbia."
I realize that sexy images increase sales. However, reducing the woman to a pair of spread legs in a short skirt and stillettos (and toilet brush! because nothing makes me feel sexy like cleaning the toilet dressed as a sexed-up June Cleaver) seems excessive. Way to be classy, Psychology Today.
If you get a chance, contact the magazine and let them know they crossed a line with this cover.
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Psychology Today is just as much garbage inside as out. It's more than a little misogynistic (the cover article, in this case, subtly but definitely puts the onus on the female partner to do all the compromising) and, in many issues, the whole thing just turns into a big evolutionary psychology circle-jerk. I pretty much hate that magazine anyway, but you're right, this month's issue was especially insulting due to the cover.
Yup.
That's because Psychology Today is fluffy pop psychology that is only one step away from Cosmo.
Scientific American: Mind is much better.
The regular feature "Neanderthink" by Nando Pelusi is infuriating every time. I especially loved "Good girls & bad girls: Why men (still) label women." It basically used evolutionary psychology to justify the virgin/whore dichotomy, and the whole perspective of the article was what women should do to avoid being labeled whores. Nevermind what men should do. They can educate themselves, but you know, boys will be boys...
The first issue I was was a little less than a year ago, where the cover story was about sexual deviance being more normal than the vanilla stuff we consider to be normal. I agreed with that article for the most part (though it seemed to think that porn was considered abnormal by society.) But back to how my story relates to this post.
The cover was a woman in a black catsuit holding a whip. I get that they were trying to say 'BDSM is actually not weird' but it's like... really? Out of all the 'abnormal' turn-ons out there, a woman in a catsuit with a whip is what they thought of? I mean... they could have at least had a man in handcuffs with a ball-gag next to her or something, but then I guess that would be too controversial.
Wow, the sexism is really rampant in this one, huh? Not only is the woman in clothing that is awfully insensible for housework, but the man is portrayed as a stereotypical slob regrettable hygiene. The camera angle simultaneously highlights the woman's crotch/butt/legs and makes the man appear to be about a third of the size of the woman, thereby emasculating him. There are just so many things wrong with this picture, it makes my head hurt.
Hey, nice to see the psych industry returning to its roots, you know, twisting the power to heal into a tool by which to control and Other already-marginalized groups. Oh wait, it never actually stopped doing that.
I gotta admit. Sometimes I do clean the toilet in high heels or a short skirt. Rarely at the same time and even then it's mostly due to drinking.
I am also one of those strange individuals who actually really enjoys cleaning... especially toilets.
Having said that - I think your title is fairly apt, and I didn't really think psychology had a lot to do with skinny white women in mini skirts in heels yelling at a man drinking milk from the carton (which, regardless of gender is pretty fucking gross), she doesn't even look like she's about to yell at him or anything cos oh. WOMEN DON'T HAVE A HEAD!
This has become typical of that trashy mag. I stopped buying it years ago due to this very thing. Here, they make sure to push the wildly popular "men are sloppy, lazy, and unkempt" stereotype, but then quickly lop off the woman's head and turn her into a sex slave to make up for it. I was already fuming after reading this, which is #1 in popularity (cringe) on the WebMD site:
http://men.webmd.com/features/11-dont-tell-the-wife-secrets-all-men-keep
There needs to be a list of secrets women do not tell "the husband." Firstly, somehow men think they are the only ones who look at the opposite sex, and I often wonder where on earth this notion comes from. What do they think is on our minds? Cleaning toilets in small skirts? Baking cookies? Wake up, world. I think about penises at least a hundred times a day (despite being madly in love with my beau).