Granted, misogynist branding is not really anything new, but I clicked on an ad for "T.I.T.S. Brand Clothing" while indulging in one of my favorite online guilty pleasures.
While the name alone is probably worthy of its own post, I clicked through out of sheer curiosity and was (not surprisingly) appalled at what I found. It's essentially a clothing company that features hyper-sexualized images of women with a focus on their breasts. Shirts for men include topless women in various poses and environments including one with a woman posing seductively with a large diamond strategically placed over her vagina.
My favorite image, however, is their "wifey" section which the featured item is a woman standing at an ironing board/grill/etc wearing only high heels and an apron while taking a slug from a big ol' bottle o' booze.
Here is one version of that style complete with side cleavage:
So--what does this mean? I'm sure that one speaking in defense of such attire might suggest that it somehow exhibits a sense of irony or is funny. However, it is a pretty overt reinforcement of the unreasonable image of a woman and her role. She is supposed to be responsible for domestic responsibilities, exhibit conventional beauty/beauty practices, be sexual but still demure, and she should be a good time gal ready to get her drink on.
The question I have is for the woman who would wear a shirt like this as the "wifey" section of the site comes only in women's sizes: is this image of a woman something to strive for? I am sure that this is meant to be edgy and innovative--maybe even funny or silly. However, it just comes across as a revisitation of tired old misogynistic "values" with a modern twist.
It just kind of grosses me out. No more clicking through on banner ads like this--even if it's just for curiosity's sake.
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And yet if a girl's clothing-line came up with shirts like these with pictures and slogans depicting guys in similar states, like a man standing by a grill in nothing but a pair of silly boxers, with the slogan "Hubby," the MRA's would be all over it.
But for decades it's been ok to exploit women in this manner.
If men would buy and wear such a shirt, someone would sell it to us.
Um... shirts exactly like that exist. Tons of products like that exist. But the MRAs don't complain because guys don't care about stuff like this. Guys hardly seem to care about anything it seems to me. (that's not necessarily a good thing though)
Right. Its the feminists fighting for paternity leave, more awareness of domestic violence against men and about man on man rape. MRA's exist to conjur stupid ideas like 'mens reproductive' choices (aka, taking away your choice and control over your own body) and complaining about how Homer Simpson is an accurate portrayal of misandry in America and how it is so openly tolerated. Pure shite!
The only one I remember them complaining about was the "boys are stupid throw rocks at them" t-shirt. I really don't think a t-shirt of a man drinking beer and grilling in a sexy outfit would draw the same ire. In fact I'm pretty sure a lot of guys would be pretty cool with it.
Think it about you'd combine a number of things which are all considered positive by the prospective man, first drinking (considered manly), second grilling (also considered manly), third being the object of desire for women/woman (self-explanatory). Its not exactly something which would cause a controversy.
I'm not going to argue that there's anything particularly subversive about the shirt displayed here.
However, I would take issue with the claim that "she is supposed to be responsible for domestic responsibilities, exhibit conventional beauty/beauty practices, be sexual but still demure"
The woman shown here is overtly sexualized, is far from demure and is chugging a bottle of wine with two more in reserve. She's also not engaged in an activity that is usually gendered female since she is grilling on a bbq (almost always thought to be a man's job by those who buy into such stereotypes).
The play with gender stereotypes that is going on here is, by any account, tame at best. But I certainly personally know women who would wear such a shirt and would see doing so as a sort of rebellious act (even if it also clearly presented them as an object for the male gaze).
In short, I think this isn't really a shirt for chauvinists so much as a shirt for those who think that playing with chauvinist roles is cute. You might disagree, certainly there is a major feminist counter-argument that can be mounted. My point is simply that women who bought such a shirt might not be totally uncritical of gender stereotypes though their approach to confronting them differs significantly from many (though not all) folks around here.
I doubt this is the intent behind it, but you could read it ironically: confinement to domesticity has driven more than one woman to drink.
I've seen this more than once, maybe that's why it springs to mind. Must say I'd find anything with "wifey" on it distasteful.