for your brilliant insights into the "realities" of gender difference. thanks for regurgitating the most un-helpful sentiments that men and women are fundamentally different.
for those of you who may have missed this stroke of brilliance the original article is here.
begin my thoughts:
first reason I think this is terrible-
it has zero logic. you observe something and take it at face value, not thinking about what other factors are at work. simply because most 18-22 year olds who live in a microcosm of a world seem the same doesn't mean they all are. no one likes to be stereotyped and i'm sure there are lots of sorority girls and frat guys who are upset by being defined by the brands they wear. i'm skimming over the problems with this last point- class and race issues because i thought they were covered well in the other two responses.
second-
this narrative of the "battle of the sexes" or the over-arching assumption of gender difference is not helpful for forming any kind of relationship with any member of the opposite gender- which whether you are a feminist or not, you can't live in a homosocial world forever. my biggest critique of unisex greek orgs is that they create a culture where gender difference is emphasized and naturalized and its okay because you primarily interact with members of your same gender who to no surprise act out their gender in a similar way. they are like you in the way you dress, your eating habits, partying habits, and you share common space and activities which minimizes differences within the groups. the reality of life post-grad and even while we're still in school is that you can't not interact with people of the opposite gender. you have family members, classmates, professors, coworkers who are often not members of your gender, and even within your own gender, act very differently than you. narrowly defining femininity and masculinity restricts not only the individual, but how that individual is able to communicate with others. if we emphasized similarity, rather than essentializing difference, we could find new connections with all kinds of people of different genders, religions, races, ethnicities, sexualities, etc making our relationships stronger and a genuinely more connected community. also, under the assumption that most srat ladies and frat gents are not queer, how can you expect to have a meaningful, emotionally connected, long-lasting relationship with someone of the opposite gender when you have these deep-seeded ideas of difference in your mind?
third and finally, because i want this to be short:
deal with me. i look like a typical UVa woman. i wear my dark skinny jeans tucked into boots, the same silky scarf like everyone else owns, i even own a bag that i've seen at least 5 other women with. i love take it away (house it!) and i occasionally treat myself to a soy hazelnut latte at starbucks. i am also one of the most radical feminists you will meet and though my appearance may say otherwise, i am by philosophy a strong gender non-conformist. underneath my skinny express jeans, i have hairy legs that i have not shaved in a year and couldn't be happier with them. i am a history and swag major, looking to reclaim the radicalism of second wave feminism, and have been involved in feminist organizing since my first weeks at UVa. i am also very friendly, love meeting new people, and will make any party an 80s pop dance party in a heartbeat. in your eyes, i'm a wolf in sheep's clothing.
and one last thing: i also know a lot of men who hate bodo's coffee, and my partner (who is a man) introduced me to his favorite place on the corner, take-it-away, on our first date. i also own a pair of plain, brown, leather flip flops that i really like to wear on errands and have no idea who jack rogers is- do i somehow not count as female? and what about men who have serious relationships with women? these people are clearly invisible to you.
