Tags
Here you have a sporting event. It’s the UFC. Highly skilled women have dedicated years to intense training. Some are State, National, World and Olympic champions in various sports. Amazing athletes!
Wait what’s this!
Here is a lovely lady who is hired to walk around in a bikini to let you know what round it is. What is her outfit designed for? What are her breasts saying as she walks around and blows kisses to the audience?
Now look back at the women putting their hearts, souls and training into a world class competition…Yeah.
How about some ‘Sexy’ guys letting you know what round it is for their bro’s – elite fighters.
Why Not?
PinkyLux School for Girls 
Men like to look at women; women like to look at women. Women subscribe to magazines that largely feature beautiful women, fashion and cosmetic ads, and articles about… being a woman. Men do not generally buy magazines featuring photos of male models. What sex mostly comprises the patrons of such “athletic” events? Men, as you can see behind the woman carrying the round number. There are events for women that feature sexually provocative men. Night clubs that feature such men permit interaction between entertainers and patrons that is often not permitted between female entertainers and male patrons even at strip clubs.
Bookstores, and even Walmart and Target routinely feature erotica targeted at women readers (Story of O, 50 Shades), but not a thing for men. Life is unequal in different but not necessarily bad ways.
LikeLike
Nick thank you for your thoughtful reply. Yes, I see your point. And that describes the status quo very well.
You make clear that the ring girls are about arousing sexuality in men. I am sure many people think this is as it should be. Why change it. In my opinion the ring girls are a hangover from boxing. I think continuing to connect sex with fighting and aggression is passe. I love MMA not because it is a violent sport where people get to bash on each other. I love it because it inspires me to train harder for my life, dig deeper and keep on fighting. For me it’s more like the Olympics – where there are no cheerleaders or ring girls. The UFC seems to have dropped some of the ‘show’ of encouraging fighters to get a hate on for each other and allows them respect and like each other coming into a fight. The hate bating seemed to be a hangover from the Wide World of Wrestling. The UFC has cracked down on PED’s which is an important step towards fair play. Bravo. It’s evolving into a well respected sport. Most men will never be able to look at the ring girl issue so I am happy you had the courage to lay it down. I think it’s a discussion worth having. Thanks for participating.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We more or less agree, but I think I might be a tad more willing to accept human nature. The ring “girls” are akin, as you mention, to cheerleaders, and also to beauty contestants. I find those female roles silly but inoffensive. It’s an expression of female sexuality which I accept as innate. Those roles are ostentatious expressions of female sexuality which may not appeal to most women, but virtually all women adorn themselves and behave in ways that accentuate their sexuality.
Drag queens are an interesting case of men emulating female sexuality in ostentatious ways; in a sense behaving like cheerleaders and beauty contestants.
I’m 59, and hate baiting has been part of pro boxing as far back as I can remember (which is Clay vs. Liston). I’m sure that sort of macho preening goes back to the earliest humans. It can be seen in every physical male sport. (It is interesting to see how behavior has changed with the increased percentage of Black athletes over the past 50 years. They are more likely to be ostentatiously aggressive and braggarts, but they are also more likely to warmly hug opponents before and after games. Their behavior has influenced how White athletes behave.)
If you haven’t read anthropologist Helen Fisher’s book, “Anatomy of Love: The Natural History of Mating, Marriage and Why We Stray,” you might enjoy it. It’s full of interesting illustrations of the sorts of sexual behaviors men and women engage in that transcend places and times. The only way to stamp out the urge most women have to objectify themselves would be to kill them all off. Men are presently caught in this weird crossfire between women who delight in their sexualization and those who detest males for enjoying that sexualization. Even more confusingly, that can even come from the same woman!
There are two TV ads running now that present an interesting contrast. One is for Viagra, and features a sultry and provocative woman to inspire the men who apparently are not otherwise inspired (or able). The other ad is for a lubricant for women who experience “painful intercourse.” It features several women with pained expressions but no male hunk. How the two predicaments are portrayed tells us much about how the sexes think of themselves. (At least mostly older men and women. If such ads are running 30 years hence, they might be radically different.)
My daughter is 12, and I’ve damn near killed myself to keep her focused on being studious, athletic, and minimally sexual, but no matter how hard I’ve tried she wants to look gorgeous, talk about boys, and avoid gym. I used to be very reticent about telling her she was pretty, thinking it would emphasize the wrong thing, but a female psychologist (who was herself rather prim) advised me to accept reality and give her some compliments. So, I tell her she’s a beautiful girl, even though I feel like a hypocrite. I’ve seen some intelligent beautiful women’s lives derailed by the lavish attention of men, but other smart beauties remain on track, so there is something at work besides receiving lots of attention. (I’m not overlooking that similar dynamics affect lesbians.)
I don’t know you personally, but it wouldn’t surprise me if you can go from combative warrior to sexy diva within the same day. The amusing and odd things we all do are only detrimental to the extent that they prevent us from achieving, finding fulfillment, and being happy.
LikeLike
Great thoughts, Nick. I have answered above.
LikeLike
The Olympics do not feature cheerleaders, it’s true, but the summer sport that gets the biggest crowds and TV viewership is female gymnastics. (Must be the outfits.) According to a poll of Americans, “Figure skating is by far the most popular Winter Olympic sport.” We can safely assume that the women skaters trounce the men in popularity. So, even that sacred venue is contaminated by human nature.
LikeLike
Thanks Nick, I really appreciate your response. It’s true what you say with the culture as it is. It brings up the question of nature vs. nurture. This blog and my book “pinkylux school for girls presents, “what is a woman because it’s absurd to be on on planet earth, etc.” explore the world from a female perspective. Not as it is but rather the absurdity of what it is. Due to our historical perception of women, denying them education, property, the vote etc. women have not had an opportunity to bring their vision of the world into the culture. I believe that it’s time for women, who have birthed every human that ever lived, develop philosophies, ideas and inventions that add a fresh perspective. I can see the world as it is and I think ‘human nature’ has been largely defined by men’s viewing it. Men have been harnessed to the yoke of seeing everything through sexual eyes. In true nature (removed from cultural manipulation) the male/female sexuality is not designed to be always ‘on.’
The male is stimulated by the smell of the fertile female into sexual activity. Nature has designed a rhythmic system. Cultural has created what we live today. A place where human sensuality is pushed into the narrow window of everything is marked ‘sexy’ or ‘not sexy’. I think culture is always evolving and we are moving into an age where women will be heard and their ideas added to our culture. I think this is a good thing for your daughter and for everyone else. What a thoughtful dad you are – wrestling with what to say to your daughter – having a loving father is an important part of what raises strong women, confident to speak their mind and have clear boundaries. It’s a matter of perception. You can tell your daughter she is beautiful when she is all dolled up or you can tell her she is beautiful when when she has climbed a mountain, spoken her truth, tried her best or been kind – because that is how to support her owning her life for herself. You are right, your perception of her is important. Rock on, Good Dad.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Are you suggesting that women are less “harnessed to the yoke of seeing everything through sexual eyes” than men are? My own experience is that women have stronger libidos than men and are, on average, less monogamous. I offer as evidence the very large number of women who have, at one time or another, made sex their vocations. I’ve interviewed thousands of prostitutes for a prospective book, and contrary to stereotype and ideology, the vast majority find their work pleasurable (including the novelty and risk). The number of partners accumulated by a full-time prostitute dwarfs that of most promiscuous men. So, our views diverge when you claim that “Men have been harnessed to the yoke of seeing everything through sexual eyes.” I think sexually free young women would disagree.
I agree that men are stimulated by the smell of a fertile female, and also a sexually active female. Rosemary Daniell referred to the “powerful of the puss,” which is immense. Of course women are reciprocally stimulate by the smells, tastes, and textures of men — and often of women.
Our views diverge when you suggest that “‘human nature’ has been largely defined by men’s viewing it.” Like Camille Paglia, I think women hold most of the sexual cards. Very few men, much in desire, challenge women (in Western consensual relationships) for power. Potent women often lament the lack of men who can hold their own (and in the present day aren’t holding their own in front of a computer).
Most relationships lose the primacy of sex soon enough, which is probably necessary. Companionship and conversation may not be as thrilling, but they are deeply satisfying, albeit harder to come by.
I’ve just quoted you to my nearby daughter, immersed in sketching, that “having a loving father is an important part of what raises strong women, confident to speak their mind and have clear boundaries.” No response from her, but maybe food for thought.
I enjoy these exchanges and the thought you give to your opinions. That our perceptions differ make things more interesting and stimulating, and I appreciate your warm and energetic responses. Nothing is duller than reflexive agreement.
LikeLike
Love that you are sharing this with your daughter. I hear you and understand that perspective. For me as a human I don’t feel life in compartments. It’s difficult to have conversations without parsing things into groups – talking about sex, talking about laws, talking about marriage. Every person is at all times a unique and complex individual with many factors acting on and through them at all times. To select out one thread of the human experience and create studies and absolutes is in my mind a flawed science. I counter with this article in Der Spiegel from a prostitute in Germany where prostitution is legal https://dievulkantaenzerin.wordpress.com/2014/12/18/ich-habe-die-schnauze-voll-von-euch/
There are many views and we can find support for almost any view we want on this mad internet world we live in. In my work I try to stay out of just sparing with statistics that someone else laid down, you know? I think sharing a bit with your daughter – and you listening to her silence is better than any study or book that we could share with one another. Because it’s what we really have outside all the stuff swimming inside our crazy minds – our perception and connection with those right next to us. That’s it right there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I very much agree. We are complex and variegated beasts, but within the constraints of the medium I have appreciated our exchanges. My absolutes are primarily moral and ethical. These are conversations best enjoyed over (pick your drink) in comfortable chairs, but I’ve enjoyed them here. They are an uncommon and refreshing diversion from the hostile and caricature-ridden world of Internet discussion. Thanks much. I’ll read your book.
LikeLike
Oh yes, Nick. Well said. I have enjoyed it as well. Thanks so much for reading my book. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it. We will gather again and discuss.
LikeLike