Wednesday, May 20

Sex, Gender, and Shoes


Well, clearly we shouldn't be asking because it's obvious. Take a look at any of the comments made at the above link to find out the truth(!) about Uggs- that they're "meant for girls, not guys," and that, more importantly, guys who wear said boots are gay and, therefore, not "real men."

One contributor asks, "honestly, what kind of man wears Uggs?" while another comfortably takes stabs at men who wear them by reminding us that "if you are a guy and you wear uggs, you are forever gay. There is no turning back. Not that I hate gay's or anything, but, yeah, you're a faggot if you do, plain and simple. Sorry for putting it so bluntly." (Note to poster: if it's so offensive you need to damage control within the same post, reconsider.)

Wearing Uggs counts as "fagging it up." Who would dare to disagree? According to this group, we have found an easy way to classify others and discover four important things about gender in our society.

1. Men who don't wear shoes designated strictly as "men's shoes" (Ugg Boots does market to men, mind you) or men who wear shoes women can also wear are (a) gay, (b) not real men, (c) faggots, and (d) probably a mix of all of the above. The difference? Gay is his sexuality, faggot is his identity, and his masculinity will never be recovered because he has done something other men, who pride themselves on their own masculinity, don't do. Their standards, which they perceive as society's standards, are ones they will unabashedly use to label any and all men who do not fit (read: conform) to their mold of masculinity. Any man who strays, in the tiniest bit, from the American, commercial, capitalist, and disgustingly sexist mold of men is not qualified at all to fit in this category.

2. Being one, two, or all of the things above renders you undeserving of dignity, respect, and common decency. If you are willing to break from masculinity, you do not deserve the fellowship of other men and should be ready to face the consequences of assault and attack for doing so.

3. Masculinity is defined rigidly and the mold leaves no room for variances. All men must fulfill every element of masculinity to be considered "real men."

4. The gender dichotomy is found in the realm of shoes and is not to be disturbed. Shoes cannot be for everyone, they can only be for females or males, or, in the case, "girls" or "guys" (coincidentally, a twelve year old cannot share shoes with an adult male, but I think nobody here studied journalism).

The internet is a microcosm of the world, and this is a disturbing reminder.

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