With this year being another of change, acceptance, and female empowerment, you would think sexist jokes are a thing of the past. However, it’s disappointing to see the presence they still hold within the media and it’s time to take steps to change the narrative.
This women’s history month, we need to make sure we are lifting each other up, not tearing each other down. No matter how subtle, there should be no place for sexism or misogyny in 2021. This month is for celebration of the beautiful, strong and successful women around us.
The conversation around sexist jokes opened up again recently after the Netflix show ‘Ginny and Georgia’ has been called out on social media for using the line “What do you care? You go through men faster than Taylor Swift.”
Taylor Swift has been slut-shamed throughout her entire career with the main running joke being about how many men she’s been with and wrote songs about. I admit, back in 2014, I probably would have laughed at these jokes, not thinking much of them. It’s only when you realise the underlying sexism that exists within society and the media’s attitude towards women like Taylor Swift, that it becomes apparent just how harmful it can be.
On an Australian radio show, 2Day FM, Taylor said: “You’re going to have people who are going to say, ‘Oh, you know, like, she just writes songs about her ex-boyfriends’ and I think frankly that’s a very sexist angle to take. No one says that about Ed Sheeran. No one says that about Bruno Mars. They’re all writing songs about their exes, their current girlfriends, their love life, and no one raises the red flag there.”
Jokes such as the one featured on Ginny and Georgia are regressive and encourage the narrative that women are defined by the amount of people they have been with and that it’s the most important thing about them. This is damaging, especially to the young girls and women who watch the show. We need to celebrate women for their achievements, not teach the up-and-coming generation that they are less worthy of success than a man simply because they have a dating life.
In another viral interview in 2016, Taylor spoke up about the subject and said the advice she would give to her 19-year-old self would be: “Hey, you're going to date just like a normal 20-something should be allowed to, but you're going to be a national lightning rod for slut-shaming.”
A controversial tweet by Burger King was published on International Women’s Day, saying that “women belong in the kitchen”. The thread went on to talk about how the tweet was to raise awareness that only 20% of professional chefs in UK kitchens are women. However, the initial tweet unsurprisingly received a lot of backlash. It’s an outdated joke that just isn’t funny anymore. Burger King have since deleted the tweet and apologised.
I am sure everyone will agree, we as a society can do better than this. We have come a long way in terms of women’s rights but we still have a long way to go until things are perfect. This Women’s Month make sure to celebrate yourself and all of the amazing women that shaped you.
“Feminism isn’t about making women strong. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” -G.D Anderson.
Edited by Pia Cooper