We have decided that Fridays will be Rant Day! Please keep in mind that all the things posted here are our personal opinions. We see things, they make us mad, we rant about them. Now you are privy to these amazing pieces of angry genius.
So, without further ado, here's Heather with today's rant:
There are two new tables at Chapters.
Maybe they're not so new anymore, since I noticed them a couple of months ago. In fact, they are technically gone now, though I have been informed by Tanya they have been replaced by others of the same nature, but Christmas themed. However, in the grand scheme of things, if you want to look at our eons-old planet and our even older universe, these tables are fairly recent. And both made my blood boil.
The first table I noticed had a sign on it that read “For fabulous, feisty and funny females.” Directly beneath the sign were the autobiographies of Jane Lynch and Tina Fey, so my immediate assumption was that it was referring to female comedians. And that didn't bother me, because female comedians are fabulously funny. I glanced over the two autobiographies and turned away.
Only to find myself face-to-face with another table, which was topped by a sign that read “Books Every Man Should Have.” Right below that sign was a book we all know and love: Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species.
Je m'excuse?
Upon examining the table more closely, I found that it contained books on politics, science, economics, writing, sports, and Harley-Davidsons. A horrifying thought came over me. I turned back to the table with Jane Lynch and Tina Fey, desperately hoping I was wrong.
The table was not a celebration of female comedians.
Instead, “Fabulous, feisty and funny females” was referring to me. Now don't get me wrong, I'm fucking hilarious and pretty damn fantastic, but that's not all I am. After standing before the table in utter disbelief for a few minutes, I discovered that it contained chick-lit, cookbooks, autobiographies, and Jersey Shore (apparently Snooki can write. Who knew).
Well then.
Here's the thing. I've wanted to be various things in my life. A firefighter, an artist, a veterinarian, an author, an archaeologist, a journalist, a historian – all of which are generally male dominated occupations. However, for the majority of my childhood, not one person told me I couldn't do something because I was girl. Throughout my life, I could read any book I damn well pleased, and be interested in any topic I wanted to be interested in. My gender was incidental. I was encouraged by every member of my family to follow my dreams and become whatever I wanted.
As such, it wasn't until I discovered the internet that I realized that blatant sexism still exists in our world. All you need to do is think about how the word “feminazi” to understand that. Feminism is seen as something negative. But the truth is, we still live in a culture where people are led to believe that certain professions are for boys, and certain professions on for girls.
And now, according to Chapters, as a girl, I'm only supposed to be interested in the lives of famous people, romance, cooking, and “reality” TV. And The Origin of Species is just too complicated for my poor, delicate, female brain to understand.
Whoa hold up, I can hear you say, just because they labelled the tables that way doesn't mean you can't read up on Evolution.
Well, duh.
However, as with many things in society, I'm being pushed to think that I should want to read certain topics. And y'know, there are plenty of girls out there who would LOVE to read about Snooki or flip through a cookbook. More power to them! But maybe there are some boys out there who want to read about the same thing. Do you think they're likely to pick up a copy of Jane Lynch's autobiography? Seriously. Think about it. How many guys do you know would admit to reading romance novels on a regular basis?
Yeah, I don't know that many either. Not they don't exist, I'm just saying that most boys won't admit for fear of being called *gasp!* girly.
By grouping certain books into categories of gender, society may not be saying “As a woman, you are never allowed to read a book about science!” However, it is encouraging us to stay within those neat little roles assigned to us at birth because of the absence or presence of a penis. It's an unfortunate fact that there are still less girls in science programs than there are boys. Just ask Limey. She is a physics major, and I believe there are 9 girls in her class, in total. More and more programs in schools are being created to encourage girls' interests in science, but it's not enough. Not when at every turn, girls (and boys) are presented with set topics and things they are supposed to like and be interested in. Right down to something as innocent as colours! Pink for girls and blue for boys.
That's what has me so angry with Chapters. I'd like to know what exactly they think they are saying. I suppose it is innocent enough. They probably just think they will make more money if they aim certain books at certain groups of people. Unfortunately, this time they have managed to perpetuate negative gender roles. Some girls want to read about Darwin just as much as some boys, and some boys want to read a cookbook just as much as some girls.
In case you're wondering, the tables are apparently now called "Gifts for Her" and "Gifts for Him."
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