A College Girlfriend's Response To The Misogynistic Total Frat Move Article | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

A College Girlfriend's Response To The Misogynistic Total Frat Move Article

"50 Ways To Be The Perfect College Girlfriend"

132
A College Girlfriend's Response To The Misogynistic Total Frat Move Article

I am not writing this because I am a feminist, a hater of all Greek life or an angry single woman.

I am a so-called millennial woman, sick and tired of society, and even worse, of the men in society, telling me how I should behave in a relationship to be perfect.

So, when I read the list that the white male who goes by the pen name "Stuff Frat People Like," dressed in an American flag bandana, shirt with the number one on it, dark sunglasses turning his eyes into black beady circles like a shark hungry and ready to devour his prey, pointing at me, telling me about "50 Ways to Be the Perfect College Girlfriend," I had to type away my feelings of disgust and degradation, and help tell the world that, even if this is a "joke," this message is very much problematic.

The main fallacy with this list is the title, "The Perfect College Girlfriend." The definition of perfect provided by Merriam-Webster is "having all the qualities you want in that kind of person, situation, etc." The idea of perfect varies from each individual to the next; there is no such thing as a universal perfect anything. There are social constructions of a female's perfect body size, hair type, and eye color that are enforced by popular culture figures, but the reality is, everyone has a different idea of perfection.

Besides this misconception of the word "perfect," this list blatantly reinforces female stereotypes, which is an unfortunate mindset that we should have progressed from by the year 2016. Point five says that the perfect girlfriend should "not be an emotional drunk." Not every woman is a sensitive, pure, emotional mess who needs to be talked to and treated with careful attention not to make her explode with anger or cry at the blink of an eye, especially during menstruation.

In fact, women experience different phases within their menstruation cycle that do not necessarily make them as emotional as they are portrayed in movies and online. "Estrogen and progesterone, which rise to their highest levels when women are ovulating, have anxiety-reducing effects," the part where the so-called emotional side comes into play is when the levels of those hormones drop and can leave "women more sensitive to stress than men" ("The Double Life of Women"). I am not going to lie and say I am not emotional. I am a writer who finds beauty and sadness by looking at an ant on a leaf ... or something poetic like that, but I have many female friends that have cried less than some of my male friends, even when it is that time of the month. It's not accurate to categorize all females as sensitive, because each female has different levels of hormones that may or may not fluctuate at different times, and more importantly, each female has a different personality.

Point six on the list goes back to that idea of perfection, "There's nothing less sexy than insecurity, except maybe love handles." When I read this I felt the acidic liquid rising up my esophagus; I was going to be sick, and I had 44 more to go.

Skinny, fat, or curvy, each woman is born different, and each person has a different aesthetic preference. Today, women are constantly pressured by the media to have, as Tina Fey put it so beautifully in her book "Bossy Pants," "Caucasian blue eyes, full Spanish lips, a classic button nose, hairless Asian skin with a California tan, a Jamaican dance hall ass, long Swedish legs, small Japanese feet, the abs of a lesbian gym owner, the hips of a nine-year-old boy, the arms of Michelle Obama, and doll tits." It is truly unrealistic for women to live up to those standards, and even more unrealistic that they should do so just to please a man.

Point seven defines the perfect girlfriend to "make [men] work for it but only a little bit." Ha, what does this even mean? I know what it is alluding to: Don't be a slut, but also don't be a prude. It is typically more common for men to be praised for having sex with multiple partners, and women shamed for doing the same thing. The word "slut" was coined specifically to shame women for the very thing men get praised for. The etymology of the word started by meaning a dirty or untidy woman, and in Dutch a careless man, but by 1966 the word was used to mean "a woman who enjoys sex in a degree considered shamefully excessive," and this definition has persevered to this day. It is wrong to shame women, or even anyone, for their sexual experiences (Online Etymology Dictionary 1). It is their business and their body. It is absurd that we still use this word and have these stereotypes about women.

Point 19 says the perfect girlfriend will "bake [men] something from scratch." We live in 2016, my friends; yes, women are still more underpaid than men, do not have as high-ranking positions as men, and face many other prejudices against them, but there has been so much progress. A woman is running for president of The United States of America, and there are so many lady boss entrepreneurs making magic for their companies.

This whole idea that the women should stay at home, watch the kids, clean and cook should be long gone. If a woman genuinely wants to play that role, she should be free to do whatever she dreams, but that is not every woman's place in this world, and the only person to determine her place is she herself.

I could tear this list apart, number by number, but I would just keep repeating the same words of sexism, stereotypes, and flawed ideas of perfection.

It is time for us to stop creating stupid content that negatively paints women. It is time for us to stop feeling like there is one perfect way to live. It is time for us to be whoever and whatever we want to be, and not be judged for it.

It is time for us to change.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

179448
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

6575
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

452048
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

23054
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments