If you’ve ever bought anything via Amazon.com you’re aware of those emails they send out periodically - you know, the ones where they say “You bought (insert book you bought) so we thought you might want to buy (this other book.)” Today they got it very wrong when they recommended I order “Girls are Weirdos but they smell pretty.” Todd Harris Goldman of “David and Goliath” fame, is no stranger to critique - in the past he’s been attacked for promoting a battle of the sexes among young people via the boy bashing slogans that have adorned his t-shirts, bags and various other accessories.
It seems that “Girls are Weirdos” aims to continue the battle. From the back cover:
A Book That’s All About You. Congratulations! You’re a girl. You like the color pink. You watch Chick Flicks. Some days are Bad Hair Days. Other days are for Shopping, where you hang out with your BFF, compare Crushes, and ask the eternal question: Does this dress make me look fat? Isn’t it great?!
Admittedly I haven’t read the book, and it could be a joke? A witty tongue-in-cheek diatribe on gender identity? If that’s the case, the book description really doesn’t do it any justice:
Narrated by a boy who’s sort of a moron, it questions all the things that are completely alien to boys, but with a surprisingly sweet insight and great good spirit. Waxing vs. shaving. The color pink. Shoe obsessions. The everyday dilemma: “Does this dress make me look fat?” The appeal of tiny little dogs. Fake boobs. The mysteries of PMS. In the end he can only conclude that girls are weirdos and leave it at that—a conclusion that girls will not only understand but own up to proudly.
and finally…
…this book is in fact a wonderfully astute and affectionate look at the female psyche, and perfect for any girl with a sense of humor (and a desire to know what boys think of girls).
Um, I’m not sure what girls they’re refering to, but it’s certainly not me…
What do you think? All in good fun, or all around offensive?
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four comments
Are you *gasp* asking us to judge a book by its cover?
Posted by Erin
October 22, 2007, 1:04 PM
Oh no, of course not. I'm more interested in knowing of these cute(sy) cartoonish renderings of gender differences are harmless fun or if they have the capacity to hurt? Is a t-shit that says "Boys are stupid, throw rocks at them!" (something David and Goliath is famous for) a good idea given our struggles with equality?
Posted by Stacey May
October 22, 2007, 1:19 PM
The back cover blurb is so over the top that I think it's supposed to be tongue-in-cheek. But the thing that annoys me about tongue-in-cheek sexism/racism/whateverism is that I feel it's always articulated by people/artists who believe they're above oppressive behaviour. It's sort of a hate-immunity: "I have a university degree. I'm didn't grow up in a trailer park. I'm not Christian. I vote liberal. THEREFORE it's inconceivable that I could be hurtful/hateful THEREFORE whenever I say anything that is hurtful/hateful, it's physically impossible for it to be hurtful/hateful...even when it clearly is."
More often than not though, the hate immunity card is played by white, abled, middle-class men and women - whose privilege means that, for me, I really don't think they're in a position to be making those kinds of comments.
In short? This kind of thing bugs me to death.
Posted by Thea
October 23, 2007, 8:49 AM
Thea, the "hate-immunity schtick" drives me nuts, but I've never understood it as clearly as you state it here. I wonder if that's why Family Guy bugs me so much. (And if that's why FG is also so popular.)
Stacey May, you've got me thinking too. Even if we decide those shirts are harmless fun (or pure evil), I wonder what young girls think of them. It would be cool to ask a 9-year-old girls why they wear them, why they wouldn't, and how they'd react to a boy wearing an anti-girl one. That would be an interesting project/film/article.
Posted by Erin
October 25, 2007, 7:27 AM
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