Misogynists hate, hate, hate it when women get tattoos. They just can’t all agree on why. The standard misogynist line on tattoos for women is that they are all, essentially, “tramp stamps” – a way of broadcasting that the woman displaying them is a slut, a skank, a whore. You know the drill.
But the “alternative right” racist/sexist/homophobe who goes by the handle agnostic has a rather different take. In a post on his blog Face to Face, he argues that women with tattoos are actually trying to broadcast their Puritan prudery.
Tattoos, you see, are just plain ugly, and help to accessorize a dreary look designed to repel men.
Notice how those girls dress in drab, dark monochrome colors, wear no girly jewelry, and sport flat hair rather than Big Hair. Their sassy, sarcastic, even nasty attitude echos their off-putting look.
Fundamentally, they are part of the larger trend toward drab dressing, and its signal of reluctance to get loose. Their personalities are more anti-social, so they express the neo-Pilgrim style in a more antagonistic fashion than the less abrasive girls in their generation, but they’re both variations on the same theme.
The tattoo-bearers are likely to be man-haters as well.
They are also part of the larger trend among women toward fear of or hatred toward men. …
In such a climate, women will alter their appearance and demeanor in order to deflate rather than excite the male libido. They act like prey trying to give warning signals to potential predators. The tattoo chicks are only the extreme version of this widespread trend. Girls sure don’t look or act as cute and flirty as they used to in the boy-crazy Eighties, when they thought of guys not as predators but as conspecifics who they wanted to court with engaging mating displays.
“Conspecifics” simply means “members of the same species.” Agnostic loves to drop that sciency lingo in order to make his prejudices seem smart.
Anyway, he continues by arguing that tattoos are especially offensive to pickup artistes and other “assertive” dudes.
Off-putting style also serves to filter out the more assertive and independent males, who would rather spend time on a girl who looks cute, rather than settle for one who’s all marked up or not willing to show anything at all. … By inking themselves up, girls ensure that only the guys who are willing to get walked over and slapped in the face will approach them. Why go through the long hassle of having your new boyfriend fixed when you can advertise that only the neutered need apply in the first place?
Ah, but this last bit is perhaps more revealing than agnostic means it to be. Tattoos are an affront to misogynists because they’re seen as too assertive, too masculine – a challenge to traditional femininity, and to men who prefer traditionally feminine women.
Tattoos on women make misogynistic men angry because on some fundamental level these men don’t think women have the right to decorate their bodies in a way that displeases men –or at least their kind of men. It’s the same kind of creepy, possessive anger that many misogynistic men show towards women who cut their hair short. It’s as if these men on some level believe women’s bodies belong to them, and not to the women themselves.
And that’s pretty unattractive.
emma: are you getting tired from moving the goalposts?
Seriously, like what’s with this whole desire to prove european men are ‘all that’.
I guess I’ll see what these new and totally-no-doubt-stunning links will say.
Marie: they certainly don’t make her point about hypermasculinty. Parental leave has zilch to do with that.
I changed my mind.
I’m not reading 2000 words about ‘look how great scandanavia is’.
Not that I hate scandanavia. It’s just a fucking boring article.
I mean, I know lots of american men are shit, I’ve met them, but this whole ‘look at how awesome europe is’ thing is just weird.
(and like a large percent of the world is being left out in this ^-^)
Hellkell, I did not say hypermasculinity is a uniquely American phenomenon. I said that it differentiates American from European culture (in general). The macho ethos, so popular in the US for a variety of cultural, historical, and economic reasons, is much less prevalent in Europe.
There is a different mentality there, much less individualistic, for one, and it has shaped interpersonal relationships, including those between genders, in a different, less hostile way. This is reflected in, among other things, many women- and family-friendly policies that are a long-established reality in Europe, but which still sadly remain a pipe dream for Americans.
Too right. Emma, apart from anything else, European men are not a monolith.
@emma
wow. that was…strange to read.
Also, is this whole ‘europe’ place I hear you talking about divided into different countries, and perhaps, cultures, and also perhaps, different hiveminds???
Teen Witch is probably the greatest bad movie of all time.
What? Greater than Killer Shrews?
@weirwoodtreehugger
Ah yes, The 80’s male. So funky.
I agree though, It is one of the best of the ‘bad movie’ genre. Its fun to watch for all the wrong reasons.
I sort of see what Emma is saying. There are a lot of gross right wing values that are really popular in the US that aren’t so popular in Northern Europe.
On the other hand, my internet experience (anecdotal, I know) tells me that a lot of European men are really unused to discussing social justices. I see a lot of “why are Americans so obsessed with racism?” even though racism is just as bad there. The racism against the Romani is just appalling. I’ve also spoken to a lot of Americans who were shocked at the casual racism they heard while living in various European countries.
The US has so many terrible problems, but I’m not buying European supremacy arguments.
@weirdwoodtreehugger
thanks, you said that so much better than I could.
^seconding.
Just using “European” as if it’s a meaningful term for people is irritating. Because Scotland is identical to Bosnia is identical to Denmark is identical to France …
“European masculinity” (if one can even make such a generalization) does differ from US masculinity in some ways, but they share the same fundamental characteristics. Machoness isn’t the only manifestation of hypermasculinity. Hypermasculinity is found in practically any practice of masculinity that serves men at the expense of women. While the expression of hypermasculinity differ across the world, its underlying logic of domination remains constant everywhere due to the patriarchy. So no, that comparison is flawed.
Oh, hey, I’m an actual European, and have visited many different parts of the continent, and I’m calling bullshit on this. Germany has some of the most macho men I’ve ever encountered, Russia beats Germany (and the US) by a mile, and there’s nowhere I’ve ever been that has as much machismo-fuelled harassment as Italy. Masculinity is indeed coded a bit differently in every culture, but the idea that men are just somehow nicer in a general sense in Europe is nonsense.
What was the name of that French diplomat who got away with raping hotel maids in the US? I’m drawing a blank.
His name is Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Don’t talk about the response to his behavior in France, though, you wouldn’t want to risk poking holes in Emma’s theory.
Yeah, he’s been getting away with rape for years, by the sound of it.
His wife’s comments on his sexual behavior were particularly eyebrow-raising.
We are not talking “European supremacy.” At least I’m not.
I am talking about generally more egalitarian attitudes in marriage (and LTR), as evidenced, again, by the more active role men play in the family life in most European countries and the preponderance of far more progressive social policies that favor women and families across Europe.
This translates into more egalitarian marriages (the topic brought up by enhancedvibes, to whom I directed my response), which are a result of that very egalitarian mindset ingrained in folks from early childhood and ever-present in one’s culture — one that involves seeing both parents working outside home, more ore less equally sharing household chores, having shared sick and parental leave, and making joint decisions about everything. This is the household I grew up it, and this was the norm already 50 years ago across most European countries. This is also one of the reasons why feminism is a latecomer in Europe — there was a less urgent need for it.
As to DSK, surely you understand that his example — one of a supremely privileged rapist — has little to do with the topic of egalitarian attitudes toward marriage among common folk.
Now if you excuse me, I will retire from this exchange, as I think I’ve exhausted the topic, on my side, for the time being.
eeeek, i am attracted to women, but the woman in the picture repels me more than her tattoos. I find her to be totally offputting. to say that mysoginists hate tattoos is a ridiculous statement. There are many many mysoginist women in this world, many of whom have tattoos. Another stupid article that promotes bullshit. Could we please get some real topic in here….
You aren’t making any sense.
Dude, we are mocking notes from boners in here. Sorry you do not like that. Feel free to move about the rest of the internet.
@ emma
Let it be permanently, please.