Only in New York

March 19th, 2008

This article in the NY Observer proclaims the rise of the “urbane tomboy:”

[Gals] who, while not lesbians, dress like guys (young guys), well into their 30’s; who leap into games of pickup basketball with male friends while the rest of us watch wanly from the sidelines; who affect a wry detachment from their sex’s conventional concerns of shoe-shopping, man-hunting and family.

Well, hello, New York: this new “trend” describes nearly all the women I know here in Seattle. And in California. And Oregon. And Nevada. And…

Before I go any further, please note that I’m choosing not to address the “while not lesbians” comment, which is insulting to both gay and straight women for reasons the under-educated, pillbox-hatted reporter would not understand. Nope, not even going to address it, not going to say a thing.

I’m also not going to point out how, far from seeming “wryly detached,” the interviewed “tomboys” instead just sound patronizing and full of false modesty. They say things like “I feel clownish when I dress up” and feel that “if you’re a pretty lady” you can just drop all that silly feminine shit.

They remind me of women who say proudly that they “have more men friends than women” because they “don’t get along with women” - implying (if they don’t say it outright, which they often do) women are catty and superficial. I guess it doesn’t occur to these women that making such a generalization, they prove themselves to be that rule, not the exception.

But I’m not going to go into all of that because I don’t want to rant.

Now, what was I saying?

Filed under Feminism, Gynophobia, Pop Culture, Rib Rants |

One Response to “Only in New York”

  1. Darlene on March 23, 2008 10:32 pm

    Talk about transporting people back 30 or 40 years. “Man-hunting?” Do you need a gun for that?

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