Freaky Friday. A non-rant and a rant.
I’m one of the first people to cry misogynist. Hey, I used to be married to one of the worst. But I’m not crying misogynist in this case. Mr. Howey, I think you were simply flabbergasted by the woman’s ignorance and her dismissive attitude. So you ranted. Probably you should have kept the rant private but, oh well… you went public. And then everyone jumped into the fray, the ginormous Hugh Howey Smackdown, including other Indie Authors. Tsk. Tsk.
Look, you’ve got your books, your sales, your print contract. You’ve sold the film rights, right? You’ve done us Indies proud.
Now for my rant.
Leggings.
Dear god, fellow humans of the female persuasion, stop wearing leggings with short tee-shirts. It’s a baaaaad look.
Bad look leggings.
Listen, I get wearing leggings or tights while running or in yoga class or while participating in some other form of exercise- or even when making a quick stop at the store or the bank before you have a chance to change…
Running Tights - A-okay.
But lose the leggings before you go out for the evening unless you plan to wear them beneath a long tunic top with a cute pair of boots. There is nothing that grosses me out quite as much as looking at your butt with or without panty-lines or a thong. A visible thong is actually really gross.
Cute leggings with tunic top and boots.
With the popularity of skinny jeans, and the nice way they fit most body types, why oh why would you choose leggings over skinny jeans?
A wealth of skinny jeans.
And while we’re on the subject, let’s talk about the side-boob. Seriously. There I was at a baseball game, and it was pretty darn chilly out, definitely not side-boob weather, and there, two rows up across the aisle was a woman showing a whole lotta side-boob or as my husband labeled it… “Underarm fat.”
Why show your side-boobs at a baseball game? Every time she lifted up her arms, which was all the damn time, I wanted to leap across the aisle with a needle and thread and sew up that hole in her shirt. Between the woman in front of me wearing the tiny tee-shirt and the awful leggings sans underwear and the flopping side-boob across the way I could barely watch the game.
Just so we’re clear, this is not a misogynist rant. It’s a fashion faux pas rant. Up with skinny jeans! Down with side-boobs!
Hee hee! *snort*
I also was not offended by Hughs rant, still stinging myself from recent bruises at a snobbish writer’s conference. In fact I posted his “offensive” blog on my FB page! but I called my snooty Putnam’s editor I pitched to who said “self publishing has an ick factor” (forget about my thousands & thousands of sales!) “hidebound’ instead of my real thoughts, “snooty asshole dickhead” which sounded immature in print. Or in person.
Instead, by using “hidebound” I showed my restraint and vocabulary. BUt I digress. Into snorting at the side boob. I join you in feminine mockery.
Aloha
Toby Neal
I didn’t understand legging in the 80s and I still don’t. I do see the need for the exercise ones. But as you said with a tunic and cute boots they might be nice on other people…just not me.
I have a rant, too, Julia.
I am sick and tired of whiners who throw around labels willy-nilly, stripping them of their power and putting nonsense in the same camp as those who do serious damage. You want misogyny? How about a doctor who cuts out healthy uteri so women don’t have to “suffer from menstruation?” How about a battalion sergeant major who thinks his female troops don’t need weapons training because they aren’t “real” soldiers. What about women’s magazines that extol the virtues of starvation, body mutilation and crippling footwear? That’s misogyny. Calling a twit who’s acting like a bitch a “bitch” isn’t misogynist, it’s cranky. Anyone who can’t tell the difference between a rude gesture and a dangerous one, is an idiot.
Hugh Howey didn’t give up his “I’m Human” card just because he sold a few million books. Welcome to fame and fortune, Hugh, where nasty, jealous, petty little ankle-biters now see at you as a target.
As a fluffy-bodied woman, I can tell you SKINNY jeans are not in my universe. Yoga pants are my choice when I’m home. Maybe even when I’m out, but like most fluffy women, they’re accompanied by a long tee-shirt. And NEVER would I wear them without underwear or a thong. Those women are just whacked. As for the side boob…I never leave the house in ANYTHING that’s sleeveless. I don’t like to see my batwings. Why would I show them to anyone else? Ugh.
Finally…a word on rebuttal to bad reviews. There’s no advantage to that. Ignore ‘em. It’s a no-win, no-win situation.
You’d be surprised, Anny. Skinny jeans fit all body types well. It’s interesting. However I don’t wear short sleeves either. Just a thing I have. My arms are pretty muscular but I don’t like showing them. And I love my yoga pants at home and my hiking/running tights - but not for a night out, or a day out, or an afternoon out. Ewwww! Hugh Howey wasn’t rebutting a bad review- it was a woman who totally dismissed him for being a self-pubber.
Steph - ICAM! Well-put. Here-here!
Well, Amber, I did wear leggings and tunics and boots in the 80′s. Back in the day, you know! Running tights are way better for exercise anyway. And you could pull off the look, no kidding. I’ve seen you, Miss Petite!
Oh Toby… ick factor? Maybe if it means you might lose your job. I love self-pubbing. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!
“Suck it, bitch.”
The last line of his post made my jaw fall open. I see a lot of horrible, rude, offensive stuff on-line every day, but that line was shocking to me. I’m not sure if that was supposed to be funny, but in my mind there is a big difference between calling someone a bitch (hell, I call myself a bitch), and saying “Suck it, bitch.”
He should have listened to his wife. That’s the lesson from this. ALWAYS listen to your wife.
Yes, ma’am… Penny. That is the best advice. Always listen to your wife. Reading the text of his post it’s easy to see how pissed off he was. However what is that saying? Sleep on it first? But still I don’t think it’s misogynist, just very very pissed off and not for public consumption.