no. 153

"This is a Facebook CLASSIC. It’s vague and subtle enough to sound good and be reposted 55 million times, but it’s such a nonsensical, insidious little piece of misogynistic bullshit. Let’s examine, shall we?

“If more females would sit down” - Passive. Quiet. Knowing one’s place. Not causing trouble. This is the standard that is laid out for “being a lady”. Big problem. HUGE.
“Be ladies” - Being a “lady” is different than being a woman. A woman is someone who identifies as a woman. A “lady” is someone who is prim, proper, and abides by the societal standards of behavior expected of female presenting persons, often to her own detriment. The etymology of the word lady is fascinating, although not how I’d like to exist in the world as a woman.
“More males would stand up” - Active. Outspoken. Standing up is a good thing, a heroic thing, something to be encouraged…but only if you’re a man, apparently. The double standard here is palpable; standing up is undesirable if you’re a woman, because you should be sitting and allowing men to stand up.
This ideal that is set forward is reminiscent of all the submissions I’ve seen in the past where people lament about the “good old days”. Oh, chivalry was everywhere! Oh, people DRESSED so much better! Oh, what’s that? You could be jailed for wearing pants as a woman, or lynched for being black? Well I’d rather just focus on how rad gender roles were then without getting into the messy stuff. Surely you understand.

(Of course, with this particular adaptation of the Facebook adage, you get the additional cissexism bonus of female being equated with ladies, and male being equated with gentlemen, with obviously no thought to the difference between sex and gender.)"

stfusexists, via