My Latest Piece at HuffPost Examines what’s so bad about “acting like a man” and “acting like a Lady” from an Aristotelean and feminist perspective.
You can check out the article Here. Excerpt is below. Please share with others.
Gendered virtues also perpetuate patriarchy. To have “feminine virtues” like chastity, modesty and obedience is what it means to act like a lady. A woman who is not modest is said to be asking for attention or “asking” to be raped. A woman who is not obedient is believed to be a b*tch. A woman who is not chaste is considered not a lady at all. To be good in our society, a woman must possess these virtues. If she doesn’t she will be victim-blamed, told she will not get married or accused of hating men. These feminine virtues can be described as what Lisa Tessman calls the “burdened virtues,” because although these virtues may create some good in the end they morally damage the lives of the agent in the process….
End virtue segregation! Let’s all work on being the best people we can be not the best feminine or masculine cultural productions we feel we must become in order to fit into masculine or feminine categories. Trying to make morality fit gender categories is like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Morality should not be risked for the sake of this twisted gender game.