Lovely

[shipperx]

I just racked up a new "warning" on TWOP for pointing out that stating that a woman won an episode of Top Chef  "because of her boobs" might not be a critical assessment of her skills.   Hell, I didn't even criticize the poster outright (and god knows I wanted to point out that statements like that are sexist as hell)  I simply said that personally I'd shy away from making such statements because readers could perceive it as sexist even if the poster didn't intend it to be (which, honestly, how is it not sexist?).  I tapdanced around the fact that it's offensively sexist to summarize and dismiss a win in a cooking contest by saying  "She won because of her boobs."  (And that's a quote.)   And I got the warning?  Whatever happened to "stick to the facts"?  Was it a "fact" that she won because she had boobies?  No one can hold up their hands and say "Whoa!  I think it might not be so great to judge a woman by her discretely covered mammary glands that have nothing at all to do with this contest?"

It's TWOP.  

Why do I expect things to make sense?

Comments

[miggy.livejournal.com]

God, the sexism that's been building to a fever pitch on that board. It's to the point where I'm suspect of anyone who criticizes Casey for anything that's not specifically related to her food, and I am normally all for accepting that some personalities just rub people the wrong way.

I did love a post made after last week where a "She won the MacBook because of her boobs!" was answered with something like "They had another prize waiting in case anyone else was at the top, then?"

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

What's offensive is that it's not like Casey's running around with her boobs hanging out of a scantily clad, cut-down-to-there top with her breasts falling out and poking them in people's faces. The criticism seems to simply be the fact that she dares to possess boobs that might (gasp) be attractive at all! The nerve of her! She should wear a burkha so that men aren't overwhelmed by the sight of her hair neatly pulled back into a ponytail, any vague resemblance to Jennifer Anniston, and assuring that her normal-sized boobs aren't perceptible beneath a loose-fitting chef's jacket!

[miggy.livejournal.com]

No kidding. She was in a top cut up to her collarbone in the Roach Coach surprise challenge, IIRC, and even then she was still concerned about being seen as unprofessional beause she wasn't in "uniform." Her hair is styled severely with an eye to keeping it out of the food. She works hard and tries to help out others when needed. But no, she will always be a drama queen head cheerleader who lets you know that even though she's acting nice to you now, she doesn't really HAVE to treat you kindly, you big geek. Now excuse her, she has to go hook a hose up to her (if you'd believe the posters) Jessica Rabbit-sized breasts and pump them up another few cups.

The issues on that message board, they swarm like mayflies.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I've yet to understand the hate of her hair, either.

Have I missed the issue with a cook pulling her hair back from her face and tying it into a pony tail? Wha-huh?! God forbid a professional chef try to be neat and clean in her personal habits.

Seriously, what's up with criticizing her pulling her hair back like that? I've boggled at the protests over her hair ever time. What the hell does her hair matter as long as it's not in the food?

[swsa.livejournal.com]

Were they saying that about Casey? The hell? It was a clear-cut victory. I've totally avoided the Top Chef forum this year. I can't believe that attitude towards her is common over there. That really sucks since I think she's one of the strongest competitors left.

And yeah, TWoP's become obnoxious with how they now allow stupidity but no pointing out of said stupidity. Let's drive away the smart posters so the idiots can feel free to post without worry.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Oh I know. God forbid anyone point out when something has become offensive.

And, yeah, the defacto TWOP stance seems to be that Casey is an evil cheerleader who looks like Jennifer Anniston and that she only pretends to be helpful because deep down, beneath the professional and generally personable attitude, lurks a beeyotch.

I can understand people saying "I don't like her" because everyone has different likes. I don't understand at all why her every action is seen as some evil deception masking her evil nature. But worse than that is the general sexism of discounting wins to "they only gave it to her because of her boobs"

(And, honestly, I've never noticed her boobs. The woman is in a chef's jacket. What do these people want?!)

[txvoodoo.livejournal.com]

I just don't LIKE Casey. It's not her boobs. I like boobs just fine.

TWOP is so contradictory and annoying. Why do I post there? I'm sick of the "Bore-dain" and "Coldickio" shit too. They dislike anyone whose snarky wit threatens to overshadow their own. Tony and Tom have both earned their bones and the right to snark at will.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I'm fine with someone not liking her. There's no reason someone has to like her. I do wonder what the hell is going on when people attribute evil to her every action. As reality show villains go, I've yet to see any demonstrable villainy (As for Hung, I tend to find myself amused by his belief that he's a bad guy. For a bad guy... he's rather innocuous. The dichotmy in that amuses me. Howie on the other hand was a sexist caveman who sweated in the food and that's ew! ew! ew! I could never see loving his food because it was infused with sweat and that's disgusting.) I can see people saying that her personality rubs them the wrong way, or that they're unimpressed. But when someone blithely posts in multiple threads "She won because of her boobs," I'm offended. Not for Casey per se but for the entire thought process that it's okay to dismiss a woman's win with saying she won because of her boobs. I was infuriated by that remark. How in the heck is that an okay thing to say? How demeaning to women in general is that kind of remark? And I'm dumbfounded by people saying "Oh, I said that but it's not because I dislike women". Well, they must because encouraging that kind of sexist belittling of a woman's work and allowing that sort of mindset to be condonned isn't good for women at large in any work place. No one would say that Tre won his challenge because he had a big dick (hell if I know whether or not he does). But, it's fine for people to say that she won because of her boobs? That really hacked me off.

Criticize her food. Complain that cauliflower is farty. Say that the judging is capricious (because God knows that it is). Say that they don't like her personality that and she rubs them the wrong way. But reducing her to her boobs when she hasn't been playing off her boobs or playing up her boob or exploiting her sexualty and expressly wants to be seen as a professiona is runs darn close to misogyny for me.

Er... yeah, itpissed me off that I got warned for protesting a horribly sexist remark but posting said remark is apparently a-ok.

I'm fine with people disliking her, but when it comes to dismissing by saying "She only won for her boobs" ...as a woman, I became offended. That's not okay.

[(Anonymous)]

I don't even watch the show, but I'm offended on her behalf. And yours. She's somehow not playing fair just because her breasts are big? Whatever. I swear, TWOP gets more ridiculous every year. And that poster, whether male or female, is a Mrs. Grundyesque nosey old biddy of a peahen bitch. I remember the type from when I was a little girl- they'd nod knowingly to each other and go, "You know, it just isn't decent for a girl's breasts to be that large." As if boobs don't grow unless you're up to something licentious, and the more virtuous a girl is the flatter her bustline.

[nmissi.livejournal.com]

I don't even watch the show, but I'm offended on her behalf. And yours. She's somehow not playing fair just because her breasts are big? Whatever. I swear, TWOP gets more ridiculous every year. And that poster, whether male or female, is a Mrs. Grundyesque nosey old biddy of a peahen bitch. I remember the type from when I was a little girl- they'd nod knowingly to each other and go, "You know, it just isn't decent for a girl's breasts to be that large." As if boobs don't grow unless you're up to something licentious, and the more virtuous a girl is the flatter her bustline.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I have to be honest. I've never even noticed her boobs. I don't know that they are particularly large. People whine about her "posture".

Oh. Well, shoot her then for standing up straight with her shoulders back.

But, truly, I just don't get it. This is the outfit she was wearing (I kid you not) when, supposedly, the boobs 'won' the challenge for her. http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/photos/breville/index.php?id=31#pic_anchor


It's not exactly like she's Kendra the Playboy Bunny or like she's running around in a too-small bikini, here. This is the same contestant who became upset during one challenge because they were told to dress for a night out on the town in a nightclub, then told to cook, saying that it wouldn't be professional for her to cook in that kind of attire because she wouldln't be taken seriously(and she wasn't scantily clad then/ She was in dark jeans and a loose silk blouse.)

Really, the TWOP comment reeked of someone desperately trying to dismiss her as a contestant, which is why it seemed so sexist to me. Dismiss things that relate to the game. But to dismiss her on gender specific body issues when this is not a game which plays on physical attributes in any way (unlike, say, America's Next Top Model) while ignoring the skills and discounting the validity of her wins but going saying "boobies!" seems sexist as hell.

[msclawdia.livejournal.com]

It just depends so much on who the moderator is. I've seen good ones (Pamie was pretty hands off) and really nasty ones.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I think part of it was that I'm running against the general sentiment of the board where, for whatever reasons, a majority hate the woman. Personally, at this point, for a reality show I find all the remaining contestants to be surprisingly innocuous. This doesn't appear to be a cut throat group and I can't see what about this contestant is supposed to be so destable... other than she has a vague resemblance to Jennifer Anniston when viewed from a certain angle (and I'm not sure what's supposed to be destible about that either).

All in all, even though I don't root or "side" with any one contestant at this point in the game, I'm not on the "Casey is teh evol!" train either. She seems like a relatively competent chef who happens to be relatively attractive... and who has won a few of the challenges.

But she's quite unpopular. Which doesn't bother me in the general course of things. What do I care. But the pervasive sexism in dismissing her wins to "She had boobies!" annoyed the living hell out of me. What makes that an okay thing to say? Why is that kind of sexist ridiculousness tolerated? Why can no one point out "Hey! That's a really sexist thing to say!"

There's a difference between disliking someone or rooting against someone and dismissing them in a trivial and wholly sexist way. But, apparently, it's a worse crime to point this out when the contestant this would defend is someone the TWOP tide flows against.

[msclawdia.livejournal.com]

I don't know who's moderating, but I remember when I used to watch more reality TV I read a lot of Miss Alli's stuff. She had very little patience with certain female contestants but would go on for three pages about some male contestant's shoulders and arms. If it's a moderator who takes after her, I can imagine there's little patience for anyone who doesn't harsh on the hated lady.