‘Attractive & Fat’ ad spoofs Abercrombie

In this interview with activist and artist Jes Baker, she explains what motivated her to write a public letter to the CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch after he had been quoted saying that they did not offer women’s sizes over a size 10 because “We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.”  This is an example of how institutions (in this case business) influences gendered norms because while there are XL and XXL men’s sizes at Abercrombie, you won’t find larger women’s sizes.

Baker has prompted a change.org petition and created a Abercrombie ad parody to “challenge the separation of attractive and fat.”  Check it out!

Gendered Identities in South Asia

There are many countries that identify more than two sexes and the gendered identities that go with these.  Click here for an article about how Pakistan has had its first “shemale” candidates for political office and here for an article on how Nepal has created a new designation for sex on citizenship documents and in the national census.

Both of these stories demonstrate how institutions (in his case government/law) influence perceptions of gender in important ways.  By changing laws, these governments have changed understandings of what is possible and acceptable.

Gendered Norms in Nepal

In chapter 1, we talked about how everyday practices influence how we perceive gender.  Here is an example from Nepal that demonstrates health consequences too.  In Nepal, gendered norms call for men to have the first pick of and more of the family’s food, if they wish to do so.  Children typically eat from their mother’s plates.  So, both children and women are often chronically malnourished.  Read more about it here.

Women’s athletics a battle for respect

Here’s a great example of how girls can see a variety of role models (cognitive development) through greater exposure to female athletes.  This also demonstrates how institutions (US government/laws) influence gendered norms.  With the introduction of Title IX, gendered norms of femininity started to change as more and more girls became athletes.