Will the "woman in the kitchen" jokes ever get old?
I had the misfortune to view this t-shirt multiple times while on vacation a few weeks ago. I saw it in several shops on a boardwalk in New Jersey, as well as in a mall in Staten Island. I was pretty disgusted by it the first time I saw it, and it only got worse as I saw it being sold in multiple shops, and then on a boy who must have been about 12. My sister told me she saw a woman wearing it.
The fact that people are still amused by t-shirts like this is seriously unfortunate. Not only does it reinforce the age-old stereotype of a woman’s place being in the kitchen, it also promotes dismissing women rather than giving them the respect they deserve. And the fact that I witnessed it being worn by such a young boy makes it even worse; I hate to think that some kids grow up thinking a shirt that promotes sexism is “cool” (and that parents would be okay with their child wearing it…). It was also pretty disturbing that a woman was wearing it – it’s so frustrating when some women dismiss overt sexism as a joke. I suppose one could argue that the message could also be directed toward a male, but given that men are never told to “get back in the kitchen”, I’d say with great certainty that the “babe” being addressed is intended to be a woman.
What do you think of the shirt? Insanely sexist or a harmless joke?
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Tags: feminism, important issues, sexism, stereotypes, women
Coming from a guy’s perspective, that is definitely a sexist shirt.
Not only does it reinforce the age-old stereotype of a woman’s place being in the kitchen, it also promotes dismissing women rather than giving them the respect they deserve.
It also reinforces the notion that a place in the kitchen isn’t a valuable place.
harmless joke – get out more!
You’re a harmless joke
I’m not sure what getting out has to do with it… if one “gets out more” they become desensitized to sexism?
I have a couple thoughts on the matter. For one harmless jokes tend to require context, like a satirical tone, for instance. Without context they can be offensive, and worse, convey an unintended (or perhaps intended?) message. The message portrayed in this shirt for the most part “I am an asshole with no depth of character.” Of course it is also easily interpreted as a sexist comment, given its typical usage.
That a young boy was wearing it is generally a bad sign, just because it is promoting rude behavior… to whatever audience. In my opinion rudeness is an trait that is earned only when one understands its impact (in other words, there is a time and a place and children don’t know the difference).
Also, a woman wearing the shirt could (maybe) be a spin in the other direction, so as to say, it’s a new world, and now the man should spend some time in the kitchen. We can’t know… but I hope she wasn’t dismissing sexism as a joke.
Lastly, I anticipate the day that the “babe make me a sandwich”ers eventually die out from starvation because the babes wise up and seek the respect they deserve.
This is disgusting. I’d like to tell these people what they can do with their sandwich. I’ll put it somewhere where it will not be tasty when they get it back out.
its a joke.. lighten up!
No it’s a joke if you watch a demotivational just for laugh “hahha go in the kitchen” but is not like that when the world wear a shirt like that. And not only that shirt, a LOT of shirt are not only for woman, but for human kind, a very insult. The fact is that the society suck, i don’t except more than this from “everyday people” to wear stupid clothes, to follow the fashion, and to be a noneless with no brain. As we say, “the joke is fine, when it last not too long”
PS: sorry for my bad english ^^
can everyone just please shut up. its a harmless joke. obviously its not offending that many people if its still being sold. yeah society may suck, but that’s how everyone is. Because now a days you can tell a racist joke around a black person and they don’t get offended. get over it.
And sometimes you see woman wearing them, so. yeah.
haha im a girl and i think the jokes a frickin hilarious!! it just shows men can’t cook
i wear my swearshirt that says that same logo and it makes the guys at my school mad! anyways its just a joke and theres one shirt that says “cool story bro, now go get me some flowers!” but i think they stopped selling it
cool story bro.
Its just t-shirt making a spin on the phrase “Cool Story Bro.” which is when someone basically tells a very long and uninteresting story a.k.a. TLDR {too long didn’t read} It’s harmless and I think it’s cool especially because I’m a girl that works at Subway. lol
I like it. Considering getting it for my 10 year old son. Sometimes humor makes a point, you know? Like, the opposite point!! It’s so obviously outrageous, it actually points to a better behavior and viewpoint – know what I mean? It’s funny and shocking, so it’s not sincere.
Who said you could use the computer?
What a productive and intelligent comment!
Seriously?……Seriously?…. You people need to get over yourselves. If you can’t take a joke such as this one, you need a real reality check. It may not be politically correct…BUT THATS WHY IT’S A JOKE……get a life people. I’ve seen two different people wearing them this weekend….and they were both girls.
You need to realize that there are jokes that offend people. Myself and others happen to be offended by what you perceive to be a joke. A lot of people also seem to forget that girls can be sexist too…just because a girl participates in something doesn’t mean it isn’t sexist.