One of the trickiest aspects of attempting to ally oneself to women as a man in any context is avoiding paternalism – acting on behalf of women as if we know better than them – but it’s particularly tough to avoid in party environments. After all, parties tend to be loud, busy, complicated, and people are there for a variety of reasons. Thus, we might see a woman on the dance floor who has someone grinding up on her. Even if she has a look on her face that we interpret as discomfort, it’s hard to know how to proceed. After all, maybe that is how her face looks when she’s really into something! Or maybe she is uncomfortable, but doesn’t want help from a stranger. Or maybe she is uncomfortable and wants help, but not from a male-identified person. Or maybe she’s getting ready to handle it herself. The key here is not to assume we can “save the day” and to be respectful and defer to women when possible. ~LA everydayfeminism/2013/11/allies-to-women-at-parties/
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 04:00:01 +0000
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