I need to talk to you guys about lady stuff and why it’s funny (and sometimes not) when guys do it.
BuzzFeed’s been doing a lot of really funny videos where guys do girl stuff, and girls do guy stuff and we sort of get to look at the absurdity of gender roles and prescriptive masculinity/femininity.
But sometimes I do a little head-scratch, wondering what each one says about a number of issues and what guys really think of these videos.
So here are three popular ones, and I want to know what you guys think.
Guys get bikini waxes!
The first one is above (At the top! See that? Up there!^), and it features dudes getting their bikini areas waxed. Personally, I liked that not all the guys acted like it was a huge deal, and while I’m not going to say whether I personally have had a bikini wax or hundreds of bikini waxes, I can tell you that most of their reactions are pretty normal. Except the guy who acted like it was nothing. That guy is part superhero for sure.
So here’s what I want to know from you guys:
1. Does this make you think that women are more willing to sacrifice ourselves to be attractive to our partners than most guys are?
2. Does it seem like men have lower pain thresholds than the average woman? Because, insider scoop for you: that’s what a lot of women think. Based on this video, it seems like they’re about equal.
3. Does this video make you more or less likely to get a bikini wax?
4. Does this video make you more or less likely to appreciate a partner who had a bikini wax?
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Okay, so in this one, some dudes tried on Spanx. If you don’t know what Spanx are, they’re the equivalent of having duct tape wrapped around your hips, thighs, butt and abdomen but not sticky. They hold you in and apparently make you less jiggly.
I have not worn Spanx, but I didn’t connect with this video all that much. I think it’s a little bit of like, “Oh look at dudes wearing ladies’ clothes, aren’t they funny?” and I feel like that’s been tried and oftentimes come off as a bit transphobic. Not this one, so much, BuzzFeed (in my estimation) does a pretty good job of not falling into the “ugly man in a dress” trope, but correct me if you disagree.
Which leads me to this question:
1. Is there a tiny bit of anti-woman-ness to making guys try on ladies’ clothes in order to laugh at them? I mean, is this a bit of “Oh you silly ladies do such dumb things!” Or am I just being too sensitive? I can handle it, tell me the truth.
2. Have you ever worn a Spanx-type product designed for guys? They do exist and they sell better than you’d think. I don’t think we should be ashamed of, or shaming of, guys who want a control product under their clothing.
3. Would it be better if guys and women all had the same options, such as Spanx, make-up and bikini waxes, without being considered “girlie” or lacking in masculinity?
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Dudes try on ladies’ sexy Halloween costumes!
The last few years there’s been a lot of attention on the fact that it’s not simple finding a Halloween costume for women that isn’t sexy or somehow designed to make you look like a child. It’s frustrating.
Just today I looked up “group costumes for women halloween” to try to find something to replace our AWFUL truly AWFUL one-size-fits-all Ghostbusters costumes my two girl friends and I bought (and have to return). The Ghostbusters coveralls were giant and floppy and just not cute. We wanted to be cute, but not necessarily sexy. Is that a lot to ask?
Anyway, what I found as far as ideas were just… I mean… not right for us. Including, but not limited to, green bikinis with green backpacks posing as “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” as well as yellow tube tops and cutoff jean shorts with suspenders for a group of Minions.
So it’s sort of fun to watch guys experience the oddity of mainstream women’s Halloween costumes. I also think the guy with the spiky black hair probably organized all this because he looks hot and awesome in every single costume AND seems super excited to show his bikini underpants to all of us.
So here are my questions:
1. How does seeing guys in women’s “sexy” costumes make you feel about Halloween?
2. Do costumes like this really seem sexy?
3. What is the equivalent of these types of costumes for dudes? We had a whole list of literal equivalents on GMP yesterday, but what about the more typical ones, the ones you’d actually see out at a Halloween party?
4. Did this video change your mind at all about “sexy” Halloween costumes for women?
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Let me know your thoughts about these gender swaps, good or bad. I’m genuinely curious how others are analyzing these!
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And also read 12 Sexy Halloween Costumes for Men that Are Completely Ridiculous