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🔥Hot Topic🔥 Double Standards

in General Discussion

One of the hottest discussions I've seen circulating lately has to do with the theme of "the battle of the sexes." A lot of the podcast and videos I've watched (mostly in passing) all pose this question:

What is the double standard?

So for this discussion I'd thought it'd be interesting to see everyone's thoughts on double standards between men and women, etc.

2 comments

Comments (2)

Shen Friebe

Oct 26, 2022

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I might take a slightly different direction in my approach to this question because it's the only 'double' standard I can think of, but perhaps different genders (in this case, I think this predominantly affects cis gendered men and women) have different expectations on what they- and others- feel they should write about. A lot of monetising young fem and some masc poets I have noticed tend to refer to the same pigeon holes when it comes to choosing subject matters to write about (love, sex, insecurity/self-esteem issues, etc.) There is nothing inherently wrong with this of course, but there are reasons as to why this pattern emerges so often; i think it is a combination of appealing to readers (often young and sometimes vapid people) and therefore expanding their audience in pursuit of more revenue, perhaps a lack of adventurousness from the writer, the writer's own (maybe) unhealthy fixation on their self and people who have such a profound influence on them. Art is art and it does say a lot about the state of the self and the current world so it is all valid and insightful, but this kind of pigeon-holing might also negatively reflect on the writer and reinforce harmful stereotypes and impressions of young female writers, predominantly. It's also setting the creative bar quite low for these writers, almost to the point it is patronising them and stifling their creative growth. Daring to dream and being curious about the world around you as a whole is a way to break out of these pigeon holes and embrace one's highest potential artistically.

I could expand on what I have said above but I think I have officially exhausted all of my philosophising from my uni days, lol.

Ken LeMarchand

Oct 26, 2022

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Replying to

This is enlightening stuff, Shen! The fact that you've mentioned "art is art" no matter what form or medium it takes speaks greatly to the aptitude you have for the genre.

I do think that writers (of all kinds) have an inclination to pigeon-hole themselves from time to time. I'm sure there are many reasons for this to be, but I think the predominant source may be mainstream media.

Magazines, news, television shows, etc., have always been a benchmark source of what is "cool" and what isn't. It truly speaks to the naivety of individuals as a whole. Not pointing out anyone specific, but in general. Just like I'm sure there are individuals that can read through the clout and obnoxious entertainment ploys to obtain a profitable audience.

That being said, I don't believe writers intentionally pigeon-hole themselves, not to say there isn't some who do, or that you are saying that either, but again, a generalized assumption wouldn't be too far off I think.

What I mean by this is that writers are influenced by many different things - mostly their environment - and I think lifestyle choices a little bit too. It is that bit of egotism in the form of jealousy that often takes over - because everyone, some way or another, wants what they don't have. It is that dynamic of impulsivity vs. self-control that makes or breaks in this situation.

Whether it be an impulse to buy that Fitbit watch because everyone is wearing it, and it will somehow miraculously make you appear like a fit person. Or in a writer's shoes, propping yourself up as some pseudointellectual because you're trying to compensate for your lack of skill - often taking the form of imposter syndrome. No matter the situation, people create their own self-fulfilling prophecies. Some just have better results than others.

Also I think people write about what they know. So if all they know is naivety, then that is what they will likely write about. I mean look at how vast of an audience there is for self-help in poetry nowadays. That is because there are so many writers who have experienced grief in one shape or other, and because that is what they feel strongly about, that is what they write about.

However, this brings us back to the impulsivity control. Do they need to write about self-help, self-care, grief, and every negative thing in between?

No. Not really.

They could literally write about anything else, but they choose not to. Why? Because this theme is what mainstream media is promoting. It is what is in. So the sheep flock to it, while us black sheep do everything we can to avoid the herd.