The fact there’s even an alternate version of a news outlet for women is an issue, and it doesn’t matter how you slice it.
If a publication created a section just to feature content and opinions solely written by female writers, the administrative decision to create it would have been almost understandable.
However, a section of that nature is unnecessary.
Why should we separate the female voices from rest of the headlines?
It creates a divide between what’s normal news and what’s women’s news.
As if they weren’t the same thing.
But actually, Huffington Post seems to think there’s a difference.
While most of the writers in the section are indeed women, it’s clear Lady Huffpost is not just women’s perspectives on day-to-day happenings.
The site claims to feature women’s issues, advice and personal stories.
What it really features is mostly fluff pieces, some weight loss propaganda and the occasional rape story.
But why is the occasional rape story even confined to a section that claims it’s for women’s issues?
That implies that rape is not only an issue that only concerns women, but that it only happens to women.
Rape isn’t a fluff topic; everyone needs to be educated about it, what it means and how to stop it.
On Huffpost Women, rape just gets lumped into the rest of the less-than-hard-hitting material.
So, say I’m a woman — because I am — and I’d like to consume some media from the Huffington Post that is made just for me.
My choices for categories are not politics, business, entertainment, tech, media and the like, as they are on the normal news.
They are healthy living, weddings, divorce, style, home and other domestic topics.
Many of the front-page articles are about relationships and sex, all with click-bait titles, such as “Women Want More Sex, Survey Says.”
Because we needed a survey to tell us.
I mean, doesn’t the title “Do you need to break up with your birth control?” sound like something you should be digesting along with your coffee before morning classes?
Huffpost is known for some of its unnecessary articles.
No one’s surprised when we see something like “Artist Draws Disney Princesses As Pinup Girls,” but Huffpost Women takes it too far.
A little deeper into the site brings us articles centered on what makes a man sexy and why the Miss America body types have changed throughout the years.
Just girly things. And what about girls who like politics or business?
These are things that are deemed not womanly enough for them to like.
If we as a culture continue to stereotype and pigeonhole women’s interests like this, we will be perpetuating the idea that’s all women should be interested in.
It’s the idea that is limiting the amount of women who choose to explore STEM careers, and it’s the reason so many girls who enjoyed their frog dissection go home crying because they aren’t “normal girls.”
So stop embarrassing women with articles that insult their bodies, their relationships and, most importantly, their intelligence.
meickhof@indiana.edu
