"Feminine" and "Masculine", it needs to stop.

Back when women were trying to assert their rights, it was all about how women could do what men did, and to a degree it still is.  Women can build houses, women can shovel dirt, women can drive trains, women can fix cars and computers.

This attitude though ignores one little fact - the jobs that have always been considered feminine, like sewing, nursing, teaching, motherhood even - they still need doing.  Unfortunately what we're seeing is a world where being feminine is being seen as being weak, and to me, that's not true equality.  This is the same attitude that believes that if a man is raped or suffers from domestic violence at the hands of a female that he deserves scorn.  The notions of "feminine" and "masculine" need to go if there is to be any smidgen of hope that there will be true equality of the sexes (male, female or otherwise!).

To me, true equality will be when a man can be a stay-at-home parent without being judged.  When a woman is not seen as "ditsy and dumb" when she wears a pretty dress and a bit of make up.  When a man is not considered weak for crying.

I can't fault the womens rights movement, after all if it weren't for those first women then I certainly wouldn't be typing this.  However, I think a change in ideals is needed. We all know that anything men can do, women can do too, now how about the opposite?  That anything women used to do is still worth doing and in fact is needed to be done, and men are just as capable as women at doing it.

The worst people for this attitude are easily older males.  All of my co-workers often disdain men who act feminine - and don't like it when I call them on it.  I have often asked "What's wrong with being feminine?" "Oh, it's all right when WOMEN do it." "But I act masculine and you don't have a problem with that, why is it a problem when men act feminine?" Cue a lot of dodging the question and getting flustered.  It's a piss-poor attitude and one that needs to change.  If women are now allowed to wear pants, then men should be allowed to wear dresses WITHOUT the bullcrap!

The only issue anyone should have with this photo is that parasol with that dress.  

HELLO, colour co-ordination anyone?!