Cloaking Women: Are Journalists Pressured to Erase and Marginalize Women?

  Sex·ism  prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex: "sexism in language is an offensiv...

 

Sex·ism

 prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex:

"sexism in language is an offensive reminder of the way the culture sees women"

Journalists tell us they are now pressured by editors to use the term 'biological women' to describe women.

Even when they push back, management say the story will not be published/aired if the prefix is not included.

They are complicit in redefining the word 'woman'. https://t.co/QaVsTu2ULA

— SEENinJournalism (@JournalismSEEN) June 30, 2024

Cloaking or covering women's bodies, either physically or symbolically, is a common practice in many patriarchal and misogynistic societies. 

This phenomenon is rooted in a complex web of historical, cultural, religious, and social factors that perpetuate gender inequality and oppression.

Cloaking women's bodies can reduce them to mere objects, stripping them of their humanity and individuality. This objectification can lead to the commodification of women's bodies, where they are seen as mere commodities to be bought, sold, or traded. 

🥀No one woman is an individual....

with a unique story....

possessing unique and distinctive character traits.....🥀

 Cloaking women's bodies can symbolically erase their presence, agency, and individuality. This can be seen in the way women are often absent or marginalized in public spaces, political decision-making, and economic opportunities.

 In some cases, women may internalize the belief that their bodies are shameful or impure, leading them to participate in their own oppression by cloaking their bodies.  This internalized oppression can be a result of societal conditioning, cultural norms, and patriarchal values.

It is critical to recognize that cloaking women's bodies is not only a physical act but also a symbolic one, perpetuating harmful gender stereotypes, reinforcing patriarchal power structures, and limiting women's autonomy and agency. 

Last week the Taliban met with the UN to speak for the women that they are oppressing. Women in the West aren't as far from this as we'd like to believe.

Aren't men informing women and girls how we will be referred to without notification or input?

Aren't we finding it necessary to speak our minds cloaked in anonymous avatars and names online? Afraid to even question....

Aren't our bodies becoming "unspeakable" by their proper medical terms? Even when the condition could end our lives? 

 Ex: "front-hole" to refer to.....I have no idea. But it seems cancer societies think this refers to something on women's bodies related to cervical cancer?

Aren't males pushing women aside in sports activities that were designed for women?

Aren't males informing women and girls that they will be nude in front of one another in bathrooms, locker rooms, healing spaces, etc?

Aren't males informing us that they will have access to our children while dressed as a parody of women?

We, women and girls, are being "cloaked" in the West too. Where will we be in 2, 5, 7 years?

"But Tonya, we have education and businesses. That could never be us."

So did they. Once upon a time and not too long ago. 

Questions

Some men: "How can I be free to be me if she gets to be free, autonomous, and vocal too?"

They must figure out how to control and silence our essence. 

To men who think this way, this is the pathway to "freedom". 

Nothing new. Ancient attempt at coping. 

Do you think such changes to women's nouns without their input make society more likely or less likely to listen to women? 

Who benefits from this type of erasure, minimization, and marginalization of 51% of the population?

Who owns media? Men or women? 

Are women's concerns around our healthcare, financial matters, education, and equality, more likely or less likely to be listened to?

Are women's complaints around harassment, abuse, and violence more likely to be heard or less likely to be heard?

How does the push to marginalize women impact us in the workplace? In the home? In relationships? In the criminal justice system?

Do you think this push would have happened had an explosion of voices around the world not erupted during the epic season of #MeToo💌?

Going forward, how do you plan to lift the voices of women? How do you plan to support and validate women's voices?

What May Come When You Say "No" by Tonya GJ Prince