It always looked like contempt to me. Caricatures of women, especially in the form of “bitchiness,” loads of misogyny (Charles Pierce in SF, omigoddess) and male aggression, and Venus envy.
There’s a long history of men portraying women in theater, including satirizing women and even battery in street theatre and masquerades. But there’s no comparable female equivalent with the power to publicly mock and comment on men. Only in private, and occasionally in secret women’s initiation ceremonies.
It always looked like contempt to me. Caricatures of women, especially in the form of “bitchiness,” loads of misogyny (Charles Pierce in SF, omigoddess) and male aggression, and Venus envy.
There’s a long history of men portraying women in theater, including satirizing women and even battery in street theatre and masquerades. But there’s no comparable female equivalent with the power to publicly mock and comment on men. Only in private, and occasionally in secret women’s initiation ceremonies.
This is so well said. Thank you for writing.
Thank you for reading!