Is This Sexist?

The other day, there was a little hullaballoo on twitter, where Simon Pegg posted a picture of a group of Slave Leia cosplayers, drooled over it, and came under fire for doing such a sexist thing, from several corners of the internet.

http://storify.com/cnstoker/cosplayers-are-geeks-too

I'm curious as to your thoughts. Was this incident sexist, or is it an overreaction?
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I am a Star Wars fan. That doesn't mean that I hate or love Jar Jar. That doesn't mean I hate or love Lucas, or agree or disagree 100% with him. That doesn't mean I prefer the PT over the OT, or vice versa. That doesn't mean I hate the EU, or even love all of it. These are not prerequisites. Being a man is not a prerequisite. Being a geek is not a prerequisite. The only prerequisite is that I love something about Star Wars. I am a Star Wars fan.

I'll keep my thoughts on this brief.

I wasn't around at the time of this happening, and so I don't know if the tweets that we shown in the article are the only ones Simon Pegg tweeted, so I'm not going to comment being this: based on the tweets shown, I do feel she was overreacting, yes.

And, on the wider subject, I see nothing wrong with being attracted to, and appreciating a woman's body, solely on that level - as long as it's understood that that's not all women are there for.
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I am a Star Wars fan. That doesn't mean that I hate or love Jar Jar. That doesn't mean I hate or love Lucas, or agree or disagree 100% with him. That doesn't mean I prefer the PT over the OT, or vice versa. That doesn't mean I hate the EU, or even love all of it. These are not prerequisites. Being a man is not a prerequisite. Being a geek is not a prerequisite. The only prerequisite is that I love something about Star Wars. I am a Star Wars fan.

Okay, so I don't think this is sexist. However, I don't like women being drooled over in such a fashion. I realize he was just being funny, and that's fine. But there's the problem with the internet. Everything is public, and an unintended target can misinterpret your intentions. Be careful with what you say to the entire world. It's a more sensitive environment than just joking around with your friends.
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"It's not about the legacy you leave, it's about the life you live." ~Mara Jade Skywalker

Master Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 4404 Location: Korriban

Sexism has a slight double standard these days. Recently a movie came out called Magic Mike which is about male strippers. Women everywhere flocked to it, drooled over it, sat starry eyed while their horrible actor eye candy pole danced, and then left. It always gets talked about and such. But I make one comment to a girl about how pretty I think Natalie Portman is and suddenly I'm just a dog.Ugh.
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Trust me, I am just as disgusted, if not more so, by the women who do such things. I have no interest in that movie, and I am disappointed in the females who went to see it for that reason. Just like I get frustrated with men who do the same. I find it offensive from both sexes. Show some respect. You want to drool over another person? Fine, but do it on your own time. That's not something I need to know about.
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"It's not about the legacy you leave, it's about the life you live." ~Mara Jade Skywalker

Master Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 4404 Location: Korriban

Knight Joined: 14 Apr 2011 Posts: 350

I'm in agreement with Mara and Caedus. I was also raised that it isn't proper behavior act that way. Not that there is anything wrong with noticing an attractive woman but as Life said only so long as it is understood that isn't the only reason women are here.

Incidently this is an example of why I dispise twitter. People just post whatever pops into their mind and, as this case demonstrates, some of those thoughts don't belong in public or just aren't things we need to know about.
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I might get lynched for this, but if you're dressing up as slave Leia (or Conan the Barbarian - to keep things gender-neutral Wink

) don't expect the opposite sex to not think of you as a sexual object. It's difficult to think of someone as a fellow person, a fellow soul, with that level of distraction. It's like walking around in an elephant suit, and ordering people not to think or talk about elephants.
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Oh, I didn't say not to think it. If you're dressing that way, you're more than asking for it. But the other person has a responsibility to keep their thoughts to themselves. I suppose is what I mean. Just like saying someone who has done you wrong deserves the same in return. Perhaps, but you have the responsibility to be the bigger person and not retaliate. Lame example, but you get what I mean.
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"It's not about the legacy you leave, it's about the life you live." ~Mara Jade Skywalker

I agree with Mara and Reep. While I do not particularly like a guy openly ogling a woman, if the woman is question has chosen to dress as slave Leia, well, I don't really know what else she expected.

I know a girl who consistently dresses provocatively and willingly sends guys risque picture, but then complains when they treat her as a solely sexual object. Just....really?
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Master Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 4404 Location: Korriban

@Padme: You'd be surprised by the double standard, and I see it in women a lot more than I do men. Say what you will about how awful our gender can be, at least we wear how horrible we are on our sleeves (I don't act like that but you know what I mean). I detest it when men treat women like an object because I was raised thinking it was disgusting, but some women just bring it upon themselves. Should it happen? No. Do I understand why it does happen to them? Yep.
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EUC Staff Joined: 15 Sep 2010 Posts: 1117 Location: Kansas

As someone who has experienced sexual harassment, I really don't like the double standard that the victim is more scrutinized than the perpetrator. No one deserves to be treated less than a human being, degraded into an object.
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Master Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 4404 Location: Korriban

@DLE: I agree 100%, but I also understand how it happens to some people. I don't like it, I don't think it's right in any way, but I can see it happen. On top of that women get the raw end of the deal because your standard, 'scene' modern man doesn't mind being objectified and its part of what he wants anyway. And sexual harassment can go both ways. It needs to have an eye kept on it at all times. I've been both thanked and condemned for stepping in when I see it happening, but I'll always step in.
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Perfection is a lifelong pursuit requiring sacrifice. The only way to get it quicker is to sacrifice the most.

BIG TIME overreactions.

They need to grow up.

I mean he's just being male. Males tend to have sex on their mind a lot. This is a fact of our gender. I doubt he'd ever do something like that to the women. Sure on twitter it's easy to say it. To your friends were they can't hear you. But to do it in front of the woman that's changing it. You can say and do anything in ones mind- it's when we take it tot he person that it becomes offensive, but I doubt that there was anything meant against the women in the comments- if anything it's more his way of saying very much approved.

This would hold more weight if I was female though. Since I'm not; as you were....
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