Post: #1

fascinating, somewhat misogynistic comment here

Quote:Gentlemen, we're seeing the inner-workings of the mysterious Female Social Matrix here in all its glory. Women and men interact with each other using a very different set of rules. Women tend to be more social and willing to congregate by nature, because that's the only way they can establish their own Sex Rank in relation to each other and society at large. When a woman is in a social situation and perceives another woman as more attractive or otherwise threatening to her own social position, then the whole "hate her because she's beautiful" thing starts working it's insidious magic. The less-attractive women conspire to undermine the social rank of the more-beautiful woman through a variety of subtle means, usually gossip and innuendo suggesting that the more-beautiful woman has transgressed the established boundaries of the social group ("She is such a slut!") in order to unseat her at the top of the social order. By unseating the Alpha female's social rank, the less-attractive Beta women elevate themselves in comparison -- within the Female Social Matrix. But the moment another woman becomes the social Alpha, she, too, becomes the target of subtle attacks. The mid-level Betas conspire and ally with each other all the while jockying for position in proximity to the social Alpha. It's as Machiavellian as you could ask for, and the competition, while not bloody, is intriguing enough to fulfill many Betas with no social hope by just participating in the "take down". Women, when they ally, do it ultimately to take away feminine power.

Men, on the other hand, congregate around an Alpha as well, but they do so to "borrow" the power of his masculinity -- his authority, his ability to order, to act, to protect, to impress and to bless -- in return for service and support that ultimately improves the Alpha and the Beta's social standing. Luke Skywalker, for instance, "borrowed" Han Solo's masculine power as much as he "borrowed"Obi Wan Kenobi's power of knowledge of the Force. That's why it's such a compelling story. At the end of the first movie, he's gone from white-clad innocent farm boy to the heroic destroyer of the Death Star, thanks to the power he gained from both. In the military, the most institutionalized social grouping based on masculine principals, authority flows clearly from the top to the bottom. But so does respect and honor, intangibles that support the Alpha, not seek to tear him down. By being good followers and lending the Alpha their individual masculine power, his personal power and authority is greatly magnified, usually along with his social rank.

Which could be one reason why it's often typical for newly married men to "disappear" off of the social circle for a few years. Their wives understand the power of male social organization, and by retarding her husband's "commitments of masculinity" to a larger male social group, they deprive him of the power of the group's support. Similarly, some men actively encourage their wives to engage in the vicious social in-fighting, not because they actually support their wives, but because female power focused against other females is power not focused against her husband.

It's a complex game, but even feminists agree that women are too hard on each other and tear each other down. But when females try to copy male-organized organizations, they end up de-evolving into the de facto clique-fest that most all-women organizations become. It is also instructive as to the nature of the relationship between Sex Rank and Social Rank in a woman's mind.

Post: #2

(04-04-2012 3:37 PM)Pheroquirk Wrote:  

fascinating, somewhat misogynistic comment here

Unfortunately, I was expecting Samantha to be 'more pretty/hot.' She wasn't that hot. Maybe for an average 'soccer mom' who, most women in that category, are carrying extra pounds, maybe she is the epitome of what those women want/long to be. But as a younger female, just reading the post heading, I was looking for this smokin hot, Brazilian/exotic beauty, with 4 kids. Angelina Jolie is HOT for her age (prior to her anorexic look, that is). Although, I'm all about empowering women, unfortunately, blondes don't do it for me. Lol. Sigh. Maybe its because I'm not in her same 'arena' age/children/husband-wise. Women (and men) need to take better care of themselves, and maybe there'd be less reason to 'hate.' We ALL have the power to be 'pretty.' That's what God made diet/exercise/plastic surgeons for, no?

Post: #3

(04-04-2012 11:42 PM)SportyCurve5 Wrote:  Unfortunately, I was expecting Samantha to be 'more pretty/hot.' She wasn't that hot. Maybe for an average 'soccer mom' who, most women in that category, are carrying extra pounds, maybe she is the epitome of what those women want/long to be. But as a younger female, just reading the post heading, I was looking for this smokin hot, Brazilian/exotic beauty, with 4 kids. Angelina Jolie is HOT for her age (prior to her anorexic look, that is). Although, I'm all about empowering women, unfortunately, blondes don't do it for me. Lol. Sigh. Maybe its because I'm not in her same 'arena' age/children/husband-wise. Women (and men) need to take better care of themselves, and maybe there'd be less reason to 'hate.' We ALL have the power to be 'pretty.' That's what God made diet/exercise/plastic surgeons for, no?

The piece I linked to did address what you say in your first line. The key point is that although objectively she was perhaps only a bit better-looking than not-repellent (such a harsh assessment being justified by her having painted a target on herself), within her social circles she was probably prettier and younger than her 'competition', and this was what counted for men and for women.

Unfortunately women don't all have the power to be prettier than the next. Nature is not an egalitarian, and so long as children are conceived the old-fashioned way, there will always be rivalry between women over appearance - rivaly that sometimes becomes unseemly.

Post: #4

4/10

Looks a bit like Gordon Ramsay in a dress.

Post: #5

Her husband is significantly older, and English women don't age well. So she probably is a sexual threat in her social circle.

Quote:Don't get me wrong, some of the backlash is hysterical. But the reality is that the behavior she's describing is no less real for all that it's being directed at a very moderately attractive middle-aged woman rather than a gorgeous actress. The reality is that most women intensely dislike other women who put them in the shade, whether they are very pretty 18-year olds or post-menopausal purple-coiffed blobs. Being a) blonde, b) not noticably overweight, and c) plain-featured, Samantha Brick is probably the belle of the ball in her various social circles and commands attention from most of the men in it.

The fact that she wouldn't attract so much as a second glance, assuming there was a first one, on Hollywood Boulevard is entirely irrelevant. It's not her place on the absolute standard of human beauty that determines how she is treated, but rather, her place in comparison with the women around her and how the men around them respond to her.

And while based on her writing, it is almost surely true that Brick is a solipsistic cow, that's not why women dislike her. When women dislike other women on sight, logic dictates that it doesn't have anything to do with their characters. Confirmation can be found in this comment at the newspaper site:

"This woman is pretty, I won't deny that, and I'm sure plenty of men and women would find her attractive. However, she's not so overwhelmingly beautiful that I would hate her just for sharing airspace with me."

Translation: Me pretty so me no hate her. Me only hate pretty pretty.

Post: #6

I have wondered where John Tesh has been, seems he became a transgender and had the surgery, hope that does not effect his piano efforts much.

Post: #7

Obviously the first thing that strikes one is that she is not pretty. But are we too superficial to see beyond that, and see that she has a genuine point about the nature of female competition.

Post: #8

It seems she lives in a world with women who have what I call "cheerleader" mentality...in that they never evolve past their petty high school rivalry stage. Yes, there's women in the world like she describes...lots of them. None of those type are my friends though, I avoid them like the plague. I spent 10 years in an all female rock band traveling the world and having to share tiny living spaces with them, and there was none of that obnoxious behavior. The creative circles that I socialize in...there's none of this. Creative women may be less likely to engage in this stupidity, because their lives focus on more than simply just a popularity contest and social hierarchy. Sheesh, take the Love Potion message boards for a great example. None of that behavior there. Lots of mutually supportive intelligent creative women supporting each other and open and caring with the men there too. I hate it when someone presumes to speak for "all women". She's speaking about unenlightened women, at best.

Post: #9

Go figure... All but Mara doesnt mention Samantha's comment/article at all, but are more concernd wether Samantha is beautiful or not. No wonder she thinks women rate each other on beauty. And from this thread it certantly looks like we men also do so.

Post: #10

The world is a big place, but not everyone in every modern society at every point in their life has the immediate power, capacity or know how to select their ideal social and work group...