Wednesday 17 February 2010

News bites: Hippity Hop Hens

An article by Kate Ellis on the Australian On Line Opinion website:
Apparently post feminist women are reinventing hen’s nights in order to (re)claim a male activity while men are becoming more “classy” with spa visits and golfing days. Yet for Hannah Pool, the hen’s night is a traumatic, humiliating experience where feminists are expected to disregard their political beliefs. Pool contends that the first step in reducing the “very specific tyranny” of a hen’s night is to make them bunny ear free.

My cousin just got married and I was invited to his fiancé’s hen’s night:

Yes, its dress up PLAYBOY BUNNY!!! Ears provided for those who think they are not the dress up type ...

*Groan*

...Although still partial to a halter neck I’m feeling a bit troubled by Third wave feminism’s evolution into post feminism. I feel like girl culture is letting us down.

The current crop of girl bands, such as The Pussycat Dolls as they sing “don’t you wish your girlfriend was hot like me”, has got me depressed. There are so many contradictions regarding empowerment, girl culture, consumerism and the same old subjugation.

My soon to be cousin’s Playboy-themed hen’s night was a great text to think these ideas through. The Playboy bunny has become a ubiquitous symbol in modern life and has taken on new meanings of sexual self possession...
Click through for the whole article.

4 comments:

Desdemona said...

I threw my own hen night for my birthday. I'm not getting married. I don't intend to. So I threw my own hen night in celebration of all women smart and sassy.

Then I could decide what I wanted to do to celebrate being a single woman.

I agree that most hen nights seem to be a degrading trip to slutville but I find baby showers worse. I'd prefer to wear fluffy bunny ears in public than be expected to be "amused" by prunes set in lemon jelly in a potty or have to play "guess the baby food" taste test.

DPF:TLDR said...

'trip to slutville' eh Desdemona?

Case Pariuri said...

Desdemona, what nationality are you? You are using complicated words my English :P

Wish I could understand better what you're saying...actually, I should consult a dictionary!

Desdemona said...

Which part is confusing? I'm happy to elaborate.