I found myself reading a blog entry by Heartise today titled "A Hot White Woman's Gine is a Terrible Thing to Waste." It bothers him that white women are choosing to do things with their bodies other than have more white children. He says:

Now ask yourselves, does it seem like White women are exercising good stewardship of their Golden Gashes? The obesity epidemic, let alone the slow rise in WW-BM interracial dating, suggests White women have fallen down on the job of keeping their down above the mob.

Ignoring all the racism and cringe-worthy language (golden gashes? really?) he seems to have this notion that women are stewards of their own vaginas, merely keepers of a commodity as opposed to it being, yanno, just part of her body.

I see this sentiment reflected elsewhere. Like when a woman in an office environment cuts her hair and even the most casual of male work acquaintances will make a negative comment to her about it, as though his opinion on her hair has any bearing at all. Or she gets a tattoo. Or gains weight.

Like when a woman who looks a certain way, any way, makes a dating profile and receives messages from men, complete strangers mind you, telling her that there's something they dislike about her appearance. Length of her hair, color of her hair, the presence of piercings or tattoos. The facial expression she's making in her picture.

It's as though there are men who think women, all women, are some sort accessory in their life that they have a say over.

RP men, do you feel this way? Does it somehow offend you personally when a woman, a stranger or casual acquaintance, does something with her own body that you don't care for, as though it's an insult to you? Do you feel like you have a right to input on a given woman's appearance? That your preference trumps hers?