Back to the chivalry topic, I believe that yes, chivalry is benevolent sexism. It's specifically based in the idea that women are delicate, weak flowers that need to be protected by men.

That doesn't mean that doing something considerate like holding open doors or being "gentlemanly" can only be motivated by chivalry. Personally, I love holding doors for people, taking my partner out for a meal, pampering him and making him feel like a princess, killing spiders for him so I feel like a knight in shining armor (pfft). But when I do it, it has nothing to do with whether or not the person I'm interacting with is male or female.

Chivalry is sexism, plain and simple. It's mean to men and women, since it assumes that women are weak, while ignoring the needs of men who might actually need or like others to assist them.
Personally, I agree with others that the antidote to chivalry is simply to be nice and considerate to everyone. I don't mind having a door held open for me; I mind having it held open for me because I am perceived as female. That offends me. Courtesy should be a matter of human decency, not a matter of gender (or race, or class, or anything else).

Quote from: PanoramaIsland on April 10, 2010, 02:31:39 AM
Chivalry is sexism, plain and simple. It's mean to men and women, since it assumes that women are weak, while ignoring the needs of men who might actually need or like others to assist them.
Personally, I agree with others that the antidote to chivalry is simply to be nice and considerate to everyone. I don't mind having a door held open for me; I mind having it held open for me because I am perceived as female. That offends me. Courtesy should be a matter of human decency, not a matter of gender (or race, or class, or anything else).

I agree, that's why I said good manners. It appalls me to see a pregnant woman having to stand on a bus while non-pregnant (presumed) women and men allow her to, or at least do not offer her a seat. I'm equally dismayed if a man who is elderly or infirm or is carrying his child etc is not shown the same courtesy.
If people are being sexist in showing courtesy it is wrong. If people are being polite it is correct.
That said, try pushing a person in a wheelchair around a busy shopping centre. I can tell you which gender display manners, and it's not usually male.

Cindy

I have been a proud feminist since I was a teenager.  I agree with much of what you all say here.  Still...

When the gray-haired man at the gas station holds the door for me and uses the opportunity to flirt a little, when I go to the military base and the cute sergeant nods and says "ma'am" with a twinkle in his eye, and when I go to the pistol range and the guys treat me as special – I like it. 

I see it all as an acknowledgment of me as a woman, and of respect, and fun.  Yes, women still have a ways to go before we are treated equally, but let's not be too uptight about the little gifts of attention men give us in the meantime.

- Kate

I think there can be shades of such behavior, and under the right circumstances it may feel good. Flirting would seem to be one of those circumstances, because the message is converted from "I'm helping you because you're a woman" to "I want to make your day easier because I find you attractive/charming," which is totally reasonable. Also, I've known a few men to be "chivalrous" towards me simply because they like me as a person and want to be friendly.

I do also know one particularly kind and warm-hearted guy who acts "chivalrous" because he believes - no matter how much I try to dissuade him from the notion - that women are superior to men. Then again, he's pretty nice to everybody in the first place - what my grandmother would call a mensch (a good, warm, upstanding person).

I like to be a girl

My favourite privilege due to being female is the female sexual experience. Wow is it beautiful! In my opinion its 100% different than the male experience.  I'd never trade it.

Oh yea gotta give boobs an honourable mention too. Sometimes when I'm feeling down I'll take a break with my boobs and, just like that, I'm right! 


*edit :just noticed this is an olddd thread

Quote from: MiaOhMya! on February 26, 2013, 08:47:00 PM
My favourite privilege due to being female is the female sexual experience. Wow is it beautiful! In my opinion its 100% different than the male experience.  I'd never trade it.

Oh yea gotta give boobs an honourable mention too. Sometimes when I'm feeling down I'll take a break with my boobs and, just like that, I'm right! 


*edit :just noticed this is an olddd thread

i really agree with you. i love all the positive attention i get from guys. its such a good change 

oh, good lord.

female privilege does not exist.

this is basic, 101 stuff.  using that word, "privilege", like, i don't think it means what you think it means.  it's not "nice things that you are happy about and also coincidentally you are female when they occur".  it's not even "nice things that you are able to access solely through being female and perceived as such".  the word "privilege" refers to systematic discrimination through institutional power, which is something that's going hells of against the grain when it comes to justice for women.

call this thread "great things about being a woman" all you want, but don't call it privilege, because it ain't.

for what it's worth, our highest earner in my entire store is a woman, and she single-handedly has higher gross profits than our entire internet sales department...  And she's only been in the business 2 months.  The world's changing, and women are taking over!

Quote from: MiaOhMya! on February 26, 2013, 08:47:00 PM
My favourite privilege due to being female is the female sexual experience. Wow is it beautiful! In my opinion its 100% different than the male experience.  I'd never trade it.

Oh yea gotta give boobs an honourable mention too. Sometimes when I'm feeling down I'll take a break with my boobs and, just like that, I'm right! 


*edit :just noticed this is an olddd thread

My Favourite privilege is also the female sexual experience,   The feeling is amazing and it feels like my whole body is going to explode and you feel so relaxed afterwards.

I am pre-op, so I have only experienced a female type orgasm through anal sex and yes it can be addictive. I went home a very satisfied girl that evening. I cant wait to be post-op to experience an orgasm through vaginal sex.

another thing, is the choice of female clothing, Woman have much more to choose from. Men, have causal and smart... wow woman have so much in between,  different styles.

I also love the softness of woman's underwear against my skin and nothing beats the feeling of pantyhose on freshly shaven legs and you are wearing a skirt.. a breeze feels amazing when it blows around under your skirt (cant describe this one too well)

Affirming myself as female, in looks and in personal value, is a privilege for me!

I no longer have to be slave to what other people's perceptions of me should be in terms of any masculinity or whatever.

I've been wearing skirts to make up for my lost time... and HOW!

I like how waiting staff automatically assumes if I'm with a guy, that he is going to pay for dinner.

Quote from: transtrender on February 27, 2013, 02:28:54 AM
oh, good lord.

female privilege does not exist.

this is basic, 101 stuff.  using that word, "privilege", like, i don't think it means what you think it means.  it's not "nice things that you are happy about and also coincidentally you are female when they occur".  it's not even "nice things that you are able to access solely through being female and perceived as such".  the word "privilege" refers to systematic discrimination through institutional power, which is something that's going hells of against the grain when it comes to justice for women.

call this thread "great things about being a woman" all you want, but don't call it privilege, because it ain't.

I'm totally for womens rights, and before I transitioned I thought they were stupid. However, cmon... lighten up 

I also have to agree with Alainaluvsu points. also that other point on the female big O. theres just so many great things about being female. such as i love the way my guy treats me like a queen. unlike a few people from my past who still treat me like a guy this one see's me as a woman and treats me as such. best thing ever! 

I have found so many more privileges being a woman than I did being a man. In my industry, there is no difference between what men get paid and what women get paid.