Dirk,
I’m sure you’re sick of people still niggling at this when you just want to move on. And who wouldn’t. But I’ve been thinking about it for a few days, and uppity woman that I am, I just have to share a thought with you. You can’t post something like this without every girl who DOES feel like she identifies as a geek feeling judged. And we women have a hard enough time moving through male-dominated spaces as it is. You aren’t addressing the mythical proportion of women who are just there for the attention (and whether or not that’s really a problem is a side-issue). The people who see this and are hurt by it are people that love their geekiness, and suddenly men are once again deciding for us whether we add up, and this time in a space that was supposed to be inclusive and safe.
Because this meme is gender-based and addresses your so-called issue in a sexist way (and don’t argue that “whore” isn’t a term associated with the feminine), every woman who’s ever dressed up for a con feels like you’re calling her out. Of COURSE we feel a defensive, knee-jerk reaction — of COURSE we want to say, “But you don’t know how much I love Doctor Who! How can you know that just from looking at my costume?”
It’s easy for you to say it’s just a joke, because there is no way that it could be mistaken to be addressed to you. You’re not female and your nerdiness, once proclaimed to the world, will never be questioned. So try to understand, you aren’t getting to this, yes I’ll say it, RARE woman who goes to the con just to be ogled because she is a woman; you are hurting the women who genuinely love, and have to defend their love of, their fandom.
Aside from the numerous other problems with this meme, just try to remember, you are addressing all of us when you generalize and assume like this. Hope that helps.
