A few days ago, Glamour published an article called “13 Little Things That Can Make a Man Fall Hard for You” — and now, the Internet wants nothing to do with it.
Sure, the list is sexist. Instead of tips such as “Don’t be afraid to stand up to him if you have conflicting points of view over an important topic by backing up your argument with well-thought and articulated points,” they resort to “Make him a snack after sex.” Rather than “Invite him to go for a hike on your favorite mountain,” they suggest, “Give him a massage — happy ending completely optional.”
Groundbreaking.
Admittedly, taken at face value, the tips are dated. In 2015, everyone knows that women bring a lot more to a relationship than just sex and food.
“Remember the Cool Girl thing from ‘Gone Girl’? The idea of the ‘perfect woman’ who is basically just an amalgam of all male fantasy that doesn’t really exist? Well it looks like Glamour is trying to make her a real thing,” seethes USA Today in a takedown of the now-viral article.
“The article just generally seems to promote a less-than-progressive idea of gender roles (read: this article basically takes place in the ‘Mad Men’ universe). Serve him food and drinks? Like anything he likes just because he likes it? Do whatever he wants inside and outside of the bedroom? Are they freaking kidding with this?”
The real question is why there’s outrage over this post in particular — after all, isn’t it the same drivel so many glossies have been hawking for years?
The piece hardly seems worth a feminist crusade, considering its general laziness and lack of originality to begin with. Is any guy really reading this and thinking, “You know what? She doesn’t send me enough updates about my favorite TV shows. We’re over!”?
If anything, we need content like this more than ever.
Selfishness is an epidemic in the country: We are more focused on ourselves, our lives, our problems and our achievements than ever before. I can’t count how many times my own boyfriend and I have been at a restaurant or a baseball game, sitting next to a couple who enjoy what appears to be a fledgling romance, and at least one (if not both) of them can’t take their eyes off their phone. They are too busy texting, tweeting or Instagramming to appreciate what they have right in front of them.
The tips are so juvenile (“Make a big deal out of his favorite meal. Does he like hot dogs cut up into his boxed mac-and-cheese? Serve it on a fancy tray in bed to really see him smile”) that the only logical conclusion is that they’re meant to woo an adolescent boy.
So while the majority of us know better, perhaps there are some youngsters out there who need to be told to think of the needs of others. Who need to be reminded that if they love someone, they should learn a bit about their interests (and vice versa!) so that they and their partner are equals.
If this list helped just one 16-year-old girl realize there’s more to being in a stable, fulfilling relationship than snapping selfies together, then I applaud Glamour for this list.
And besides, what’s not to like about tips that include snack time?