UK tech blogger for The Telegraph, Emma Barnett, twittered this photo she took of her boyfriend’s chino pant’s wash care tag:
image credit @emmabarnett
We being the “woman” in many men’s lives, can definitely take a joke. But as Ms. Barnett has points out in her articles, the tag in the above pair of pants falls short of satire by having “no attempt at wit.”
We’ve seen it before, the joke on the clothing tag saying, “Give it to your mother. She knows how to do it.” (I attempted to verify the authenticity of this clothing tag, but I was unable to find its original source.)
We want to know what you think.
Is the top image of the clothing tag saying “GIVE IT TO YOUR WOMAN – IT’S HER JOB” funny or insulting?
Angie Lynch is the founder and managing editor of the powerhouse women’s literary community, Smut Book Club. She is a Native Floridian without a tan, probably because she spends her days hard at work on the magical internet. For the past several years, Angie has worked way too hard at building clout as an influencer in food and margaritas as well as being a source for laughable pop culture commentary. You can read more from Angie on her blog, A Whole Lot of Nothing.
Insulting.
1)Just because I have tits, doesn’t mean I am here to do your laundry. (or dishes, or toilets, or whatever)
and 2)My husband is bright enough to figure out how to run the washer, thank you very much.
I agree. It’s insulting to me, because I don’t exist to serve men (any men, but particularly stupid ones). It is insulting to most men I know, who are perfectly capable of doing their own laundry (and cooking, cleaning, ironing, sewing, etc.).
I think it’s funny, but I also have a wonderful significant other who knows how to do his own laundry, thankyouverymuch. I know that when we get married and officially move in together (in two and a half weeks), the laundry will fall on me 90%+ of the time, and I’m okay with that. My fiance will be in charge of the trash, one day mowing the lawn, and cleaning up after himself like a big boy. Other chores will be split based on who has time to do them, and neither of us will be able to get away with having the other do all of them. My dad worked long hours and my mom stayed home so most of the household chores fell on her, but that never stopped my dad from doing his fair share on the weekends or getting the children to do their assigned chores. If I had grown up in a different environment or my fiance was less wonderful, I might feel differently. As long as it’s taken in jest, I see no problem with it. It’s when it becomes serious that there’s a problem.
This made the news here too. It’s maybe mildly insulting and definitely not so funny (unlike the second one, which I think is actually hilarious), but not so much so that I would’ve given it another thought if I had seen it in my husband’s jeans. More like “some poor guy tried to be funny here *eyeroll*” than deeply insulting, I say.
BTW the tag in my Puma hoodie says “Wash this when dirty”, which always makes me smile.
“It’s her job” is insulting.
“She knows how to do it” is hilarious.
Big difference in success of intended tongue-in-cheek message.
Agreed!
My response ” Your laundry is done. The ashes are in the fireplace.”
Hahahahaha That is perfect!
It would be funny – if equality between the sexes actually existed.
Although we (meaning women) can take a joke, this kind of humor is kind of like saying, “Hey! Feminism has done it’s job! We’re equal now! So, there is nothing wrong with making “sexist” jokes, because you know, sexism really doesn’t exist.”
Yeah….no. So, I’d say insulting.
My husband and I split chores equally, so I could totally see him saying this to me in jest. I find it funny.
what about homosexuals? single men? how insulting this must be to them.
OK WORLD PC POLICE..CALM YOUR OUTRAGED TYPING FINGERS DOWN..it will all be ok…someone made a tag/joke you did not find amusing..the world will continue to rotate..to be OUTRAGED/OFFENDED by something like this…use your energy towards more important things..im so sick of whiny babies in this country getting insulted over anything and everything anymore..people have a right to make jokes/funny tags etc..and you have the right to not find it funny..but it doesnt mean these people should apologize or take the tag off the clothes..dont read it dont buy it..and THE WORLD CONTINUES TO ROTATE..and TROOPS CONTINUE TO DIE..worry about important things……….
Yep.
You’re right, Nessa, the world IS rotating and troops ARE dying. Also, while we’re at it, women all over the world are being told that they aren’t good enough, that they don’t understand math, that it’s their job to stay home and take care of men, that they can only wear what men let them wear and go where men tell them to go and do what men tell them to do. 1 in 6 women in the United States is raped at some point in her life because men see women as objects that they can assert dominion over. Speaking of troops, 1 in 3 women in the US armed forces are raped. That’s DOUBLE the rate of civilians. I’m glad you’re so worried about the important things.
I’ve never been told any of these things. Also…I’ve never even heard of an instance where a man has said this to a woman (in recent times). It’s a tag. It’s a joke. It doesn’t say “rape your woman. It’s her job to be obediant.” Wasting energy must be exhausting.
It could have been funny if it had read “Ask a woman…” Or something like that, but the whole “it’s her job” just ruins it.
I find it insulting 1. because it says “it’s her job” (I also dislike the possessive tone of “your woman”) and 2. how about the insult against men, implying they can’t even wash their own clothes.
I get that it is intended to be a joke, but it falls flat.
“It’s her job” is insulting.
But on the other hand…
Apparently men are too stupid to even work out how to throw a pair of pants in the wash with some soap and turn it on.
So it’s an equal opportunity insult as I see it.
Personally I throw all clothes together regardless of color into cold water so giving me those pants to wash would not result in their being washed properly anyway.
It would only be funny to me if the women’s clothes from the same shop (assuming they do both) said “make him wash the clothes for a frickin change” or something to that effect. Otherwise, I don’t like it.
It’s funny.
Laundry is one of my few jobs. My husband is the cook, does the yard work and most of the cleaning. Our daughter is now old enough to be our indentured servant for a measly allowance. My life could definitely be worse than it is.
Also, I’m really picky about how my laundry is done and my husband is the “throw it all in the same load” kind of guy.
Since I care, I do it. Because smart as he may be, he doesn’t do my laundry the way I want it done.
Like many women, I’m sure, I have my fiance do all my laundry, because he is way better at laundry than me.
I wonder when it will stop being “funny” to be chauvinistic? Never?
Comments on this entry are closed.