Also titled: “Jezebel is bad because Jezebel is bad.”
There are plenty of reasons (more than I realized when I started writing this) why Jezebel is a terrible website and I am disgusted by the amount of people who blindly use them as a source. They’ve had some pretty good articles, but I’d rather get my news elsewhere.
Not only do they constantly equate being a woman with having a vagina and being a man with having a penis, but they also completely ignore important intersectionality issues like race, sexuality, etc. It’s largely heteronormative. It is really only useful for white, cis, straight, able-bodied woman who are content focusing on white, cis, straight, able-bodied issues.
- Hugo Schwyzer writes for them. He’s bad. I was able to use him as a source for a paper I wrote on how men are oppressed by women (it was a joke paper I wanted to write just to see if I could do it).
- I already mentioned that Jezebel is completely ciscentric, but could that have something to do with their complete lack of concern about the CeCe McDonald case? The only coverage I could find on her was an article titled “Why Don’t We Hear More About Attacks on ‘Flamboyant’ Transgender Women?’ Can we take second to think about that headline? Then there’s this sentence: “Is the mainstream media — and society as a whole — ignoring violence against transgender women who aren’t as interested in “blending in” as other members of the mainstream LGBTQ community” Can someone actually explain this to me? Is this what flamboyant looks like? How was she not interested in blending in? Jezebel doesn’t think it’s about discrimination. The article then goes on to imply that it’s because she’s not “normal” like gay people and doesn’t really specify the difference between gender and sexual orientation. Oh, and of course there’s only a teensy tiny mention that her race had anything to do with this. But oh wait, at least they talked about Pussy Riot, right?
- More race issues: They defend the new Honey Boo Boo show and criticize the backlash that it receives—again, ignoring the racism factor. A lot of people are not just upset because the show is plain ridiculous. Had the child been a PoC, the reaction would be entirely different, Jezebel. But I mean, don’t talk about that.
- They publish an article on Gwyneth Paltrow using the n-word, but say it’s up to us to decide if she is allowed to use it. I’ve said it before, but remaining neutral on a subject allows you to side with the oppressors.
- We all remember their complete bullshit article on why we should listen to the rapists on Reddit.
- “I agree with Daniel Tosh!” Then they say that if you’re offended by every rape joke, you’re wrong. And they say that some rape jokes are okay, which is something I am personally opposed to.
- They think we shouldn’t criticize feminists of the past because we wouldn’t be where we are now without them. But where we are now is only good for white, cis, straight, able-bodied women.
- They bring up issues such as obesity but fail to discuss geographic and other socioeconomic factors, thus allowing readers to take what they say at face value without any further education.
- Then there’s this asshole post that makes a bold, harmful statement about how pro-ana blogs can help people with EDs without anything to really back it up and comes to no real conclusion.
- Because using ableist language is okay as long as you’re criticizing the right people.
- I’ve already commented on one of their recent articles about Rihanna and Chris, but they criticize her another time for still interacting with him. Cutting an abuser, especially one that you love, is not so easy.
- My real problem with their article on circumcision was this quote: “That said, if I had a boy-baby, I think I would probably circumcise him (not, like, with my bare hands, but you know), because I can’t imagine one unremembered trauma could be more painful than a lifetime of a nasty, unfair, pervasive stigma. But that’s just me.”
There are countless more articles but I can’t keep looking through their website without wanting to set fire to every cis, straight, white feminist. Jezebel is a terrible excuse for journalism.
This is why I ignore Jezebel, always have, always will
