We Are Marked, But Who Holds the Markers?

Tannen illustrated a new, unseen social dynamic in her piece. However, to many of a particular gender, this was wholly unnew and incredibly seen vice on their choice of aesthetics. Surely, we can follow the line of thinking that Tannen has engaged in to seek out the culprit, the red-handed robbers, of women freedom. Is it Men? I certainly can stopper that discussion before it crawls out of the womb, because as a Man, who has taken to talking to other men about this important issue, we have no recollection of ever objectifying women so much to point out (or even notice) a routine lack of make-up or a routine lack of noticeable clothing. That would be rude. Of course there will be a willy-wonka here and there who takes it upon himself to be Captain Obvious and state-outloud-the state of a woman's fashion. But that is still rude. I take it upon myself to bask in the light of feminism to declare that all men--most men--are simply not perceptive enough to distinguish inner mechanisms of make-up and high fashion. 

But Women certainly are. Tannen is a Woman. An observant one at that. Perhaps she is the one with the wet marker! Perhaps it is all women who mark themselves and wonder why they must be marked. If I went to school with makeup on-which I look gorgeous in(or without)-every single interaction I engage in will be about why the hell I was wearing make-up. This is not because make-up marks people. This is because it is not part of my routine mark. If I wore makeup for a 100 days it would be normal and all will be well in the world. But if a woman wears makeup for 100 days then goes to a library without makeup, well that would be noticeable even to men, wouldn't it? To compare the marking of man with woman and he and she to real world interactions is a stretch at best. Words are not real. Even the words you are reading do not have meaning to them. But they are given meaning so we can engage in linguistic currency. 

So, who holds the markers?

Not Men, of course.