A man was teaching the "Intro to Women's Studies" course and, to Jenny, that was just the definition of patriarchy. She had come to school to learn how to be the most impactful woman she could in the world. She was minoring in Women's Studies and majoring in Business, in hopes of changing the business landscape and furthering the progress of women everywhere.
But if Jenny was expected to learn how to be an impactful woman by a man, she was going to have words about that. It was her third class of Freshman year, but the one that she was looking forward to most. She had written several comments that she planned to deliver to this symbol of the patriarchy. And if he didn't step down from his position in the class, she would go to the administration. She was paying good money to learn at this school and she wasn't going to settle for second-class education, much less on one of the most important issues of Jenny's time.
When she shuffled into class, Jenny found that most of the class were women. A quick check-in with nearby girls let Jenny know that most of her classmates were fellow Women's Studies minors and they were equally dismayed to have a man be leading this course. Jenny's excitement to deliver he scathing remarks only increased.
As the clock struck 2, the door opened and a man stepped in. He wasn't much older than the students, but he marched to the front of the room and turned to address the class.
"Hello ladies," he said, immediately setting Jenny on edge. Of course he would use a classifying term in his first sentence of teaching. "I am Professor Smith and I am going to be teaching this class."
Immediately, Jenny's arm shot into the air. She readied herself for a verbal volley.
"No questions," Professor Smith said. "Please wait until the end."
Jenny's arm fell back down immediately.
"You may be wondering why a man is teaching the introductory women's studies course," Professor Smith said. "It's quite simple. Most women agree that this is a man's world. Women struggle and fight for equivalent treatment and respect. Therefore, who better to teach you how to survive in a man's world than a man himself?" Jenny hated to admit it, but that actually made some sense. Maybe she was overthinking things earlier.
"Therefore, over the course of this semester, I will be teaching you how to be successful women in a man's world. We will tear down false gender roles and expectations and ensure that your place in society is one where you are most empowered and serve the greatest good. Most important of all, you will learn that sex is not a weakness to overcome, it is an advantage to embrace." Jenny was sure that he meant sexual identity, but for a moment Jenny thought she saw Professor Smith's eyes drop down to the chest of a particularly well-endowed girl in the front row.
By the end of the class, Jenny had forgotten about her speeches and objections. She was intensely interested in what Professor Smith was teaching and she decided that she might end up liking this course after all.
"Women have long misunderstood the role of their wardrobes in their presentation," Professor Smith explained. "They have sought to echo men and camouflage their femininity by dressing in suits and pants. Essentially, these women hope to be misinterpreted as man, and therefore trick others into respecting them." Professor Smith shook his head sadly. "They lose the inherent advantage that the so-called fairer sex holds and they demonstrate a lack of confidence in their own sexual identity."
He clicked a button and the slide projected changed to show the same woman in two images. The first showed her in business attire, with a jacket and pants. The next showed her in a fitted black dress.
"This is the same woman," Professor Smith said, "but in one case she has embraced her sexual identity, that of a woman. In the other, she is pretending to be a man. If you are to succeed in the male-dominated world, you must be wiling to embrace your identity of a woman. Lean into the advantages that this role gives you. And embody that identity and the freedom that comes with it.
"It's time to stop using 'sexy' as a word to be avoided. Sexiness is an attribute that women can use to make their way in the male-dominated world." He pointed up to the two pictures on the projector screen again. "Ask any man which woman they would rather spend time with. They will pick the woman who is not afraid to be a woman."
Jenny's hand flew as she took notes. She noticed every women around her similarly enraptured by the Professor's words.
"I encourage each and every one of you," Professor Smith continued, "to perform a social experiment. First, walk around campus dressed in professional attire. Then, walk around campus dressed as a fun-loving woman. Wear the short skirt. Wear the low neckline. Show off some skin. And then ask yourself which outfit got you the more attention from men?
"If you are going to succeed in a male-dominated world, then you need to be noticeable. And the first and best way to be noticeable is to appeal to the first impression. Be sexy. Be hot. It's how women make their presence known before men."
Jenny embraced her homework enthusiastically. She wore a short skirt and a low-cut halter top and paraded around the campus. She watched as men's gazes followed her, completely enraptured. One particular group of men stopped mid-conversation as she walked past, each and every one following her with their eyes as she passed.
Then, she tried it with the professional attire. Not one man looked at her.
The lesson was clear. Jenny would get the most attention, and therefore get the farthest, by dressing fun. Already, she was learning how to be a more impactful woman.
Professor Smith observed a perfect attendance at his next class, mostly dominated by fun-loving, sexy girls, each looking for further lessons on how to best empower themselves. He smiled at them warmly as he started his lessons.
"Woman have a wave of stereotypes and stigmas that they face in everyday society. There is a certain expectation of a working woman that men—the men who act as a controlling class to success—automatically assume. You'll notice that words like 'frigid', 'shrill', 'nagging', or 'catty' are used exclusively to describe women. No man has ever been described as shrill. That's because there is a certain anticipation of negative social engagements with women. Women need to learn how to face this anticipation, and then overcome it.
"Women can overcome the expected negative social stigma by overcorrecting in the opposite direction. Look at the words that describe the expectation. If men expect a woman to be 'frigid', she can overcome that stigma by being warm and open. If men expect a woman to be 'shrill', 'nagging', or 'catty', she can overcome it by speaking less, and when she speaks to be supportive and warm. Men expect women to be abrasive bitches. Women can fight this stigma by being quite little mice."
Professor Smith smiled and added, "Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Men will never grow tired of hearing their praises sung. And, to be very honest and real with you, men truly do love listening to women talk about sex." He shrugged. "I guess it's just human nature."
Jenny experimented more this week. She dressed in her fun-loving garb, sat quietly and listened to men, and shared with them some sexual fantasies she had: being choked and dominated had been one of the secret desires of hers for as long as she could remember, but had never shared it with anyone. The men she spoke with were very interested to hear what she had to say.
Jenny became very popular around campus, as did the other girls in class. Men seemed to really enjoy while they dressed to reveal a lot of skin, listened to whatever they wanted to talk about, and talked about sex. Professor Smith really knew what he was talking about and Jenny could barely contain her excitement for his next class.
Jenny was not alone in her enthusiasm for Professor Smith's class. She showed up a half hour early and found that almost every seat was already filled. Most of the girls were dressed in skimpy tops, with their chests spilling out. Several had small skirts and had spread their legs towards the front of the room. Obviously Professor Smith, being a man, would be more attentive to fun-loving girls. Jenny kicked herself for not thinking of this approach. She settled into one seat that she could find and eagerly awaited the professor. Nobody spoke for the full half hour.
Professor Smith entered and every girl reached for their notebooks immediately, ready to devour whatever fresh wisdom the Professor gave them. This week's topic was on sexual harassment. As usual, the Professor's take was one that the girls had never considered before.
"Sexual harassment is one of the biggest hurtles that women will have to pass in this world. While it can come in various forms, the most common is when a man's desire to sleep with a woman somehow interferes with their professional relationship. He might ask for sexual favors in exchange for professional favors. Or he might make unwanted sexual advances. This constitutes major legal problems for a company and can propel both the man and woman into unwanted public relations territory.
