The BBQguy.com (http://www.thebbqguy.com) is a website gendered toward men! This site logo is "whether it's BBQ, barbecue, or barbeque, bbq sauce, bbq rub, spice, we discuss news, websites, blogs, events and contests." (BBQguy.com) It covers how to BBQ, products, recipes, contests, and most interestingly it has two separate blogs; the guy blog, and the wife blog. I find it interesting how historically domestic duties like cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children were all considered to be womens work. However, BBQ ing (which in my opinion would be considered the domestic duty of cooking) is dominating by men. Commercials and advertisments are marketed toward men; attached are the ideas that the bigger BBQ the better the man. I guess cooking over an open flame is "mans" duty, and using a stove is a womans. It is interesting how the lines of gender roles are so blurry at times. The guys blog, and the wifes blog are similar; perhaps the need for two separte ones is to establish that this is a mans domain.
Danger Powers
wow. That really is interesting!
ReplyDeleteI guess the way most men see it (well especially these "BBQ" men) is that anything over the stove is a woman's job because it takes place inside the home... whereas BBQ-ing takes place outside the home, where a man can have his adventure outside the home. To them, it reminds them of ancient times I guess.. the whole "man being outside = caveman" idea. Kinda like the man who has hunted the meat and brought it home.
And I think that you are absolutely about the blogs. The fact that the whole site has only one area that is dedicate to women. It definitely tries establishes that this site is a man's domain.
Lastly, I find it very interesting that the man's blog is labeled "BBQ Guy Blog" and the woman's blog is "BBQ Wife Blog"... why can't the man's blog be called "The BBQ Husband Blog"??? OR the woman's blog be called "BBQ Gal Blog"???
Regina George
The way that I am looking at it is that men feel that the outside tasks belong to them. Such as cutting grass, fixing stuff etc... and since a BBQ is outside it could go with that.
ReplyDeleteI like to BBQ but I will be honest to say that I am terrified to start it cause I dont want to get blown up.. so I think that since men like fire and they are comfortable with it, this puts them in the postion to BBQ.
With the women domination in the kitchen and the men using the BBQ, this relates to postion that we have set for men and women within our culture, that it is socialy acceptable for a man to BBQ and women be in the kitchen.
RDS.
While women are thought of as being the prepareers of food and making allt he 'fixins' for the family. Men's appetite's are ntorious. It is ok for a man to eat ribs (which are a very masculinized food that makes me think of prehistoric, and yes caveman) while women are often shown eating salads and 'light' meals. Actually we addressed this in 1st yr women's studies, but why is this division of feminised and masculized food there?
ReplyDeleteMy name is Freddie Mercury and i LIKE FOOD! .. .i like ribs, i like burger (and whatever else food is deemed masculized) and would PREFERE to eat those than having just a salad. Eating the way 'we' do is to maintain a physique that pleases the male gaze!!
GAH damn you male gaze, i like BBQ!
~Freddie Mercury~
I agree with the notion that the "outside" duties are frequently associated with men, even gardening. I honestly like when my father does BBQ'ing, but he cooks in the kitchen also. Most importantly it is what he enjoys, but on television men are depicted as meat-eaters and all they know how to cook is chicken, steak, ribs and pork with a whole lot of sauce, when there are ideally other thing that can be found on a BBQ. Like seriously now, my family roasts corn on a BBQ or even fish, so that would be my only problem about BBQ sauce/grill commercials and advertisements, because that solely perpetuates the meat-eating notion and gears that only to men!
ReplyDeleteAaliyah Jasmine