>From looking at the jean skirt category on Commons (other projects such as Wikipedia often have links that take a reader to a page with all the images in a category) you would think that most of the people wearing jean skirts are porn stars or other women who go without panties or go topless. Right now this category is not as populated with this stuff as in the past. Now and again I remove the worst of them so that people will not see them unexpectedly but often I will be  reverted.

In my opinion, this hits at the heart of the issue because I feel that if women were editing in a greater numbers from the start of the creation of WMF then we would have more sensitivity to this issue because I don't think that most females want these images to be the way that WMF presents itself to readers.

Sydney

On Mon, Feb 7, 2011 at 4:40 PM, Fred Bauder <fredbaud@fairpoint.net> wrote:
> On Mon, Feb 7, 2011 at 8:37 PM, Fred Bauder <fredbaud@fairpoint.net>
> wrote:
>> As to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hogtie_bondage there is no question
>> that people do this, but it is hard to see an overriding public
>> interest
>> in need for information as is present in say, anal sex.
>>
>> Bukkake is at least interesting. I guess all of this stuff can be
>> justified on that basis, seeing how the other half lives, so to speak.
>
> For me, the main problem with the picture is not that they're very
> explicit (because, well, it's about sex), but that there are no
> pictures of men.
>
> There are 5 photos (why do you need 5 anyway?)

They illustrate different options.

> illustrating the
> article on bondage, all are depicting women. Since bondage is about
> being submissive, this implies women are generally or "normally" the
> ones being submissive, which is not true and not a good thing to
> suggest to your readers. Also, it clearly shows who chose the
> pictures: men*. It's the so-called "male gaze":
> http://finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com/2007/08/26/faq-what-is-the-“male-gaze”/
>
> For me, looking at the article feels like sneaking into a men's club,
> where (heterosexual) men watch pornography depicting people like me
> and show it to each other. It doesn't feel like it's also a place
> designed for the people like me, I'm only supposed to be depicted on
> the pictures, not to look at them.
> So I feel unwell looking at it, but that's not because the pictures
> are explicit. I would be fine with it if two or three pictures where
> pictures of restrained men.

That would seem to be easily fixed, although all seem women here:

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/wiki/Category:Hogtie_bondage

That said, I'm certainly not going to fool around taking the needed
pictures.

> Similar problem with the article on bukkake. It says: "The practice
> then spread to gay pornography, in which several men ejaculate on
> another man.[5]Pornographic use of the word has been expanded by the
> lesbian bukkake genre in which several women ejaculate on another
> woman.[13]"
> So why are there only pictures of women, and why does the introduction
> to the article say "Bukkake is a sexual act in which a woman is
> ejaculated on by several men"?
> (Actually, there are also men on the pictures in this case, but the
> pictures are clipped so you only see a very, very small part of their
> bodys. It's clearly about the women.)
>
> Looking at these articles, it just doesn't feel like Wikipedia is from
> people for people, but like it's a boys for boys service. So why
> should I feel encouraged to participate? (Except by sending a photo of
> me naked...)
>

Perhaps you could edit in other areas. For example "male gaze" might make
an article, or be part of one:

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Gaze#The_Male_Gaze_and_feminist_theory

People generally edit about what they are interested in.

> * (this might be heteronormative, of course the pictures might also be
> nice for lesbians)
>
> Best,
> Lena
>

Fred




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