Retro Is So In! (And by Retro, I Mean Oppressing Women)

When I was young I wanted to grow up to be a housewife. I thought it meant being stylish, useful, and appreciated (because you know, June Cleaver was a real person). I watched I Love Lucy everyday, wherein Lucy was given an allowance by her husband and spanked over his knee when she "disobeyed." It's not that I thought this was OK (my mother has always been a very strong woman), but the sitcom still resonated. When I reached fourteen,  I had my first boyfriend who lived in a small apartment with his father. This provided me with the perfect opportunity to practice for my future and become highly domesticated. I cooked full meals then vacuumed in my heels and pearls while they watched the game. I was living the dream. Needless to say, we broke up just in time to realize that I should probably go to college (but I still brought the heels and pearls with me).

Apparently I was way ahead of the curve! Of course the show Mad Men is a hit, but British clothing company Madhouse has taken the "women are inferior and should do all the shit work" thing to a whole new level. Yesterday, Emma Barnett, editor at the Daily Telegraph, tweeted this photograph of her boyfriend's trousers from Madhouse:

Yes, the label not only provides typical clothing care information, but adds the advice to "GIVE IT TO YOUR WOMAN - IT'S HER JOB." Now, I still love ironing and baking pies and joke about being an oppressed housewife, but the thrill sort of dissipates for me the moment those contributions become expectations. The problem with this label (besides the fact that it's not really funny), is that our society still draws lines between what is "women's" and what is "men's" work. This can be seen in the lack of female CEO's and salary discrepancies between the genders. A recent study suggests that men and women may be sharing house work equally by the year 2050. But hey, at least we're on our way.

The problem with these trousers is what they're attempting to appeal to in their customers. This label plays on a primitive and fundamental expectation men have had of women. I don't believe that the majority of men still behave accordingly, but this marketing tactic by Madhouse does nothing but insult those who don't hold a sense of pride in their overcoming of oppression.