“10 things your boyfriend doesn't want to hear”

http://www.yourtango.com/201053016/10-phrases-your-boyfriend-doesnt-want-hear


In the article “10 things your boyfriend doesn't want to hear”, the author uses a very stereotypical approach in presenting her arguments. The author concept is to reinforce the importance of women’s stereotype in a multi gender communication.

It is very interesting to note that the author discusses another view while dealing with relationship. The author pinpoints ten forbidden things to be spoken rather than translating the meaning of the opposite gender’s intention or providing the solution to overcome the misinterpretation between them. The author takes an early initiative to avoid quarrels, through selective communication. Communication is not solely based on interpreting other’s intention correctly, but also controlling each word going out from the mouth.

The author uses a very authoritative approach in writing the article. She implies clearly that when a woman deviates from the stereotype image and tries to mimic men’s traits, her relationship with man will be not succeed. This might be a strong approach to readers especially the current intended audience are women. However, one may conclude that the author strongly believes in the stereotype. Thus, it could be assumed that she also believed that women are powerless such that presenting her article in a dictating style will be more effective compared to merely weak suggestion.

The author makes use of several examples that prejudice women’s power. For instance, women are not allowed to keep silent and think about their problem alone. It is an obligation for women to consolidate about their problem to men. Telling problems to the men will open the opportunity to solve the problem. This statement implicitly wants to suggest the incapability of women to solve their problem! On the other hand, women are forbidden to interfere when men have problems. Her idea is similar with Gray’s which encourage the women to give the men privilege when the men want to go to the cave. Men will be able to take care of their problem alone, women’s interference will just mess it. The author illustrates women as a frail and independent being.

In order to strengthen the ideas, the author also puts some extreme examples such as “I’m just farted” and “I hate your mom” to point up that such sentences should not be spoken from women. She supports Lakoff’s idea of illustrating women as a polite and well-mannered being. When reading this article, one may think that it is very crude of the author to put such thing in top ten comment women like to utter innocently. How come women say such thing? Even it will be quite impolite for men to say such words. However, this impression is exactly the response that the author hopes to gain. One has to remember that the author wants to emphasize the significance of stereotype in her article. These examples would like to illustrate how inappropriate such things are said especially by women. Readers will strongly just believe the fact that these type of sentence are indeed should not be uttered by women. Thus, the author has successfully plants the idea of women stereotype into the readers.

From all the passage, the author gives the impression that women should never place themselves in an equal position as men. The idea of generalizing men and women to be similar is absurd. If a woman want to behave similarly with the men, men will unlikely be impressed by that. This is simply because men demand some typical image from women that women are different from men in term of their politeness and capability.