Hear, hear. It's one of those things I think tends to be really invisible until one is affected by it, directly or indirectly.
At a work meeting once, someone showed a slide humorously comparing our product to a photo of a fat woman's backside and the competition to a model in a bikini. Apparently it was a big hit at the organization conference in Germany.
I tartly suggested that it must be nice to be a small thin woman and be able to say such things. My coworkers froze in horror. They had no idea such a thing could be considered offensive and fell over themselves apologizing. (They really are very nice people and would never say anything hurtful on purpose - and they're tiny cute Asian women, and had never given a thought to the advantages that gives them presenting to a roomful of men.)
(Much like I rarely think about the advantages being a confident outspoken white woman gives me in every business situation. It goes all ways.)
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Date: 2009-06-18 05:45 pm (UTC)At a work meeting once, someone showed a slide humorously comparing our product to a photo of a fat woman's backside and the competition to a model in a bikini. Apparently it was a big hit at the organization conference in Germany.
I tartly suggested that it must be nice to be a small thin woman and be able to say such things. My coworkers froze in horror. They had no idea such a thing could be considered offensive and fell over themselves apologizing. (They really are very nice people and would never say anything hurtful on purpose - and they're tiny cute Asian women, and had never given a thought to the advantages that gives them presenting to a roomful of men.)
(Much like I rarely think about the advantages being a confident outspoken white woman gives me in every business situation. It goes all ways.)