Get a grip on yourself, woman
By Sandra Leong
Publisher:The Straits Times - Publication
Date: 13-08-2007

As a woman relatively happy with her lot in life, I'm not in the habit of spending late nights mulling over gender issues - not when there's precious sleep to be had after a long day at work.

But for the past few weeks, my usually dormant feminist consciousness has been awakened - by a TV show of all things.

I stumbled upon the salaciously named Girl On Girl at 11:30pm on Channel 5 one Thursday night, while channel surfing for a cure for my insomnia.

For those of you who have left your minds in the gutter, this post-primetime programme has nothing to do with naked mud wrestling or anything of that kind.

Girl On Girl is a reality show featuring six attractive women competing to see who's best at tasks usually reserved for men: an army standard obstacle course, changing car tires, taking penalty kicks and opening durians.

An eventual winner, decided by online votes, will be named after six challenges. She then walks away with S$10,000 (US$6,600) and the coveted title of Babe With The Most Balls. Okay, I may have made that second bit up.

The mini-series is really a savvy sponsorship gimmick (read: extended commercial) by a men's skincare brand which, I'm guessing, is gunning for its target market by using the oldest trick in the book: scantily clad women.

But that's where the cleverness ends.

Week after week, I cringe as some of the women squeal and bungle their way through their assigned tasks.

In the first episode alone, one pretty young thing recoils in disgust when asked to apply camouflage paint on her face before taking on an army obstacle course. The green gunk, she whined, was sure to ruin her porcelain complexion.

Faced with the prospect of having to shimmy up a rope to retrieve a red flag, a few competitors opted for the easy way out. They shook the rope vigorously till the flag fell to their feet - and were promptly disqualified.

One girl proudly declared that she was not a bimbo, but maybe an "intellectual bimbo". Yet another said she couldn't be an airhead, because "I do think".

Sure, my work in the media has taught me that a fair bit of what is represented on TV typically boils down to clever editing. And at this point, I must clarify that not all the women in the show are lost causes - some do manage to get by with minimal embarrassment and drama.

Yet, I can't help but get worked up by the prominent displays of witlessness among my own kind.

I'm riled that some women still live up to, or play up to, the demeaning stereotypes of damsels in distress.

It gives men the opportunity to snigger and revel in the supposed superiority of their own species. At the Girl On Girl online forum, for instance, a few male viewers have lauded the show for its entertainment value, but can't resist passing remarks on how the girls are "such bimbos".

What really makes me want to burn my bra, though, is how the entire set-up takes place under the guise of female empowerment; on the premise that hey, women can do it, too.

I can't blame the producers - the format of the programme is simply symptomatic of some of the pressures that women still face today: That is, they feel compelled to prove their mettle by showing that they, too, are capable of male bravado.

But even if they manage to pull it off, can it truly be counted as a coup for womankind?

Yes, tales of how a particularly feisty so-and-so has become the first female pilot or first female Navy diver often hog headlines. But such accomplishments are nearly always diminished by the fact that these women are merely the first of their sex in their positions, and not the first at all.

I dare say that if women need to strive so hard to make a mark in a man's world, then men should also, say, take up cross-stitching to show they are not inferior to their female counterparts.

After all, if a gender battle is to be waged, it's only fair that blood is spilled on both fronts.

Meanwhile, rather than have women struggle to change tires and open durians to see who's the most butch, I'd like to see the tables turned on men for once.

If the producers of Girl On Girl ever contemplate a Guy On Guy series, I suggest that contestants attempt to whip up a 10-course meal in a sweaty kitchen, wearing nothing but their Speedos.

That way, I'd still be kept awake at night - but for all the right reasons. Wink wink.

Tee Hee Hee...

Hell I think I would rather change tires than open a durian!

Over all, men like to look butch, but let's face it, women can handle more pain and have more endurance than men in general. I'm happy to say that in the last marathon here in Vegas, a woman beat even the Kenyans! Proud moment!