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Balls, bimbos and the gendered lockboxes of the media
As Indonesia gears up to celebrate its 78th Independence Day, we could all take a step back and think about how to ensure our freedom from gender discrimination.
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A study conducted by PR2Media in August-September 2021 found 85.7 percent of 1,256 female journalists surveyed had experienced violence during their journalistic career, both in the digital and physical domains. (PR2Media)
Did you know that you can be fined in Italy if you say a man has “no balls”? Wow, that’s nuts! How did it happen?
In a 2012 court case between two cousins, one accused the other, “non ha le palle” (he has no balls). The presiding judge of Italy’s highest court reasoned in the ruling: “It hurts a man’s pride.”
Not all men have balls anyway, like transmen, while some women – transwomen – do. So, what’s the big deal with balls being proof of “manhood”?
The country’s feminists were not pleased due to the obvious gender bias. Why did the court not rule the same for epithets offensive to women, such as puttana (harlot), sgualdrina (slut) or strega (hag)?
English also has a slew of pejoratives for women, such as bitch, crone, dyke, feminazi, gold digger, shrew, spinster, trollop and many, many more.
Gender stereotypes imply that men and women should behave in certain ways and that maleness is the standard. When you say a woman “has balls” or “wears the pants in the house”, it’s a compliment. But if you say that a man “fights like a girl” or “runs like a girl”, it’s an insult.
The “no balls” story was reported by Italian news agency ANSA and shared by various news outlets around the world.
