I am not telling her what to do. My blog post makes it as clear as I know how that I am using her as an example to elucidate a thought process.
My initial comment here was really more to express sympathy for people saying "I am male and it is inherently problematic for me to look at her work or share her work because of the images of her that are associated with it." I think that is a completely valid concern and it is one of the reasons I work at trying to make sure I do my best to present myself in a fashion that doesn't raise such questions.
I am sure I don't always get it right, but I try to be mindful of the fact that if I want to be taken seriously and do business with men, it is easier for them to talk to me, make introductions and share my work if they don't have to explain that, no, I am not a hooker, not their illicit lover, and they aren't interested in my writing for its salacious nature. Men in positions of power often need to meet a test of no appearance of impropriety. Some men simply are not going to open doors for me if they have any reason to feel that it will lead to talk. That is the reality I am dealing with. Getting on a soap box about how it shouldn't matter how I look does not strike me as an effective approach to the problem in question.
People are often talking about abstract ideals when they talk about sexism. I am usually speaking of a pragmatic approach that has some hope of actually working in the real word. I am not holding my breath waiting for some ideal world to arrive. I need to eat in the here and now.
My initial comment here was really more to express sympathy for people saying "I am male and it is inherently problematic for me to look at her work or share her work because of the images of her that are associated with it." I think that is a completely valid concern and it is one of the reasons I work at trying to make sure I do my best to present myself in a fashion that doesn't raise such questions.
I am sure I don't always get it right, but I try to be mindful of the fact that if I want to be taken seriously and do business with men, it is easier for them to talk to me, make introductions and share my work if they don't have to explain that, no, I am not a hooker, not their illicit lover, and they aren't interested in my writing for its salacious nature. Men in positions of power often need to meet a test of no appearance of impropriety. Some men simply are not going to open doors for me if they have any reason to feel that it will lead to talk. That is the reality I am dealing with. Getting on a soap box about how it shouldn't matter how I look does not strike me as an effective approach to the problem in question.
People are often talking about abstract ideals when they talk about sexism. I am usually speaking of a pragmatic approach that has some hope of actually working in the real word. I am not holding my breath waiting for some ideal world to arrive. I need to eat in the here and now.