Who’s up for some good old-fashioned misogyny disguised as “just a joke?” No one? Well, tough shit, because the universe always has plenty of that on hand.
The image you’re seeing at the top there comes to us courtesy of a billboard put up by Teakwood Builders, in Newtonville, NY (way the hell upstate). The billboard depicts a kitchen with the words “your wife wants me” and no other explanation. Why would they need one, after all? Everybody knows the ladies love kitchens and sandwich-making, amirite?
The positive here is that a bunch of students from nearby Siena College showed up to protest the billboard, holding signs proclaiming things like “I prefer an office,” “Men can make their own sandwiches,” and “I can buy my own kitchen.” Though the students shouldn’t have to explain why the sign is so dumb, one of them, Delaney Rivers, did a pretty baller job doing so in an e-mail to the local news station covering the story:
“[The billboard] implies that men are the primary financial supporters of women and that women are materialistic and portrayed as having no other value outside of the kitchen. This is especially egregious towards students at our institution as many of us are working towards financial independence in hopes to have successful careers and equality in our relationships.”
Teakwood’s response to the Siena students, meanwhile, is pretty impressively smarmy:
“Thank you for the message regarding the report on our billboard in Newtonville. A vast majority of Teakwood’s clients are women. Frequently they are the decision makers about major expenditures. This billboard – and the entire “Your wife wants me” campaign is good-natured, tongue in cheek fun meant to appeal to women who have a sense of humor, a sense of history and healthy self-esteem.
We applaud the students involved in the protest for their excitement about their cause.
And we thank them for drawing attention to the gorgeous Teakwood kitchen on the billboard.”
Translation: “Lol, learn to take a joke, broads. Don’t worry your pretty little heads about it, although it’s adorable that you care. Fuck you, by the way, we’re not changing anything over some dumb ladyfeelings.” Also, of course a group of people this douchetacular would fail to utilize the Oxford comma. Of course they would.
Honestly, I might’ve had some sympathy for Teakwood if their response didn’t boil down to the “it’s just a joke, you humorless feminists” mantra we seem to see every time this shit happens. As it is, that entitles them to no sympathy whatsoever.
Image via screengrab from News10.