Thursday, February 28, 2013

I know this post isn't funny

I can't be funny all the time.

I recently tried to join the BlogHer network. I still don't know if I got in or not, but while working on my
application, I found myself stuck figuring out in which category my blog would be listed. This is primarily a humor blog, but humor was't an option. In fact, there were a lot of category options missing that really should be in a network dedicated to promoting female bloggers. What categories were missing?

Science isn't a category. Closest was "Technology and Web." So where's the geologist blogger going to go? Where's the anthropologist blogger? Where's the marine biologist blogger going to go other than  "Pets or Animals?" What if I just want to read science blogs written by women? In fact, I do want to read science blogs written by women. I love reading them! I went to school for hard sciences, so I might be biased in this.

There are four categories dedicated to parenting, but none to CFBC life. Four categories are dedicated to health (Fitness is lumped in with Sports, even though there is already a Weight Loss and a Wellness category), but none to medical science for the blogging female medical professionals. Three categories are dedicated to DIY. The DIY categories are Art & Design, Crafts, and Home & Garden. Nowhere is there a category for the female woodworker or female welder. Female contractor? Female plumber? I'm a woodworker, so I would be interested in reading blogs by females about woodworking.

There are no LGBT category, unless Sex and Relationships counts. There is a Latino issues category, but no African-American issues category (or category for any other minorities). However, there is the obvious Fashion and Beauty and Shopping and Lifestyle categories. I guess because we don't want to ignore the obvious stereotypes of women on a women's blogging network? Science, minorities, LGBT, and hobbyists/professionals other than crafts? Those are apparently not important enough to have categories.

This is disappointing from a website that is supposed to be promoting women. Sexism is embedded in our cultural consciousness and it's hard enough to change the status quo without it being reinforced by our own allies.

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