Doggy (and Girly) Obama Drama

Check out this great post from easyVegan.info on the implications of the Obamas' narrowing down of what breed of dog they want as well as the myriad problems with Obama's recent use of the word "girly." (And for info on the fantastic graphic by Shepard Fairey to the right, go here.)

Highlights:

Oy. After months of equivocating on the dog issue, the Obama family has announced that they’ve narrowed their choice down to two breeds: the Labradoodle and the Portuguese Water Dog. Unfortunately, as Adopt-a-Pet.com reports, while these are not the only two “hypoallergenic” breeds available, they are harder to find on animal adoption websites. . . .

Additionally, in selecting a purebred dog, the Obamas are practically inviting greedy breeders to cash in on their (hopefully) compassionate choice by sexually exploiting and selling the “Obama dog.” (Doubly so if they adopt a breed that’s hard to find through adoption routes.) A mixed breed or mutt - particularly one of unknown heritage, which can’t easily be reproduced - would help minimize this risk.

Continue on with the post for some great analysis of Obama's unfortunate use of the word "girly" when discussing what kind of dog he didn't want in a late November interview. This language choice and its implications are particularly interesting given that, as Change.org's Women's Rights blogger Jen noted, Obama appeared on the cover of Ms. this past week:

That’s right. The “new face of feminism,” who is married to a woman and has two young daughters, doesn’t want a “girly dog.” And, ahem, sees nothing wrong with using the word “girly” as a pejorative. Nice.

The term “girly dog” is yet another example of intersecting oppressions - another instance of animal advocacy as a feminist issue.

Let’s start with the stereotype of a “girly dog.” “Girly dogs” are much like “girly girls” - small, weak, fluffy, frilly, frou-frou-ey, in need of copious amounts of grooming, with large closets (filled with sparkly pink clothes, no doubt) and even bigger (yappy) mouths. Girly dogs, like girly girls, are feminine. Submissive. Annoying. Rather useless. Lazy. Bitchy. A pain in the ass. By extension, men who “own” “girly dogs” (or are “girly” themselves) are gay. Which is almost as bad as being a woman.

Big, rambunctious dogs, on the other hand, are manly. Tough. Full of testosterone. Rebellious. Not easily controlled. Leaders, not followers. They take shit from no one - least of all, girly dogs and women. 100%, Grade A hetero. Manly dogs are no one’s bitches.

Akin to the men eat meat / women nibble on salad dichotomy, the girly / manly dog split also hurts women and animals. Here, both women and small dogs are devalued for superficial reasons; the content of their characters is based on their physical characteristics, real or imagined. That which is “girly” or feminine is dismissed, denigrated, while the “manly” or masculine is judged superior and preferable. Inherent in this equation is the “I ain’t no fag!” protestation - only homosexual men “own” small, yippy dogs. In addition to being breedist and sexist, the term “girly dog” is also homophobic.

Really, read the whole post: "Another twist in the Obama family doggy drama."