Speculum of the other women: The Big Break V

In 1974, a Belgian feminist named Luce Irigaray published a volume called Speculum Of The Other Woman. The tome provoked the wrath of followers of Jacques Lacan, from whose camp Irigaray departed with this work. What she detailed was the exclusion of women from traditional psychological and philosophical treatises, perspectives, and forms. This is interesting why? Because the Big Break V is about to start on TGC, and its presentation seems to both contradict and support Irigaray’s assertions.

On the one hand, the Bachelor has had only one Bachelorette series, with America clearly preferring women chasing men. This BB is the second in which women have been featured. CONTRADICTION

On the other hand, BBV is the first to offer a swimsuit calendar featuring the contestants, thereby rendering them objects, rather than subjects, precisely as Irigaray asserted. SUPPORT

The list could go on, but you’d get bored, as bored as I was doing doctoral work on application of feminist theory to 20th century Spanish drama. I quit that track to teach verbs to teenagers, and to blog for this rag. I’ll leave you with this Spin Doctor moment: remember when Danielle Aimee, the female winner of BB3, wussed out of two LPGA tourneys this year? Well, here’s the quote from TGC on the impact that she had (I kid you not!)

“The Big Break III winner, Danielle Amiee, garnered national attention during the two LPGA Tour stops to which she earned exemptions by winning the show.”

Nice. Turn the speculum on and probe a little deeper. Time to view women golfers as much more than T & A.