Blogs Mar 10, 2011 at 4:09 pm

Comments

1
[The title of the linked story is "Sexy Stares Linked to Co-eds' Poor Test Scores."]

What is up with the persistence in the English language of the term "co-ed"? On-line dictionaries' definition is "a woman who attends a coeducational college or university." Clearly only really old people write headlines at ABC these days, as this is a relic of a time when a) women in college were unusual, b) coeducational schools were rare, c) co-ed was only ever linked in print with words like sexy, curvy, blonde, etc. This word needs burning at the stake, or at least regular mockery.
2
so hindered concentration = harm? Anyone who checks me out and makes me briefly think of something hotter than math is hardly harming me.
3
It is difficult to pay attention to tasks requiring concentration when one's mind is divided between the task at hand and other concerns. Certainly attention payed to oneself can be another concern. Objectification has no necessary relation.

I love the direction this could take, nevertheless. A man, or woman even, could be responsible for damages resulting from the normal interaction of the sexes in the marketplace.

How do these people ever get payed to perform such fucking asinine research? A lifetime filled with empty achievements.
4
*yawn*
5
@2, 3: A cursory reading of the actual study indicates that men do not appear to suffer a performance hit from being ogled ("objectified"), probably for reasons of how we are socialized growing up.
6
There are a lot of sexy sexy mathematicians who are women.
7
Uh, no shit. It's easier to do math when you're distracted by x things ("my pencil is dull", "I have to pee","I hate tests", etc) than x + 1 things ("my pencil is dull", "I have to pee","I hate tests", plus "That guy's looking at me - is he a creeper? Do I have to watch out for him? Is my bra showing?").

Hate to break it to you fellas, but when a guy is looking at me, I go down a list of possible things he could say or do, and my responses - which include mentally checking for the nearest exit. (Maybe this'd be different if I was actually looking for a guy, but I don't think it differ by much)

I also agree that the term "co-ed" needs to DIE ALREADY. Ahem.
8
Math is hard.
9
Any distinction made re whether the oglee responded favorably to the ogler? i.e. did she ogle back? (No, dont' tell me to read the whole report....I don't care THAT much...)
10
Lindy, I thought you *always* looked sexy as hell!

Or was there something about that kerfuffle w/ Dan a few weeks back that I missed?
11
OK, let's think about big picture here.

While this test relied upon testing people who were being tested, I doubt very much that the majority, or even a plurality, of women/girls (ie, women under the age of 18) were being actively ogled (and noticing it if they were) when they were taking actual standardized tests.

The math test is a stand-in for general cognitive goings-on.

So, the point that women who were being ogled, and were aware of it, and did more poorly on a math test, isn't about math tests. It's about women's cognitive functioning in the wider social realm, where when they get ogled, it might throw them off their games. And given that we know that straight men ogle women regardless of how they dress, regardless of the situation, this study might actually suggest something important: the impression that women aren't as smart as men is based on how men treat women in public.

And co-ed is a stupid hangover word.
12
Seven is right. It's very distracting (in a negative way) to be ogled by a stranger. I'm suprised they did as well as they did on the test.
13
There's a lot about this kind of thing in Cordelia Fine's book "Delusions of Gender," which is a great (if depressing) read.
14
This will be right up there with that 1970s study that showed the U of M had the highest rape stats in the US... How? Why, bu including women who 'regretted' a sexual encounter.

Feminism and science don't go together well.
15
Yes, I imagine angry feminists do find any attention from men to be troublesome. Just like razors and Brazilians.
16

So, you're saying hot girls are dumb?

17
At the beginning of my Calc II final this dude who was about 20y older than me handed over a note saying he wanted to fuck. I told him to fuck off, as I found that a highly inappropriate time and manner to ask someone out. then I got a A on my test
18
"
So, you're saying hot girls are dumb?"

Isn't that the essence of pre-post-modern feminism? Aren't today's feminists more willing to be tit-shakers?
19
#17

Actually the note said "Good Luck".

20
@17 actually calc is the perfect time to be day dreaming about fucking your class mates. Even the fantasizing about the ugly ones would be more pleasurable than calc.
21
#18

Today's?

Who was Gloria Steinem, then?

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4XWaKmHC5lU/TS…

22
"Who was Gloria Steinem, then"

Unless she's a tit-shaker, I have no idea.
24
it took 30 hours of training to calibrate the difference between "ogle" and "leer"?
26
Yes, I would have a hard time concentrating if I felt harassed too.

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