No, I’m not a Lass – I’m a girl!

Social Media – the new way to connect with friends, colleagues and class-mates, and the new way to create a rather unflattering image of yourself. Or apparently a whole group of people.

The Lad Bible was bad enough; putting photos, stories and other useless pieces of information up on a website and posting it on to social media so other ‘lads’ could be amused by ‘lad’ behaviour, and could group together in their quest to ‘smash’ another number, or pull a prank involving excrement, all under the name of ‘banter.’ But then the women had to join the ranks.

I’m not sexist. In fact I would term myself more as a feminist, but The Lass Bible sadly fails in its attempt to ‘hit back’ at its male counterpart. Why? Because they are playing into the ideology that The Lad Bible so proudly displays on a day to day basis. When they post the now infamous iPhone message photos onto their page, displaying needy girls whinging on about love, it is all in the name of humour. A type of humour that is only further enforced by the messages and pictures that The Lass Bible brags is the essence of being a ‘lass.’ Care for some examples? These are all messages that have been posted on The Lass Bible page:

Exhibit A: “A real man ruins your lipstick not your mascara”

Exhibit B: “Do you want hipbones or pizza? A gap between your thighs or cake? Collarbones or sweets? A flat stomach or soda?

Exhibit C: [and my personal favourite] an image of a woman aiming a rifle at her partner with the caption: “Why the hell did you like and comment on that B****** status?”

I am yet to meet one girl – or to use their terminology ‘lass’ – who does or thinks any of the above things. The Lass Bible works to tell women that what we look like is more important than what we think or say. It tells women they should bring other women down, by commenting on how they look [as seen in their ‘hilarious’ picture pitching Miley Cyrus against Demi Lovato.] It tells women that they should be in a relationship – after all you can’t forget that awkward moment when a eleven year old is in a relationship and you aren’t – and it tells women that everything the Lad Bible says/writes/thinks about them is true.

And what appears to be their attempt at retaliation seems to be miserably failing. Why? Because their ideas aren’t original or clever. They are simply a subversion or a reiteration of what The Lad Bible as already said. Case and point: An image of a girl is posted onto The Lad Bible page, she has “fallen asleep” and the caption reads ‘aww bf caught me sleeping” when in the background of the picture, you can see in the reflection of the mirror said girl taking the picture herself. Weeks later – a similar photo is uploaded onto the Lass Bible of a guy in exactly the same position. Is it funny? No. Why? Because it was done a few weeks ago. Where is the retaliation in that?

Now I’m all for a bit of humour, but if it gets to the point when the social media is telling me how I should or shouldn’t be a woman, or if it’s making a gender look and feel second rate, then I think it’s time this media gets a dressing down – or is this just me being unable to take ‘banter?’