On giggly women

So, the episode the other day concerning my co-worker got me thinking about something very specific. We all laugh. I happen to laugh a lot and, much of the time, quite loudly. But there is a subset of women whom I cannot understand or abide. And they are giggly women. More annoying is a subset of that subset: giggly Asian women. I'll get to the sub-subset in a moment.

When I say giggly women, I don't mean the ones, who when they laugh, do so quietly or are reserved. Or when one "gets the giggles," which happens occasionally. I am talking about those women who seem to be in a constant state of being just about to giggle when you talk to them. The ones who will giggle at any inane joke that a guy they are interested in (and sometimes not interested in) makes. The ones who, when they get around the other giggly women, giggle incessantly to the point where I want to go over there and smack them.

Why such vitriol? I think part of it has to do with the fact that I chose a career path which is male dominated. When women are the minority, whether there is a need or not, there is a tendency to try to be more serious, to show that we are serious. Over-professionalism, I guess. And I've worked with and encountered males who have literally said, "I don't trust attractive women in science," and who do not take an opinion seriously when coming from a woman but will when coming from a man. And it's made me a little cynical and jaded on that front. I want to be taken seriously, by everyone. I want to be perceived as intelligent from the moment I open my mouth. And I feel that the giggly women, no matter how intelligent they are, present a really silly front, and I think it's bad for all women. Not only do I think it doesn't allow a step forward, I think it sometimes causes a step back.

So, the sub-subset of giggly Asian women. What's my beef with them? They propagate a stereotype which I just hate. A stereotype with which I try very hard not to be associated. The Hello Kitty toting, really awful J-pop listening, feet shuffling, everything they own needing to be cute, traveling in packs, life is all about being cute women. The Iron Chef actress/commentator, "Teehee, this tastes like spring," chick. The ones who seem to have stopped maturing at the age of 12. And I know that they exist and will always be out there and that stereotypes come from somewhere. I just want it to stop. Stop trying to be all cutesy and demure. It's just irritating.

Am I being fair? Probably not. And not all giggly women are airheads. But I think that, if you are in that constant state of giggle-dom, and laughing increases airflow to the body (unless it's uncontrollable, then you just hyperventilate), then it's reasonable to conclude that the majority of giggly women have a bit more air in their heads than average.

**this also marks my 100th post to this blog **