Dance 10, Looks 3

I was walking down Summer Street Wednesday evening and passed a series of downtown restaurants with patio seating. I got half way past the first one and did a bit of a double take as I became aware that at every table there were only women. Next patio, same demographic—20-40 year old women in twos, threes and fours, stylishly dressed, eating, drinking and talking with smiles and animation. It was as if dozens of Carries with their posses as in “Sex and the City” had moved to Stamford. I continued walking to Eos, the new Greek place, for takeout pitas and got to wondering, why all women and why Wednesday? Barbara met me at Eos, and as we waited for our sandwiches, the women kept coming. She noticed it too. Now, Wednesday was the day of the first Yankee playoff game against the Twins. That could account for the men not going out. And as, forgive me for generalizing, most women prefer female company to sitting in front of a TV watching baseball, we agreed that this Wednesday was a perfect date for a girl’s night out.

By now, I hope you’re wondering where I’m going with this. If I knew for sure, I’d have told you up front, but mostly, it’s that this women thing has been on my mind. It started last month when the New York Jets were criticized by the Association for Women in Sports Media for their lewd locker room remarks to Ines Sainz, a Spanish language female sportscaster. They wrote:

AWSM, the NFL and Jets have been in contact since Saturday evening regarding this situation. Both the NFL and Jets were responsive to our concerns and are investigating the matter. We are awaiting the results of the investigation and further action from the NFL and Jets. AWSM remains steadfast in its long-standing commitment to ensure all women in sports media are treated respectfully, equally and professionally while working in the locker room. We will remain on top of this situation.

The Blogosphere was all a-Twitter with talk of appropriate female dress in the workplace, sexual harassment, locker room behavior and mostly, Ms Sainz who really did look hot in her “painted on” blue jeans and lacy low-cut top. She defended herself by saying that she dressed the way she likes to dress and that her clothes were in her size. From her website pictures, it is clear that she is proud of her appearance, and as a TV personality, right or wrong, that appearance is an important asset. Val from “A Chorus Line” said it best:

Dance: ten; Looks; three.

And I'm still on unemployment,

Dancing for my own enjoyment.

That ain't it, kid. That ain't it, kid.

"Dance: ten; Looks; three,"

I’d like to die!

Left the theatre and

Called the doctor for

My appointment to buy...

Tits and ass.

Bought myself a fancy pair.

Tightened up the derriere.

Did the nose with it.

All that goes with it.

Tits and ass!

Had the bingo-bongos done.

Suddenly I'm getting nash'nal tours!

Tits and ass won't get you jobs

Unless they're yours.

Maybe not politically correct with the ASWM who would probably favor business suits and a brains 10, looks 3 attitude, but I’d say Ms Sainz and her bosses know their business and their audience well enough to make their own decisions. No one had ever heard of Sainz or TV Azteca before. Now they are, albeit fleetingly, front page news.

AWSM are hardly innocent in the Sainz affair. They, not Sainz, raised the stink and went after the Jets players and organization. They are also not above sexual innuendo with their outrageous concluding statement, “We will remain on top of this situation.” This form of aggressive feminism reminds me of the group of female students in my medical school class who sat together in the back row and hissed and booed whenever a professor offended their credo. They actually had a breast surgeon called to the dean’s office where he was forced to defend himself for his lecture in which he showed explicit pictures of breast pathology. The professor, like Sainz, was trying to be provocative. It’s hard to keep from being provoked, but the response to provocation is in our control and is a responsibility that we all share. It was right to remind the Jets how to behave in their locker room. A more gentle reminder would have been nice.

So back to Wednesday and Summer Street. Barbara asked if it bothered me to see all of those women out together without men. No it did not. I liked it. What’s not to like? Haven’t I mentioned in this column that I like women? And I like the idea of women getting together and enjoying each other’s company. It’s good. It’s healthy. We men sure aren’t solving any societal problems in front of our TVs or at the poker table. Maybe the women are figuring it out for us. No, not on their Wednesday night out. No matter. They looked happy and that’s enough. If we’re all a bit happier, Mars and Venus won’t seem so far apart.