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Is Pinterest Turning Women Into Submissive Housewives?

pinterest pinning recipes

Every time you share a recipe on Pinterest, a feminist loses her wings. Because if you happen to love cooking, especially healthy recipes, that sets the women's movement back a few decades.

I'm being sarcastic here, but the pinning criticism isn't made up. Recently, Buzzfeed writer Amy Odell posted an essay claiming that Pinterest is "killing feminism." I get that she was doing it for clicks, and that she also interviewed some women's magazine editors who had positive things to say about Pinterest, and that she eventually called the site "a natural evolution in online women's media," but I still can't get over some of her comments.

Odell writes that the diet tricks, healthy recipes and images of toned bodies that are frequently shared on the website serve as a "reminder that women still seek out the retrograde, materialistic content that women's magazines have been hawking for decades — and that the Internet was supposed to help overcome." What an interesting statement coming from someone who used to work at The Cut, New York mag's fashion blog. Also, what's so wrong with pinning healthy recipes, like the low-carb crumbled-cauliflower pizza she mentions? While there are some disturbing "thinspiration" photos on Pinterest, plain ole healthy does not equal anorexic.

Pinterest has actually made me into a better cook. I've never been too skilled in the kitchen; my go-to always was (and still is) pasta. Sure, I've always had cookbooks, but honestly, I barely touch them. Pinterest is like my virtual cookbook, and it's made making dinner a lot more fun. Now, when I've got pasta cooking on the stove, I'm tossing in goat cheese, spinach and asparagus for more variety. And when my boyfriend and I are wondering what to eat on a Friday night, I open up the Pinterest app and tell him to pick something from my recipe board. (Though he doesn't pin, he loves it just as much as I do, mainly because of all the things we can now do with bacon and buffalo chicken.) Why is this sexist again? It's an efficient tool!

The Frisky's Amelia McDonnell-Parry posted a wonderfully crafted response to Odell's article, and you should read it. The bottom line is, I think it's unfortunate how women tend to criticize each other in the media. Yes, I pin recipes all the time. But guess what? I also consider myself a smart, successful woman.

And if you still disagree with me, I'd like to invite you over to my apartment, where I'll gladly cook you a three-course meal while I steer the conversation toward more important matters, like the upcoming election.

Do you like to pin recipes? Check out some great recipes to pin on Breakfast, Love & Dinner.

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