Sexism? or Arrogance? – Why there should be more dresses at Magic: The Gathering tournaments

Much to my dad’s discomfort I developed mammary glands at a younger age than a lot of in girls, around year 7.

So from a young age I became accustom to the habits that teenage boys– going through puberty —seem to have; which include staring at boobs, talking about boobs, blatantly asking to touch your boobs and so on.

I’ve never associated the fascination that some boys seem to have with a girls anatomy as sexism, just a hormonal thing, I’ve never felt degraded that boys would look at my chest, just sorry for them that they couldn’t be sly enough not to get caught.

Now this isn’t just a rant about boobs, I do want to go on and link this to the huge social talking point of “sexism” in Magic: the Gathering and why I disagree with the Magic community being harshly labelled as sexist. This does not mean I do not see or think there is a problem within the community, I just don’t believe the problem is due to sexism; I believe the biggest problem the Magic: the Gathering community has in regards to female Magic players is the level of arrogance oozing from some male players and the actual lack of social interaction with females.

I have been playing Magic for around 4 years now, 2 years competitively. Not only do I love going to big competitions, like the majority of females I also have a beauty regime; I dye, wash straighten and curl my hair, I wear makeup, paint my nails, wax and occasionally even go on sunbeds. I don’t just spend a ridiculous amount of money on building decks and paying to play Magic, I also spend a stupid amount on clothes and shoes to match.

You may be thinking why do I bother doing all this, or at least why am I telling you that I go to all this much effort on a daily basis? Well it’s to crush the biggest most annoying myth that winds me up every time I hear a guy comment on it either at a tournament or online.

I follow my beauty regime because it makes ME feel good, it makes ME feel confident and its how I choose to look. A scarily large amount of the Magic community like to think that when a female Magic player takes pride in her appearance that she is trying to be some kind of temptress distracting them from their games; she’s only wore that dress or top to make him somehow forget he has that Force of Will in hand, that the sweet smell of her perfume is a ploy so he loses all memory of the fact that artifacts can block all creatures with intimidate.

I cannot fathom how these men ever actually leave the house; I mean if a woman’s cleavage is such a weapon of mass manipulation, surely they can’t do anything in life without being taken advantage of.

I recently read an article by another female player, in this article she expressed how uncomfortable she now felt wearing certain items, for example dresses, to Magic tournaments and now wears more loosely fitting thing; I personally have no idea why!

Female Magic players and girls wanting to play Magic at a competitive level need to be more confident in them self, and be strong about being a good gamer whilst also being the woman they want to be; by this I do not mean take the feminist approach labelling every bad encounter or disagreement as sexist and demanding for segregation.

Segregation is actually the furthest thing away from what female players should be striving for and I honestly can believe its being used in Canada and I really hope the idea doesn’t spread. pussy88

If we want to be treated equally with male players then the solution is not to separate ourselves, it is to get in their faces even more as the only way to rid them of their socially awkwardness toward woman is to surround them with more woman in hope they learn how to interact and not fear anymore.

Not so long ago I had quite a sad personal experience with some male players, and I can only imagine that a few other female Magic players, or any girl in a male dominated arena, would have gone through at some point.

This however has not put me off playing Magic and I certainly haven’t stopped playing Magic at public events, otherwise I would be giving the bullies exactly what they want. At the end of the day haters are always going to hate, you can’t let them win by conceding or not being yourself.

Wizards can’t stop guys being upset when they get rejected, or them looking at a woman’s boobs mid game or them having boyish banter about not wanting to be beaten by a girl. These are just everyday things that really don’t need a huge deal being made out of. I personally like being included in the banter and feel more included when I have it addressed to me, as long as I play my best and hopefully beat them I’m happy.

So my final point is…

LADIES! Put on your skirts, floral tops, summer dresses whatever; wear those heels to your next tournament if you want. Just go a long, be confident , be strong and most importantly kick ass!

Just don’t be too offended if you get hit on or get a couple of weird looks, some of these men have never seen our kind before and may take a little time to adjust and become comfortable, this does not mean they’re sexist though and it doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you or you being there so hang on in there.

GENTLEMEN! Please go ask your mum, sister, wife or girlfriend why she wears what she wears, or chooses to look the way she does, you may be surprised to find it isn’t just all for you or an evil ploy to distract all mankind.

Also if still after going through puberty, some of you marriage, some of you fatherhood; if you still get distracted and put off your game by a pair of boobs or being around a girl maybe try having a good browse on 4chan before going to your next tournament, get rid of some of that pent up frustration!

Thank you for reading,

Sophie x

Sexism? or Arrogance? - Why there should be more dresses at Magic: The Gathering tournaments, by Sophie Barrass Now this isn’t just a rant about boobs, I do want to go on and link this to the huge social talking point of “sexism” in Magic: the Gathering and why I disagree with the Magic community being harshly labelled as sexist. Sophie Barrass

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