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23:29 Wednesday 20 December 2000

Snowmen on Christmas cards reinforce traditional gender stereotypes by reflecting men in prominent, public roles and women in private, domestic situations, according to new research.

Art historian Dr Tricia Cusack believes the festive figures represent a return to a more conservative, patriarchal view of society than exists today.

The Birmingham University academic, who studies cultural meanings in visual imagery, was prompted to research the topic after shopping for Christmas cards.

"Snowmen in representations on cards were becoming more and more common and a kind of icon up there with Father Christmas, robins and holly. It's become even more marked in the last few years," she said.

"I wanted to know why they should be so popular."

In the research, which has been published by cultural history periodical New Formations, Dr Cusack also describes snowmen as reflecting the festival spirit of overeating and excess dating back to Medieval times and beyond.

In promotional literature from the university, she writes: "In both the UK and US, Christmas has been gendered as woman's realm in its emphasis on children and family.

"The snowman's location in the semi-public space of garden or field reinforces a spatial-social system marking women's sphere as the domestic-private and the men's as the commercial-public."

-- Frosty (North@Pole.Net), December 21, 2000

Answers

Wow, this is some pretty serious stuff. It's the stuff federal grants are made of.

Let's all write our congresspeople about this socialistic crisis. The snowpeople are taking over!! ARRGGHH!

-- gene (ekbaker@essex1.com), December 21, 2000.

I sculpted breasts on a snowwoman years ago and got into social trouble with the neighbors.

-- helen (b@r.n), December 21, 2000.

Should of added a bra I guess.....maybe a bikini?

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), December 21, 2000.

Helen..I like that...I'm gonna make a snowwoman this year! (Okay, maybe I'll add the bikini...for noveltys sake) If only we could get some SNOW! (and not this dusting like we got yesterday)

In the summer, I make mermaids out of sand on the beach, and give them seaweed hair. People walk by and stare at them, like they've sprung up from the beach itself. It's pretty cool.

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), December 21, 2000.

Kritter, I have a whole yard full of snow if you're interested. In fact, just drive several hours to the east, and you'll encounter plenty! And it's headed your way! (evil chuckle)

-- (kb8um8@yahoo.com), December 21, 2000.

You think the snowman issue is a problem? How about this:

As you all know I travel some - quite often down into the heart of Tex-Mex country. I was just today, thinking about the symbolism of a cute Chrismas tradition. In a little grocery store I saw pinatas made to represent several current themes. There was a yellow tele-tubby, a spaceman, etc. But what caught my eye was the Santa.

Now, just picture it in your mind. You bring Santa home, hang him in the tree in the front yard, and gather all the kiddies. Then you give them a baseball bat and tell them to whack the bejebbers out of ole Saint Nick, untill his limbs fall off, and his guts spill candy on the ground. Don’t that just give you the creepin’ jeebies?

Well, admittedly this quaint ritual is one I have enjoyed myself, and probably would again, at least with the yellow tele-tubby, but come on, the jolly fat man, himself?

Come to think of it, there may be a marketing bonanza here. I can just see a store in the mall offering adult pinatas; the ever popular Clintons (your choice), Gore, Bush, Saddam, or perhaps a blank face model you could customize to look like your boss. But I bet the best seller would be Bill Gates, holding a copy of Windows! Ho ho ho!

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-- Lon Frank (lgal@exp.net), December 21, 2000.

Lon, patent that idea quickly! TODAY.

Kritter, I would rather sculpt sand than snow any day. You can always paint the bikini on the snowwoman.

-- helen (b@r.n), December 21, 2000.

Out of Missouri, out of the snow,
No more wind chill of 30 below!
Make a snowman, have some fun,
I'm glad to be back in the Texas sun! :-)

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), December 22, 2000.

KB - Snow received..THANK YOU! It's beautiful!

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), December 22, 2000.

Oh here, dont forget the windchill factor of -21.

Passes it to Kritter, (very evil chuckle, Indeed :-)

-- sumer (shh@aol.con), December 22, 2000.

A -21 wind chill assures that the snow will remain on the ground for Christmas. Besides, should you forget to chill your rose, you can leave the bottle out on your back porch for about .30 minutes, thus saving necessary 'fridge space for the Snickers cheese cake.

-- (kb8um8@yahoo.com), December 22, 2000.

You can always paint the bikini on the snowwoman. .... ??

Isn't it more fun to paint the bikini off of the snowwoman?

Or is that "to take it off the warmwomen"?

---...---...

Merry Christmas all!

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), December 22, 2000.

Merry Christmas, Robert.

-- helen (b@r.n), December 22, 2000.

Men! Your duty is clear! Whenever you go out to make a snow man, be sure to sculpt a very female snow woman nearby! Remember, anyone who dares complain about displaying the feminine shape in all its glory will be labeled a misogynist and non-PC at the least.

-- Hamilton Felix (madison_6@hotmail.com), December 26, 2000.

Okay - But how close is "nearby" when discussing snowmen mingling in public with snowwomens?

Won't the potential friction tend to melt things?

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), December 27, 2000.

Robert,

I've been out all morning attempting to walk on the snow. Friction is not present and accounted for.

-- helen fell on her... (b@r.n), December 27, 2000.