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Women Representation

MTelkHuntress

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https://www.outsideonline.com/24165...ookpost&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

While the article brought up a couple great points, it fell pretty short for me. It didnt really help in normalizing women hunters as it just kind of sensationalized them while talking about women helping to sell things as well as just focusing on looks. As this article is written from the point of view of someone from outside the hunting world looking in, I cant help but wonder if this is the view of women hunters.

"“Companies are realizing women are a way to make money,” says Elizabeth Covelli Metcalf, an associate professor and social scientist at the University of Montana who studies hunting. “They’re designing gear and investing in influencers and social media, and it’s spreading awareness.”"
 
I got pretty bored a few paragraphs in.

Seems the writer interviewed a couple marketers who were going hunting. It’s an article about business and social media.

In reality the majority of hunters, women included, partake in an experience with far less glitz, fanfare, visibility, and pizzazz. But if you’re a non hunter reading the article you may not be aware of that
 
I got pretty bored a few paragraphs in.
I skimmed pretty quick my first round and then forced myself to power through.
They did mention the cofounder of Artemis Sportswomen...but it was a very brief blurb of reality: "Then you have more homespun, seemingly Maybelline-free huntstagrammers like Allie D’Andrea, whose tasteful feed focuses on her white lab and the beauty of public lands. (She’s a cofounder of Artemis.) Known as @outdoors_allie, she has 116,000 followers, Jen among them. “Wearing makeup in the outdoors just doesn’t compute in my brain,” Jen says. “I have a million things I’m thinking about when I’m hunting: the wind, my scent, my noise. The way I look is not one of them.”"
 
I got bored early on too. But gave it a second look. For a self-styled "San Francisco food writer" I think it could have been worse. The allusion to a hierarchy in difficulty or value between spot and stalk bow hunting and other forms of hunting rubbed me the wrong way. I guess any strong judgements or affirmations made by overzealous neophytes are bound to rub me the wrong way. I'm not saying all of them are overzealous neophytes, but it seems to be in there. Big surprise outside went with trendy and marketable rather than experienced, insightful, or credible. Maybe I'm getting old, but I swear they used to be better.

Edit: Take my perspective with a shaker of salt though. I can probably count the number of times I've hunted along side women on two hands, and can't begin to give my perspective in that regard.
 
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Although an extra long article, way to long honestly, I appreciated the perspective she has on the topic and I think closely resembles a lot of the non hunting public, just just about women and women hunters but just hunting in general.
 
It’s kind of a wake up call for me on how foreign hunting probably is to a large portion of urban America. In Iowa about 90% of the land gets hunted, and hunters and hunting is familiar to most everyone. Minneapolis was much different in that urban sprawl made it so generations of people grow up with little connection to the land, and they end up with really weird biases towards hunting - at least that was my experience from living there.
 
I had to force myself to read it too. I agree with @MTelkHuntress...it was kind of a crap article. The references to fake eyelashes, squealing like tweenagers, descriptions of hairstyles...what does any of that have to do with hunting? Typical female hunters article, little substance and focused on everything except actual hunting.

Normalization...that’s a good word. Definitely not in this piece. Or maybe that is normal. In which case I’d rather stay abnormal.
 
Sad that our world is ruled by money, I've noticed that trend in advertising for a while. It seems that real female hunters tend to be quietly effective, less needy for attention for their hunting prowess, but not less as contributors to conservation. I'm fine with the idea of letting people be themselves, if you want to hunt with makeup, whatever, but the article did seem to make it out that that's your typical female hunter and I've not found that to be the case. I think choosing someone who works for Mtn Ops to showcase probably didn't help just due to the fact that they're used to looking for publicity for their product more so than the average female hunter.
 
It’s kind of a wake up call for me on how foreign hunting probably is to a large portion of urban America. In Iowa about 90% of the land gets hunted, and hunters and hunting is familiar to most everyone. Minneapolis was much different in that urban sprawl made it so generations of people grow up with little connection to the land, and they end up with really weird biases towards hunting - at least that was my experience from living there.
You feel its as accepted in central IA? I always felt like people weren't as accepting until I got East of 63 or South of 92. Maybe that's just deer/turkey hunting. It's all relative I guess.

Yesterday was my birthday, and I was reading Newbergs article in Modern Huntsman, and the two brought back a memory I have. I'm pretty sure it was the first time I thought about myself as a hunter. I was 4 or 5, and I share a birthday with my cousin who's a year younger than me. We had a joint birthday party and our cake was split down the middle. Her half was Barbie themed and she was over the moon excited. Mine had this person sitting with their back to what I now recognize as a gnarly looking oak tree, clad in camo, a gun on their knee. I was baffled. My parents explained to me, my half of the cake had a hunter on it. I knew my father and hers hunted together and had seen the game they'd brought home before, but I'd never thought of me doing it. I already loved the outdoors , but it was a confusing thing, and I wasn't exactly excited about my half of the cake. By about age 9 hunting was easily one of the biggest activities present in my mind, and a hunter was something I aspired to be. My cousin has hunted a good amount, but isn't nearly as excited as I am, but then again most people probably aren't. How much of my passion is innate, and how much was fed by opportunity and suggestion? I'll never know.
 
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I read this first thing this morning and couldn’t quite figure out how to post it without offending someone. Glad someone else started in on it first.

Cutting to the chase, thought this article was trash straight through. So incredibly superficial it was hard to pick up on the deeper nuances before snapping back to superficial. Admittedly, I do not think I could write it better, but I think this missed the mark widely. Not surprising as Outside seems to be on a bit of a social justice kick lately. Not that women hunters are a social justice kick...oh geez now I’ve stepped in it. I hope someone understands the point I’m trying to make. I really think they could have knocked this article out of the park with a writer who is also a hunter interviewing the “all-stars” (for lack of a better word), in the hunting community.

I unfortunately belong in the demographic of introducing my wife to hunting several years prior to the birth of our daughter, and one with our daughter in tow, but my wife just doesn’t feel comfortable hunting alone. 🤷‍♂️ One of us is needed to watch the kid.

Truly mean no offense to anyone, please do not let my opinion rile you up. I respond quite well to a simple, “piss up a rope.”
 
I read this first thing this morning and couldn’t quite figure out how to post it without offending someone. Glad someone else started in on it first.

Cutting to the chase, thought this article was trash straight through. So incredibly superficial it was hard to pick up on the deeper nuances before snapping back to superficial. Admittedly, I do not think I could write it better, but I think this missed the mark widely. Not surprising as Outside seems to be on a bit of a social justice kick lately. Not that women hunters are a social justice kick...oh geez now I’ve stepped in it. I hope someone understands the point I’m trying to make. I really think they could have knocked this article out of the park with a writer who is also a hunter interviewing the “all-stars” (for lack of a better word), in the hunting community.

I unfortunately belong in the demographic of introducing my wife to hunting several years prior to the birth of our daughter, and one with our daughter in tow, but my wife just doesn’t feel comfortable hunting alone. 🤷‍♂️ One of us is needed to watch the kid.

Truly mean no offense to anyone, please do not let my opinion rile you up. I respond quite well to a simple, “piss up a rope.”
I think you’re ok. I don’t think any of us are overly sensitive around here. 😁

But it kind of did seem like a trite social justice kick rather than an honest to God hunting article. I feel like “female hunters” are a niche to be exploited and ripe for self-promoters, selling products, selling magazines, selling stuff.
 
I think you’re ok. I don’t think any of us are overly sensitive around here. 😁

But it kind of did seem like a trite social justice kick rather than an honest to God hunting article. I feel like “female hunters” are a niche to be exploited and ripe for self-promoters, selling products, selling magazines, selling stuff.
Yeah, it's definitely "an angle" in that article.

Edit: But if that's what it takes to get more hunting content in Outside, I'm mostly ok with it.
 
I had to force myself to read it too. I agree with @MTelkHuntress...it was kind of a crap article. The references to fake eyelashes, squealing like tweenagers, descriptions of hairstyles...what does any of that have to do with hunting? Typical female hunters article, little substance and focused on everything except actual hunting.

Normalization...that’s a good word. Definitely not in this piece. Or maybe that is normal. In which case I’d rather stay abnormal.

you said it better and nicer than I was going to, so I will just say, I agree.

But I can not let this part pass. " ohhh, he's so killable whispers Amanda, her long blond locks free-flowing around her moon-shaped face"----but----dont call them "huntresses", it is so sexualized. pleeeese!

Elizabeth Metcalf says "companies are realizing that women are a way to make money" Mtelkhuntress : The next time you see her or speak to her, tell her woman ( and sex ) "sells" is not a new marketing concept (-:

Hunting wife: your last comment on your last post. Exactly!
 
Normalization...that’s a good word
I dont know much of my family but I've heard stories of my grandmother hunting and shooting a moose. Back then, everyone chipped in to put food on the table. No one cared that she was a woman that hunted and she wasnt propped up on a pedestal for it. I guess that's what I think about when I think of normalization.
 
you said it better and nicer than I was going to, so I will just say, I agree.

But I can not let this part pass. " ohhh, he's so killable whispers Amanda, her long blond locks free-flowing around her moon-shaped face"----but----dont call them "huntresses", it is so sexualized. pleeeese!

Elizabeth Metcalf says "companies are realizing that women are a way to make money" Mtelkhuntress : The next time you see her or speak to her, tell her woman ( and sex ) "sells" is not a new marketing concept (-:

Hunting wife: your last comment on your last post. Exactly!

Dont hold back April, tell us what you really think :)

I also thought it was a bit silly
 
I think you’re ok. I don’t think any of us are overly sensitive around here. 😁

But it kind of did seem like a trite social justice kick rather than an honest to God hunting article. I feel like “female hunters” are a niche to be exploited and ripe for self-promoters, selling products, selling magazines, selling stuff.

Bolded part...big-time.
 
I don’t know about females ostracizing more than males, I know I have met loads of people I’ve judged as hunters and thought of tons I would/wouldn’t hunt with.

I think I read an article in Bugle about a female hunter a few years back, that struck me harder than this one did.
 
Today's female version of the dreaded "Flat-Brim" boys is my take from the article. With that said, take away the marketing ploy of social media and those two women would probably just be ordinary hunters. Gotta say, all girl's out of state, OTC public land, archery hunt gets an approval nod from me. Air-B&B isn't exactly roughing it....so kinda wonder what the three weeks in Montana's wilderness was actually like on that elk hunt. Having a San Fran writer tag along for the extra exposure seemed smart and possibly even changed her preconceived views on hunting and conservation. Who knows, this might even result in adding to the female hunting ranks??

@MTelkHuntress wrote: "I cant help but wonder if this is the view of women hunters."

Not my view but I can totally see why the women hunters on this forum might be a bit miffed when reading the article. In my mind, female hunters are just ordinary hunters.....Then again, I was raised in a family were all the women hunted right along with all the men. My grandma used to amaze me with all her hunting stories as she was born and raised in a dirt floored shack at the base of the front range. If they wanted to eat when the men were away, the ladies had to find something to harvest or go hungry. Totally different than today's hunting but hunting non the less.

I will also add that my wife also gets annoyed with the marketing of today's female hunters. She will always say "OMG" she is wearing makeup and her hair looks washed, must have been a real tough hunt!
 
I dont know much of my family but I've heard stories of my grandmother hunting and shooting a moose. Back then, everyone chipped in to put food on the table. No one cared that she was a woman that hunted and she wasnt propped up on a pedestal for it. I guess that's what I think about when I think of normalization.
Exactly this.
 
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