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Men’s World Cup ‘manifesto’: Humorous or sexist?
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BEIRUT: Prior to and throughout the World Cup season, social media platforms have been witnessing a flood of light-hearted posts, in the form of letters written on behalf of men to their female partners, listing what is expected and what is prohibited for them.
One of the letters asks women to be understanding and cooperative, while their partners slouch facing the TV, filling their beer belly with snacks. The letter includes guidelines on possession of the remote control, designated hours for visitors, football team preferences, and prohibited vs. permitted comments and questions. These instructions were merely drafted to ensure “a smooth and argument-free month,” one social media user said.
In accordance with the World Cup games, the letters appear every four years, storming social media platforms with the same repetitive content.
From a Nigerian man’s letter to his wife in 2014 to a Twitter thread by user @EliteMartial in 2018, the instructions have almost always covered the same basics.
- When the World Cup is on, the TV belongs to the man.
- Women should not say “It’s only a game,” “Get over it,” “They’ll win next time” to comfort men’s losing team.
- Replays are very important.
- Friends’ parties, gatherings, social events are all off-limits.
- Women are welcome to watch the game as long as they’re silent.
- Women should not ask what the offside rule is.
- Women should not support a football team for its attractive players.
While the trend is still ongoing, the matter seems to have been taken beyond its humorous tone by some. Aiming to highlight the fine line between humor and insult, some expressed that they felt offended by it.
Defiant of the gender-specific tone, Batoul Hachem highlighted women’s almost identical enthusiasm for the World Cup, “Dear men, we wonder what makes you feel that the most watched sports event around the world is entitled to you; some of us are genuinely more excited than you,” she shared.
Women, like Hachem, were not alone in their dismissal of the letters; some men had the same stance.
“I can guarantee you that I know women who know more about football than men, including my girlfriend who is more excited about the World Cup than I am,” said Tarek Tamo, a supporter of France.
Tamo’s girlfriend, Ghina Seddik, also disapproved of the letters.
“This mentality needs to vanish. I don't only watch during the World Cup, I watch football all season and I'm as excited and as critical as anyone,” she explained.
Both Tamo and Seddik agreed that the letters, in their opinion, were not funny, but rather bordering on sexist stereotypes.
Jenna Chami, who supports Spain and Brazil, but has a soft spot for the Arab teams, also expressed her disappointment in the “sexist” letter.
“It’s utterly shameful that stereotypes of this kind still exist,” she said. “What’s even sadder is the fact that some women have the audacity to laugh and share those jokes,” she added.
Chami believed that the letters, even if written in humor, are degrading to women and should be perceived as such. Her passion for football transcends the gender roles put forth by society.
“Football is for everyone. No exceptions,” Chami emphasized. “If you don’t watch it, you don’t get to belittle those who do, especially if they’re women,” she said.
Some women, however, took the letters in a much lighter manner and found them humorous, like Melissa Abdo, who shared the letter on her Facebook page, and said: “I think some of them can be funny, as long as they don’t hurt or mock women.”
Regardless of the content of the letter, which imposes strict rules on Abdo and other women, she explained that she will be watching the games with her husband and supporting Germany.
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