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Target Women: Tough Love

Cara

(Click here if you can’t view the embedded video.)

Of course, nothing about this show is actually funny.  Steve Ward not only reinforces the idea that women only have worth in life they’re able to find a man, while simultaneously mocking them for therefore being obsessed with desperately trying to find one — he also shames women into appropriately feminine subservient behavior, and then tells them that failing to comply with his advice will “get [them] raped.” (Okay, the fact the supposed match-making guru has his mother answers his emails on the matter is almost funny.)

But still.  I’ll be damned if Sarah doesn’t somehow find the hilarity.

14 thoughts on Target Women: Tough Love

  1. I’m so glad Sarah covered this. Very recently I was hanging out with a dude who tried to argue that “Tough Love” is totally feminist and awesome. I hadn’t seen it, so I watched the “you’re gonna get raped” episode. Yeah… no.

  3. Pingback: A Bit More on Tough Love « Editorializing the Editors

  5. I think I’m in love. <3

    “worse than leprosy you ask? Yes. Because lepers live in a colony, and single women live alone.”

    Classic line right there.

  6. Am I the only one who actually likes this show? I don’t think it’s as much emphasizing that women are useless without a partner, but helping women who really want to be in a healthy relationship see the common mistakes they make when interacting with men that cause men to either misinterpret their advances or become turned off for whatever reason. I actually think Mr. Matchmaker has the best interests of the women at heart, even if his methods are clearly meant to make for good TV.

  7. Having an audience of men call women “crazy” because of personal quirks and telling them that if they get raped it’s their own fault … is having the best interests of women at heart?

    Um, okay.

  8. I love when the women are talking to the douchey guys the show is trying to set them up with, when they’ve clearly been instructed to flatter the guys as much as possible. You can see them cringing as they try to make it through the “Hey, Mr. Douchey Guy, You’re Totally Awesome!” script. “No, no, I think you’re really….suave.” Hilarious. Or it would be, if the women didn’t think they had to jump through these ridiculous hoops in order to have a chance at ever being in a relationship again.

  9. (Okay, the fact the supposed match-making guru has his mother answers his emails on the matter is almost funny.)

    Technically, she forwarded an e-mail response to me from Steven. He could only answer once. 🙂

  10. …not to mention that the show seems to reinforce blatantly false stereotypes about men, including the whole idea that men’s minds are a homogeneous sort of thing, and that all men want the same thing from a relationship, or want the same kind of woman…

  11. Glad she did this topic! I thought this show was pretty awful whenever I would catch bits and pieces whilst I was channel surfing during commercials, but when it got to the “you’re going to get raped or get an STD” thing all bets were off.

    Because lord knows if I woman enjoys having sex and chooses to do so with multiple people than she’s a disease ridden whore who’s asking for it!

    Also…this may be a bit weird, but, what’s wrong with having your wedding dress designed at 23? I know several people who were married before they were 23. It’s not like it’s an OMGtooyoung age to get married.

  12. Hey women! Act like someone totally not you, in fact someone totally not human but instead a subservient punching bag, and men will like you!

    Yes, and I’m nuts for thinking that the problem in that equation is the insecure over-entitled men who can’t deal with human beings that have both flaws and a vagina.

  13. The one episode I watched of this crap involved the host hooking the women up with electric collars around their legs. The host sent them all on dates and would, through these collars, shock them every time they said something that broke one of his rules. Ugh.

  14. So, HOW many rules are there? ‘Cause when they flashed the number *53* on the screen, my eyes glazed over. And we hadn’t heard more than 3 before that (on Sarah’s video). I’m not sure I could make it through a whole show without throwing large heavy objects at the TV…

    Honestly? I’m so, so, SO glad I’m an old married chick. To a guy who doesn’t need me to flatter him and reflect HIS brilliance ever f*cking second of every day. (And actually digs it when I out-brain him. 🙂 SO glad I don’t have to deal with dating any more!

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