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In the November issue of Maxim magazine, an article entitled "How to Cure a Feminist" appeared on page 58. In it, such helpful advice is given as "win her over," "open her eyes," "treat her right," and "shift her focus." Get this: "A feminist is just like any other woman: She won't give you the time of day if you don't know how to approach her. To prove you're not part of the dreaded penisocracy, pretend to share her beliefs." To do so, ask her questions like, "Did you see Cagney & Lacey on Lifetime last night?" (Guffaw.) Using Maxim's four easy steps, you'll transform her from an unshaven tomboy in cargo pants demanding that penises be cut off to stop wars to a babe in high heels and a red bra and panties moaning all over your Camaro. What's wrong with that? What is wrong, we ask, with having to "reshizzle her feminist-tinged interests so you can actually spend time with her"?
Well, lots. And so, this article is inspiring people around the Internet to get very angry. But it's been doing this for years, because this Maxim article is from 2003. Which is not to say that the story isn't obnoxious and sexist (and, possibly worse, kinda dumb). But... isn't there a statute of limitations for how long we should consider things like this outrage-worthy? After all, it's a) from a magazine not really known for its measured social and political tone; and b) coming back to haunt us at a time when there are actual big issues facing women, like, say, you know, health care. And equal pay. And the right to talk about having sex or using birth control (which may or may not mean we have sex) without being called a "slut" in front of the entire country. But despite all that, this is one of those pieces that gets dredged up over and over and over again to be shared on Facebook and have blog posts written about it because it is so perfectly Internet-awful that we just can't help ourselves.