Objective Evidence

In class on friday we discussed an essay by Deborah Tannen called "There Is No Unmarked Women". Personally, After reading the first few paragraphs, I was immediately skeptical of the claims Tannen was making. Why would she assume that a woman's style couldn't be generic and go unnoticed in the same way that a man's can? Can't a man also get ridiculed for what they wear in the same way that a woman can? Despite my initial doubts, I decided to read into it with an open mind. The point that really shifted my mindset was the example Tannen used to support her claim that "Women can't even fill out a form without telling stories about themselves", where she showed how marriage titles make women reveal more about themselves than they may want. Because of the objective and unarguable facts that she presented with her contrast of "Ms.", "Miss", and "Mrs.", I was able to understand where she was coming from. Because I am a man, I really cannot verify or relate to any of the points that feminists often make in their arguments; therefore I was initially defensive of the notion that this "marking" really existed, almost like I was feeling attacked. I think this portion of the piece does a phenomenal job conveying it's message to not just women, but also men who are willing read it with an open mind, something I've noticed many feminist essays struggle with. Because she used objective facts and evidence for examples,  instead of being rooted in perceived inequality, or things that someone might have to experience to understand, I personally was able to grasp and agree with the content of the essay much more easily.