Are 'female friendly' restaurants sexist?

[theHandpuppet]

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27353005
Are 'female friendly' restaurants sexist? By Anthony Zurcher
Editor, Echo Chambers

Granted, I live in small-town WV but I had no idea there were actually restaurants for women. I am interested in your opinions on this article because from this description I wouldn't feel comfortable there anyway -- I'd just want to hide under a table somewhere.

(excerpt)
At least that's one explanation for the proliferation of "female-friendly" restaurants such as the steakhouse chains STK and SHe, and the Washington DC area sports bar the Bracket Room.

Unfortunately, writes the Week's Kaitlin Roberts, most of these restaurants miss the mark.

SHe, for instance, features "smaller, 'she-sized' steak portions, mirrors on the dessert menus so women could reapply their lipstick and 'sexy' decor".

And then there's the catwalk, she notes, "where women in scanty clothing perform for the restaurant's female and male guests".

Yuck. I have to agree with Jessica Sidman of the Washington City Paper, who writes:

Sidman thinks she knows what's really behind this trend. These restaurants aren't trying to attract women - they're trying to attract men who want to go where they think they can find women.

[Jackpine Radical]

1. That last sentence seems pretty likely to be correct.

Somewhat off-topic--

I remember many years ago when a local campus bar would have a women-only hour. They would chase all the male customers out at about 7 & serve only women for the next hour or so. One night I was with a half-bombed mixed group who had gotten an early start, and when the "magic hour" arrived, the bartenders announced that the males in the group would have to leave. A young male faculty type stood up & started complaining loudly about sexism & discrimination against males. After a bit of verbal interchange, the bartenders opted for discretion rather than valor & just let us stay.

[HockeyMom]

2. I don't need a "woman's hour" to eat alone in a restaurant

Many a time as a young woman back in the 60s, I ate alone in restaurants; along with couples, and men alone. I wasn't looking for a pick up. I just wanted to EAT. Yes, sometimes sitting at a table for two a man would ask to join me, and I told him no that I wanted to be ALONE. Women cannot do that even today?

Hell, even as a old woman today when my husband is away on business, I go out to a restaurant by myself to eat. What the hell is the big deal about that?

[ismnotwasm]

3. I never heard of such a thing

And wouldn't go, but it sounds as though they reinforce gender stereotypes, so I would say yes

[MadrasT]

4. I think so.

I won't go anywhere that markets to specific genders. I also won't go to events that are required to be "gender balanced". The whole idea seems ridiculous to me. (I am nongendered, you can't "balance" my female-anatomy by offsetting me with an anatomical male. I also think the whole concept of binary gender is absurd.) The whole idea of a "gender balanced" event negates my existence.

OK that was kind of off topic but BLECH... I hate genderized marketing.