'Jeopardy!' category 'What Women Want' sparks backlash among women
What do women want?
A category on long-running TV quiz show "Jeopardy!" called "What Women Want" that appeared on Monday's show sparked a backlash among viewers who took issue with what they contend were sexist clues.
Maybe that's not surprising. Among them:
• “Some help around the house; Would it kill you to get out the Bissell bagless canister one of these every once in a while?” (Answer: A vacuum cleaner.)
• “A few moments of quiet to do this, especially the one edited by Will Shortz in The New York Times.” (Answer: The crossword puzzle.)
• "Time to exercise; perhaps a class in this discipline named for founder Joseph, who initially called it Contrology." (Answer: Pilates.)
• And: "A pair of jeans that fit well, like the 525s from this brand." (Answer: Levi's.)
Those clues didn't sit well with many women, who took to Twitter to express their outrage. Actress Sophia Bush was among them.
.@Jeopardy? For a "smart" show, you just got srsly stupid RT @DJRumspringa: ARE YOU SERIOUS @Jeopardy?? pic.twitter.com/LEZcSw8K5A #SexismIsUgly
— Sophia Bush (@SophiaBush) September 29, 2014
Hey @Jeopardy that "What Women Want" category was straight up sexist. A vacuum? Tea? Really? How about equal pay instead.
— jenmccreary (@jenmccreary) September 30, 2014
@pixie_casey oh my god i'm so embarrassed for alex trebeck and for every living human as well.
— Anne T. Donahue (@annetdonahue) September 29, 2014
Others used the hashtag #WhatWomenWant to mock the "Jeopardy!" category.
#whatwomenwant What is equal pay? What is the right to make my own health decisions? What is treated like a human? @Jeopardy @SophiaBush
— Andrea Davis (@MissAndreaDavis) September 30, 2014
#whatwomenwant - to not be reduced to a sexist jeopardy category. @SophiaBush
— Lindsay (@agentLwalker) September 29, 2014
Seriously @Jeopardy?How about end to rape culture, equal lay, access to reproductive healthcare, not patronizing stereotypes #whatwomenwant
— Kim (@thevegannp) October 1, 2014
Apparently @Jeopardy thinks women's issues are clothes, tea, housekeeping, etc. Good to know. #whatwomenwant
— Carly Shea (@CarlyJMA) October 1, 2014
"It was like we were tuning into a replay of an episode from the 1950s," Mashable's Neha Prakash wrote.
"Jaw-droppingly stupid," Tracy Moore wrote on Jezebel.com.
Sony Pictures Entertainment — which produces and distributes the Emmy Award-winning quiz show — did not immediately return a request for comment.
