The Facebook Feminism Debate, Continued

Self-described sexologist Logan Levkoff posted an interesting piece on HuffPo a week ago (AlterNet also recently picked it up). The title is one of those feminism-is-dead titles apparently meant to inspire shock: “Facebook, Relationship Statuses, and the Demise of Feminism.” Here’s what Levkoff has to say:

“While I like Facebook in many respects, I find the “Relationship Status” part completely juvenile, if not damaging. Why do we feel compelled to announce or define our relationships for everyone else? (There is already a part where you can write your interests i.e. dating, networking, etc.) Why isn’t it enough to define our relationship with our partner? Why must we formally legitimize our relationships for the greater public? Is it really anyone’s business?”

Right on. Having to decide whether to publicly announce being “in a relationship” is one aspect of Facebook that has always pissed me off, like their sexist ads. (Incidentally, they’ve recently gotten a little less heterosexist — since my profile indicates I’m interested in both men and women, I now get ads for “lesbian hoodies” along with the stupid weight loss ads.)
I’m 17, and the pressure to define my relationships on Facebook’s terms, complete with awkward phrases like “it’s complicated with” and “in an open relationship with,” only adds to the drama of high school dating. And when breakups happen, I can tell my close friends personally; my hundreds of Facebook friends don’t need to know.
I’m embarrassed to admit that, until now, I’ve listed my relationship status on Facebook. (I guess this is the sort of thing that grates against your feminist consciousness, but takes a little prodding to bring it to the surface.) But I’m on my way to delete it now.