NY Post: Men are showing up to the Wing and women are pissed.
The Wing was supposed to be the ultimate sanctuary for women: decidedly feminine in design, with walls and furniture in shades of millennial pink and a thermometer set at a women’s-clothing-friendly 72 degrees. Conference rooms and telephone booths are named after feminist icons like Anita Hill and fictional literary heroines such as Hermione Granger of “Harry Potter” fame. It offers perks that other co-working spaces can’t match — showers stocked with high-end beauty products and events featuring big names such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Critics of the Wing were quick to point out the lack of diversity in the spaces, but the company’s expansion and popularity has brought up a completely different issue that was never expected to arise: straight men wanting to come in and hang out.
Sure, it’s not against the rules for men to be at the lady lair, which costs anywhere from $185 to $250 a month in the US to join. But that’s only because legally the company can’t ban men.
“There’s usually at least one [man] whenever I visit,” says Kaitlin Phillips, 29, a member in New York for the past two years. “It’s bizarre to choose to occupy a space women specifically wanted for themselves. Classic patriarchal entitlement complex.” (Hey Kaitlin, does "you reap what you sow" ring a bell? - DD)
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“At first it was jarring,” says a 30-year-old longtime New York member, who asked to not be named. “It started about a year ago and it’s getting worse. A guy even checked me out a few weeks ago. The whole purpose of the space is to not have to deal with anything like that.” (How does she know a woman has never "checked her out"? -DD)
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The Wing’s large membership — more than 11,000 worldwide, according to reps — meant it couldn’t pass as a “social club,” and therefore can’t discriminate based on gender. This, coupled with a lawsuit brought by a 53-year-old man (GOOD FOR HIM! - DD) earlier this year claiming gender discrimination, led the Wing to formally adopt a membership policy: “The Wing is a space designed for women with a women’s-focused mission. Members and guests are welcome regardless of their perceived gender or gender identity. Recognizing that gender identity is not always consistent with someone’s sex assigned at birth, we do not ask members or guests to self-identify.”
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But all of the women The Post spoke to had the same questions: Why would a man want to go to the Wing, anyway? Just because he can? (YES! YES! JUST BECAUSE WE CAN! DEAL WITH IT. - DD)
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Up until about a year or so ago, when the space was truly a women-only sanctuary, members said they could comfortably walk around braless in a robe after a shower. Now, they say, they’re constantly looking over their shoulders, wondering who the loud dude chewing his lunch is. (Ummmm, yeah - because women never do anything annoying. Ever. - DD)
Numerous California members tell The Post that the phenomenon is getting out of hand. (The horror and indignity of it all. - DD)
“It’s just annoying,” says Caitlin White, a 31-year-old West Hollywood member who sees at least one man working in the space each day. “Why do men need to be there? Why can’t they respect the spirit of the place? Men have to have everything.” (YES! YES! Men have to have EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING! - DD)
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“I glare at the men and I glare at the members who bring them,” says the anonymous New York member. (Ooooh - she sounds hostile. Sounds like someone needs Anger Management therapy? - DD)
Above from The Wing's home page. There's no scientific basis supporting their trite little motto.
I thought Scrapbooking was Teh Women's Sanctuary. Am I wrong?
Such intolerance from these women at The Wing. Tsk, Tsk, Tsk.
Now Accepting New Members! MEN Only!
