Frustrated with the image of nursing

buddiage · Jun 12, 2006

I know that question wasn't directed at me, but I wanted to add my .02

While I would be blushing the entire time at a party like that (or breaking out the juvenile humor), I don't think there is anything wrong with shopping for stuff that makes things more interesting in the bedroom- it doesn't objectify women.

I'm not sure if I could wear constumes- I think that's role playing, but I think it hit a nerve for her to see "yet another stereotype of the nurse being a bimbo half-wit that does patients and doctors in her spare time."

Just my two cents.

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Jun 12, 2006

I would have said, "Uhm, I don't NEED that in MY bedroom," and continued on with the party. Or, "Maybe YOU need that, but I DON'T," with a pointed look at the lawyers....

Or even, "Hey, I dress up in a suit and hose with my hair up and my glasses on...actually, WE play courtroom, not operating room!"

justpoorfect · Jun 12, 2006

I think the psychology of it is that human beings have always associated certain feelings with every profession's "uniforms". Just take a moment and think about what you see in your mind's eye if I say: cowgirl, soldier, priest, cheerleader, pimp, farmer, barmaid, cop, shiek...etc.

We each expect certain attributes to go with the classification, whether they actually do or not.

Someone, somewhere, has had a fantasy about a sexual experience with all of these (perhaps one at a time!) and a recurring theme that sex toy manufacturer's and marketer's have picked up on is to do with nurses. After all, we DO often give the most intimate care one can imagine and are taught to be non-judgmental and nurturing. We are not supposed to be coldly clinical, but rather provide the human touch in distressing circumstances.

In our nursing schools, we are told that when we put on our uniforms, we are accepting all the history that goes with it. It is our professional personna. We willingly accept the respect and prestige of the designation, and must uphold the implied higher standards of morality, education and responsiveness. The "bad" connotations follow the "good" in this instance. We can't go back to admitting only "plain women of impeccable virtue" can we?

Additionally, here we are again, women putting down other women as lacking self-respect if they choose to utilize their assets of youth and beauty in any other than the proscribed way! Who is to say they aren't working their way through nursing school on the money they make? YOUR way isn't the only path in life, except for YOU.

lannisz · Jun 12, 2006

I would have said, "Uhm, I don't NEED that in MY bedroom," and continued on with the party. Or, "Maybe YOU need that, but I DON'T," with a pointed look at the lawyers....
Or even, "Hey, I dress up in a suit and hose with my hair up and my glasses on...actually, WE play courtroom, not operating room!"

Hah! too funny! I love it!

The last time someone teased me about dressing up as "a naughty nurse" I said "Do YOU feel sexy in your work uniform? I don't. I'm too busy SAVING LIVES." End of conversation.

buddiage · Jun 12, 2006

"Additionally, here we are again, women putting down other women as lacking self-respect if they choose to utilize their assets of youth and beauty in any other than the proscribed way! Who is to say they aren't working their way through nursing school on the money they make? YOUR way isn't the only path in life, except for YOU."

Woah. Nobody is saying "don't be pretty" or "try to be plain." That's not it at all, but I speak for myself.

The idea that anything is fine if it is "your" path is not true. That's what the man/boy love association would like us all to believe. What we do affects others (ex: the butterfly effect). There IS a main pulse in our diversified culture, which does change as our civilization gets older. If that main pulse includes objectifying yourself or others, then it is not okay. If that main pulse focuses on "lettin' it all hang out" and equates physical attraction to worthiness, that is not okay. What comes of the person who had it, but then loses the attention when they don't anymore? Oops...they put all their currency in the wrong stock. I have a SIL who is a living example of it. Now, truly insecure, as she was one of those that made fun of those that didn't "have it."

We are human beings, and we are quite capable to think "bigger" than that. And... we need to quit treating men like they are incapable of self control, and quit stereotyping them as "sex crazed animals."

Everybody, not just nurses, benefit from a certain "minimal level" of ethical living. Who can argue "do good to others," or "treat others how you want to be treated?" It's has nothing to do with the bible.

We started out living in communities, and as time goes on, we become more absorbed in ourselves.

Ever read Brave New World? People are taught to not truly have feelings for others, that it's unhealthy to love someone. Uninhibited sex, no kids, marriage, or anything that would "attach" yourself to responsability to someone else. Who would want to live in a world like that? Of course, it's not that way now, but things are starting to smell like it.

If sexual exploitation wasn't so bad, then why are there so many negatives associated with it? Why would counseling be advised to someone who has been exploited?

I agree with some of your post, but that last part...no.

lovemyjob · Jun 12, 2006

I hate to be the one with an opposing experience, but I find a lot of people I know who feeel the doctor doesnt know anything and the nurse is really the one who cares for them and clue the doctor in to what is wrong. I always try and correct them and say that we both bring knowledge tothe table and collaborate on caring for the patient, but there are people who see nursing as a very respectable position. I hope this makes you feeel better about your career choice and makes you want to remain in the jkob thazt you love and enjoy. Good luck.

FroggysMom · Jun 12, 2006

I'm getting really tired of the lack of respect I receive as a nurse. I would like to tell you about a recent example of something that infuriated me. I attended a Fantasia party (a home party for "sensual" items) at a friend's house a couple of nights ago. At one point, I left the room to use the washroom. Upon my return, the salesperson was showing off a "naughty nurse" outfit. The other guests of the party all enthusiastically agreed that I needed to buy that one. I like to think that I'm a pretty fun, open minded, easy going person, but this ticked me off! :angryfire I replied that I had no interest in such an outfit and as a professional nurse, I found it to be offensive. The conversation ended abruptly and the salesperson moved on to the "sexy maid" outfit. :icon_roll I think part of the reason that this upset me so much was that all of the other guests (including my friend who was the host) were female lawyers (traditionally a male profession). I have always got the feeling that my lawyer friend does not respect what I do. I get the impression that to her a nurse is someone who couldn't cut it in med school. Honestly, I haven't got all of my feelings on this subject worked out in my mind yet, but I do know that I have dedicated years of my life to getting where I am today. I completed a 3 year diploma nursing program 8 years ago. I did a 4 month critical care certificate program 5 years ago and most recently, I completed my BScN (I graduate tomorrow!). I have worked in a neuro/trauma ICU for 5 years. It is challenging work and I love it. Not just anyone can do it....I'm quite certain that my lawyer friend could not. I just want to scream that nurses are intelligent and play a huge part in our health care system. We are not hand maidens of the doctors and most importantly we're not doctor wannabes! Nursing and medicine are different professions and should be equally respected. I chose to be a nurse not because I couldn't get into med school, but because it was the right profession for me!!! However, I'm getting so frustrated with being looked down upon by society that I'm considering leaving the profession for one that garners more respect. This makes me very sad. Does anyone else feel this way?

Sad.. very sad.

justpoorfect · Jun 12, 2006

What I was saying is that we cannot b*tch about being stereotyped as brainless bimbos and turn around and stereotype others as lacking self-respect. We don't need to assume that what a person does is all that they are or can be.

buddiage · Jun 12, 2006

What I was saying is that we cannot b*tch about being stereotyped as brainless bimbos and turn around and stereotype others as lacking self-respect. We don't need to assume that what a person does is all that they are or can be.

I understand what you mean and how you feel.

Being a nurse doesn't equate to being a bimbo, because acting like a nurse has nothing to do with being "easy."

A woman who is "putting it in your face," wearing playboy shirts, grinding on other girls at a club, or lifting their shirts for "girls gone wild" is...well, it definately is hard to misunderstand, and is fodder in my opinion.

THAT is the kind of stuff that gripes me- women thinking that as long as they show T & A, that they offer something of value, wilst bringing themselves and other women down. What they need to do, is go further up the torso up to the brain and offer that. However, low self esteem probably causes them to think that there isn't enough to make them more interesting.

Just MHO.

PeachPie · Jun 12, 2006

I do own a sexy nurse outfit, for PERSONAL USE ONLY with my boyfriend of several years in order to keep the relationship exciting. However, he has been in the hospital enough to fully appreciate what nursing is really about, and has nothing but respect for nurses, which he expressed several times before I decided to become a nurse or bought the outfit. I refuse to wear it in public, even to Halloween parties, and it irks me to no end when I see couples dressed as a fully-clad doctor and a naughty nurse. For Halloween, I'm looking for an authentic old-fashioned nurse outfit, as seen in the Life Magazine cover photo of the nurse and the sailor kissing.

I too hate the image of nursing. People either extoll me for being a loving angel or ask when I'm going to move on to medical school. It's as if people, particularly, can't have both hearts and brains, or that we're required to be nurturing and loving.

Sheri257 · Jun 12, 2006

I think part of the reason that this upset me so much was that all of the other guests (including my friend who was the host) were female lawyers (traditionally a male profession). I have always got the feeling that my lawyer friend does not respect what I do.

Just from what I've seen in movies ... lawyers are maligned in the media all the time. The lawyer who gets eaten in Jurassic Park comes to mind, among many other sleazy lawyer portrayals in countless movies.

If anybody should be worried about lack of respect, it should be lawyers. People have even written papers on how badly lawyers are portrayed in movies:

http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/lpop/etext/nova/asimow24.htm

Seen any lawyer films recently? Chances are, most of the lawyers in those films were bad. They were unpleasant or unhappy human beings you wouldn’t want as friends. And they were bad professionals you wouldn’t admire or want as your lawyer. In the majority of films involving law, lawyers and the legal system since the 1970s, the lawyer characters and their law firms were pretty bad. This generalization holds whether the film fits the standard lawyer/courtroom genre, whether it involves legal issues, whether the film is a comedy (black or otherwise) or a drama, or whether it falls into other genres such as romances, mystery stories, or thrillers that just happen to have lawyer roles.

So ... if a lawyer happens to not respect my profession, I could care less. The way lawyers are portrayed in popular culture is a lot worse than anything I've seen with nurses. They're the ones who should worry about respect, really.

:typing

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Jun 12, 2006

I too had the same thing happen, and I pipped up..."sorry but my husband doesn't have the right HMO for the treatments!" LOL!!!!!!!

I take it with a grain of salt but it also ticks me off as most of you. I mean, haven't people noticed that scrubs are the fashion in nursing today..and sorry, I can't find those sexy in the least! LOL!!!!!!!