My First Look Into A Women’s Website

I had never been so reluctant to visit a website in my life. Until tonight, I had never willingly visited a “women’s” website. But I also just finished reading a seven-page article about Bustle.com, so I wasn’t about to let my sense of masculinity stop me now.

This was too much for me

I instinctively cringed as the website opened. I could only imagine a pink background with pictures of flowers, celebrities, cute animals, and red velvet cakes. Even though I’d just read a quote of Bryan Goldberg, the website’s creator, saying that “We didn’t want pink everywhere,” I couldn’t help but think that way. All because some time ago, I stumbled upon Perez Hilton’s website, mistaking it for something related Paris Hilton. And that image became stuck in my head. So forgive me if I thought that all female-oriented websites were flooded with pink and sparkles.

But I was pleasantly surprised by Bustle’s layout. It’s simple, sleek, and doesn’t even have the slightest trace of pink in it. You probably wouldn’t be able to tell that it was geared toward women until you read some of the headlines:

• Here’s Why You Need To Watch The Bachelorette
• One of Hollywood’s Most Powerful Women Is Quitting
• Would J Lo Save Diddy Over Affleck
• The Most Feminist Disney Princess Moments

None of them piqued my interest until I saw the article titled, “15 Things Only First Generation Americans Can Truly Understand.” I may not be a true first generation American since I was born Korea, but since I moved here at a young age, I can closely relate to Americans whose parents are foreign. And the article proved me right. I could relate to about 13 to 14 out of the 15 things the author listed. But after I finished reading it, I was left with a bad taste in my mouth. To me, the article seemed more like “15 Things That Only First Generation Asian Americans Can Truly Understand.” So it made perfect sense when I found out the author was Filipino. It’s not that I was offended or anything by the contents of the article, but I really didn’t like how she would generalize her personal experience into a global experience. A first generation American with British or Australian heritage is not going to have the same experience of those from Chinese or Sudanese heritage.

It seemed that I’d gotten off to a bad start with Bustle, but if Bustle was supposed to be anything like Bleacher Report, I knew that there would be a plethora of mediocre and non-credible articles. As stated in Lizzie Widdicombe’s article, “From Mars,” it really is impossible for a general sports fan to not have read an piece from Bleacher Report in the recent years, unless he or she doesn’t use the internet as a source of information. Unfortunately, it’s an expected consequence when most of your writers are your average sports fans.  But at the same time, it’s what makes me enjoy frequenting Bleacher Report so much. User generated content makes is comforting in a way. It’s almost like talking about the playoffs with your friends at a bar; everyone shares their opinions and thinks of their own as a professional one. If someone doesn’t agree with you, their opinion is trash. If someone agrees with you, they’re a fellow genius sports analyst. Sometimes you can find a middle ground, but a truce satisfies no one.

Maybe I constantly go on Bleacher Report to find articles that will validate my opinions. Maybe I’m psychoanalyzing myself too much.

Regardless of my true reasoning for visiting Bleacher Report, the most important truth is that Bryan Goldberg’s business model works. I’ll probably never visit Bustle again (I actually went back to look for a better article, but I honestly couldn’t find one that I wanted to read), but many women will. Well, at least I think they will. That’s what Goldberg’s thinking too. But no man has ever completely understood women, and neither has Goldberg.