Adventures in Sexist Pork Industry Pamphlets

Ladies, rejoice: Thanks to the Pork Information Bureau, women can finally use a BBQ—just like men!

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With July 4th approaching, perhaps you’re planning for the cornerstone of patriotic party-making: the barbeque. An Americana standard, this is the sacred time when friends and family gather round the grill. Dad flips burgers, and Mom, well, she sets out the lemonade or fusses over the napkins or something.

Well ladies, behold the post-feminist era’s gift to you: Now you can turn the tables on your unsuspecting spouse/lover/friend/dad with “Girl Grill Power!” a guide to help ladies navigate the open pit, presented by “The Other White Meat” campaign.

Pork Information BureauPork Information Bureau

According to the Pork Information Bureau, here’s what you need to know to become a lady-grillmaster:

1) Confused? Just pretend your grill is a man you’re trying to romance.

PIB

This pamphlet is your staple “little black dress” to ensure you look good on your “first date with the grate.” Just “work it,” and your first hangout with Mr. Char-Broil will be a smashing success!

2) Grilling meat will make you “one hot mamma.”

PIBAnd another thing that will make you the most fetching of grill-ladies? Absolutely no risk-taking at all when it comes to your homecooking. Heaven forbid you should gamble on your family’s taste buds! Just make “certain they’re satisfied,” and you’ll “light up the night.”

3) You’ll probably better understand how to prepare meat for the grill if the directions are couched in a sexual metaphor.

PIB

The Pork Information Bureau recommends that, when prepping your grub, you “rub it right” with the “Spicy Girl’s Dry Rub,” which you can use a little or a lot of, “depending on your mood.” Really?

4) But don’t forget about gender equity!

PIBWouldn’t want to make your man feel like you’re treading his territory, i.e. “the grilling throne”. And of course your partner is a man, because meat grilling is something only heterosexual couples do.

5) Everything should be perfect. Always and forever.

PIBIf your table is absolutely flawless, all your female friends will be double-floored by your gender-bending grill antics.

6) Grilling is empowerment!

PIB

Yeah, enough with the booze already. Think of the calories! And speaking of: You might not know what “loin” means—tough word, I know—but just be sure it’s on your meat label. That means it’s healthy! And another vocab tip: “Loin” is two words. No, really:

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Owned by no one—except you.

We just keep seeing it happen: Newsrooms owned by billionaires and corporations are spinning their own narratives, overwriting the truth, following only stories that keep them in the pocket of those with even more power.

Not here. We’re not owned by anyone. We’re not part of any cult that demands our allegiance to a bottom line. We’ve spoken up and spoken out while other newsrooms changed their stories—or cut them altogether—to keep the C suite happy.

Our mission is to find the truth and amplify it. That’s why we’re independent, nonprofit, and, crucially, funded by readers. The investigations on our website will always be free to read, watch, and listen to, but our newsroom is powered by readers who pitch in what they can so we can keep asking the hard questions.

Can you chip in today?

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