Women's Lib and Me

Evel Knievel,daredevil

Women's libbers are a pain in the ass. I treat women the way I always did, except I treat the women's libbers different: If I catch one, I try and screw her a little harder.

There're still plenty of women around, thank Christ, who are happy to be a part of the life of a good man, and who'll take care of their end of it. A woman's place is in the bedroom and in the kitchen and taking care of her kids. I think the ones making all the noise are the ones who've had problems with men. Women's libbers usually have had an unhappy marriage or an unhappy affair in their life. If they're happy, they never want anything else. You find one that's happy, she won't be out looking for a job.

I never have trouble with women. If you take a woman that's pretty, usually she's very easy to get along with, and if she knows she's pretty, you don't have much trouble. If you take one that's intelligent, she's very easy to get along with. But if you meet one that's stupid and thinks she's smart, the best thing is just to walk away from it; you don't give a goddamn about her, anyway.

Peter Frampton,singer

I'm not for women's liberation like staunch fern libbers are, but if the old lady is tired and there's a sink full of washing up, I'll do it, you know? I'm the leader; the man should be the leader of the house, but the woman should be pampered, too.

In a way, I think women's liberation is bullshit, but maybe it was necessary. A woman doing the same job as a man should be paid the same wage, but that's as far as I go.

Sexually, the movement hasn't affected me. The one who really gets to me is Anita Bryant. She just pisses me right off.

Roger Moore,actor

I get a lot of complaints about my attitude toward women, because people confuse me with the Bond character. Then, when they attack me, I, too, start confusing myself with the character and fight back. Have to defend poor Bond, you know. Who else is going to defend him? M. denies his existence and Money-penny is bitter because she never gets any. But, actually, it doesn't mean a thing to me how Bond treats his women. It isn't me. The sex scenes are nothing but funny, because you usually shoot them on Monday morning, when the studio has been closed the entire weekend and the heat has been off, and so it's frigging cold. The bird in bed is freezing cold. I always keep my socks on. In the acting business, it's what goes on in one's head, it's not down there below. If you're making Behind the Green Door, you've got to take your socks off, I suppose, but not for the kind of pictures I make.

My real attitude toward women is this, and it hasn't changed because of any movement or anything: Basically, women like to be treated as sex objects. Women go to see a Bond movie; they enjoy that aspect of it. What the hell? If liberated women want to treat men like sex objects, I'm delighted. I've always wanted to be handled and petted.

Art Buchwald,columnist and author

I like women more now. I don't know why, but I do. I'm much nicer to them. I'm much shier. Now I let them make the approach in a sexual way.

The women's liberation movement has affected my sex life: I haven't had any since it started.

I think I'm a better man because of the movement. I look at myself differently as a man. I don't look at myself as a pig anymore. I used to feel bad because I was a male chauvinist pig, but now I have a new respect for myself. Previous to this movement, I ate a lot; now I don't eat as much.

The single most important incident that brought home the power of this movement to me was on May 12, 1969. That's the day my wife refused to mow the lawn. That was the turning point in our relationship. Because she'd never refused to mow the lawn before. My reaction was one of shock. I couldn't believe that her role had suddenly changed; she wanted me to mow the lawn. And the next thing I knew, she wanted me to put out the garbage. It wasn't a good period.

I like to call women persons. I say: "Hey, person!" Another thing is that I'm able to express what were heretofore referred to as women's characteristics. I cry a lot. Ever since the women's lib movement, I cry a lot.

Women want to be treated like everybody else, as equal and respected human beings. Intellectually, I think they are equal. They're different. Weaker? I don't know what weaker is. I mean, a man is stronger, so what does he do? Goes out and builds a bomb and drops it on another person; goes onto a football field and knocks down other people. This is stronger? I think in a crunch women know how to handle it better than men.

The whole thing is that equality should be there if a woman wants it. If she doesn't, she doesn't have to take advantage of it. Everybody's role is changing. Mine, too. I have no quarrel with women. I wouldn't dare tell any female off. I'm afraid.

Bobby Riggs,tennis player

I've always had a good time with the gals. When I lost to Billie Jean King, the women won a victory through her. I put them all on cloud nine and made them feel beautiful and superior. They thought they were fantastic--so, as a consequence, they've all loved me and adored me.

Gals are super, but I haven't changed my opinion of them: I still like them best in the bedroom and the kitchen. I like to have my fun on the golf course or on the tennis court with the guys, or playing poker or backgammon or gin rummy. I wish women were like genies: If you wanted one, you could pop her out of the bottle, then put her back in there afterward.

Has my sex life been affected? I've always gotten plenty, but I get more than ever now. The girls can't get enough; they're all trying to make me wherever I go. I can't handle it all now; I wish it had been like this when I was a youngster.

But I think more women are going for each other: You see more and more lezzies around.

Women should be the pillar behind us all. Their whole energy should be to push their guy up the ladder. And get reflected glory. They shouldn't want it for themselves, but they should get reflected glory when their guy gets to the top. I don't think they want all of this equality. Not the good ones, anyway. Those who can't get a man to look at them are causing all the trouble.

You know what my secret with women is? Treat them with tender loving care. The old-fashioned way, with roses and chocolates and birthday cards. They're suckers for that. You've got them eating out of your hand if you treat them that way. Kill them with kindness.

Harry Reems,actor (co-star of "Deep Throat")

Sexually, I haven't changed at all, but women have changed a lot. They are realizing that they should be seeking equality orgasms and that they don't have to be dominated; that they can find their sexual equal and not just be passive recipients. And I like this very much. Women are seeking out sexually whatever it is they want as individuals. Some may be looking for more domination, some for less. But they are looking to fulfill their sexual needs.

I've changed somewhat from thinking that a woman was an instrument for a man's pleasure. I formed my new sexuality, my adult sexuality, by working in those films I'm known for.

I think men basically fear women--and really fear men. Women are able to communicate sexually--whether it's the physical act or in conversation--in a noncompetitive way. But men are just totally afraid of admitting their homosexual tendencies, or their need for another man. I'm not gay and I'm not bi, but I'm aware that I have homosexual tendencies and that every man does.

I need certain emotional gratification from other types of personalities, and the same with sexual gratification. Men are starting to realize that women are that way, too; they have the same needs. There are times when I prefer to be submissive or aggressive or whatever--I'm playful in that sense and I look for the same thing in a mate.

Bennie Dobbins,president of the Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures, Inc.

I respect women as women. If they put themselves in a man's place, they get treated as such. If a woman takes a punch at me, she gets punched back.

I've changed toward women and I've changed toward everyone else, but it isn't due to any women's movement. In 1974, I got my skull fractured, and I changed my whole attitude after that toward people in general. I respect people more and I have more compassion for them now, since my skull fracture. Before that, like any good athlete, I was cocky. Now I've got compassion. Machoism I don't need. That's ego, and I don't have it. Some men cling to that macho stuff because of lack of self-confidence. When so-and-so says: "Look at so-and-so, he's a real man," I don't know what he means.

Has the women's liberation movement affected my sex life? I don't think so. Nothing to do with it. Shit, if you're gonna get laid, you're gonna get laid.

Benjamin Spock, M.D.,author, parent educator, former politician

To begin with, women have certainly influenced me, because two thirds of everything that I learned about child care I learned from mothers. Has my attitude changed since the women's liberation movement? Of course! The whole 1976 revision of Baby and Child Care was prompted by criticism of me from the women's liberation movement.

The criticism began around 1970--1971 and culminated at a meeting of the National Women's Political Caucus in Washington. I was there as a Presidential candidate of the People's Party. When I got up to speak, several women stormed out of the hall. I began my speech by apologizing for some of the foolish things I had written; then Gloria Steinem got up and said in a loud, stony tone: "Dr. Spock, I hope you realize that you're one of the major oppressors of women and in the same category as Sigmund Freud." Well, I took as much comfort as I could out of being linked with Freud--who I agree was a sexist but who made a profound contribution to our understanding of human nature--but the criticism I couldn't ignore.

I've changed plenty--as an author and as a person. I used to call women ladies, but that's considered sappy nowadays, I'm very careful not to say girl! When I'm being endearing, I think using darling is all right; there's no sexism in darling and no belittling.

Joe Conforte,proprietor, Mustang Ranch (legal house of prostitution), Lockwood, Nevada

My attitude hasn't changed. I've always loved women, and I still do.

Women themselves have probably changed in most other environments and businesses, but in the prostitution business, they're doing the same thing as ever. At work they are, anyway. I don't know whether they've changed at home.

I have 20, 30 girls, something like that, working for me. It all depends whether it's on weekdays or weekends. Nowadays, it's like a job--they rent a room from the house, and they're actually in business for themselves. They're free to come and go. Today it's like a legitimate job; before, there were a lot of pimps involved and it was strictly one of these shady businesses. Another thing: Today we've got college girls. That used to be unheard of.

There hasn't been any change in the attitudes of the clientele. They think a girl is a girl. Oh, we get a macho guy come around once in a while. One of those guys comes in and thinks his ass don't stink. But the girls, they smell him right away and they're ready for him. And for every line of bullshit he gives them, they give him twice as much. That was unheard of years ago.

Personally, my sex life hasn't changed a bit, because the type of woman I'm around with hasn't changed. Except for one thing: I'm 51 years old and I've noticed this much: that when I was a kid, only one out of maybe five women would have sex with you; today it's 19 out of 20. Women's sex lives have changed plenty. I'm talking from personal experience: It's just very, very unusual if sex doesn't happen when you go out with somebody nowadays.

But I'm old-fashioned. I can't help it. I still think that a woman's place is in the home. Don't get me wrong: I'm not trying to bring women down, because I love women, I really do. They're great creatures. But I honestly believe that they should stay pure. What I mean is that a woman is a really, really beautiful thing, and that women should stay beautiful. If they get mixed up with being a mechanic, or shoveling dirt or anything like that, some of the beauty just wears off; it's not there anymore.

You might ask, Do I consider the girls pure who work at our place of business? Well, my answer is: Being in bed, that's what women were put on this earth for.

Most women look for a man to dominate them, and they appreciate him when he does. I didn't say abuse; I said dominate. Treat them good, but still be boss. I know some girls right now and if you ask them if they want women's lib or not, they'll be very liberal and say yes. But what they really want is to be dominated by a man. They're more satisfied that way; they look forward to it. Gentle domination. I've been handling women very successfully all my life, and I've been very, very sweet to them, very kind and very generous. I've always treated them like ladies and I've always been the boss.

Johnny Bench,baseball player

My attitude has changed. I'd always thought the woman's place was in the home, but some women I run into now have no desire for a family or even for marriage itself.

I think the changes are for the best: All people are freer. Any kind of man's role is much easier now.

As far as whether women's lib has loosened up people's sexual behavior, you'll find conservative areas of the country that are still very moralistic and other parts where it's not improper for women to be the first to make a sexual advance.

Men in my line of work have a reputation for having lots of women around all the time. Well, it's not that simple. It's very difficult for a ballplayer to maintain any kind of relationship, even in a home town. Obviously, to get along with a woman, you've got to stay in one place and spend a lot of time there.

One change I really notice lately is that women are afraid to come around ballplayers any more, because they're afraid they'll be classified as Annies or groupies. Everybody's writing about that nowadays and no woman with any class wants to be thrown into that group. But those who do come around, we treat them nice and make them comfortable and they know they're not groupies. They're our fans; they're liberated enough to do their own thing, so why should anybody put them down?

But, mostly, I don't deal with them. I mean, I'll be sitting at a restaurant somewhere and a girl from another table will want to buy me a drink and make a big deal of what a great Dodger fan she is. I handle those situations like this: "Look, Miss, I understand that you like your Dodgers, and I appreciate everything you're trying to tell me, but really what I want is to just relax here and have my own drink and my own dinner, if you don't mind." What I'm saying is that most times, when you're a ballplayer out on the road, it isn't exactly the way you see it in the movies or read about it in the magazines; most times, out there, you just want to be left alone.

Howard Cosell,television announcer

No, I haven't changed; I've always been in favor of the women's liberation (continued on page 110)Women's Lib(continued from page 104) movement. People would think I have a lot of women enemies, their reasoning being that I tie up all the husbands and boyfriends of America every Monday evening. I can't answer for that. All I know is that 38 percent of our audience on Monday Night Football is made up of women. And that's a huge share.

Awareness has been the single most important result of the women's liberation movement. Awareness on the part of women everywhere that they've got a stake in this thing. That awareness was never more manifested on a national level than in that incredible spectacle between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. Women all over the country quickened to themselves. It really was a great push forward.

I think a number of old-fashioned, chauvinistic males have changed, probably for the worse, as a reaction to the women's liberation movement. But they're not the majority.

My sex life hasn't changed at all. I'm a very simple man in that regard: I've been married to one woman for 34 years. That doesn't mean I'm old-fashioned or anything, or that I think in terms of the old adages such as "A woman's place is in the home." No. I think that's garbage.

Jon Peters,film producer, former hair stylist

The movement to me is a very positive thing and I've seen it coming for a long time. My behavior toward women hasn't changed at all. What has changed is my attitude toward myself: I think it's a 50-50 street now, and that equality is important. Women are very powerful; and as they gain their own power, I think you'll see relationships working better.

I wouldn't know if anybody else's life has been affected by the women's movement; I only know that mine has been stimulated by it.

Robert Ringer,author ("Winning Through Intimidation" and "Looking Out for #1")

The movement has been a turnoff to me, because all the women I'm involved with, socially and in business, are too busy pursuing their own careers and lives to waste time getting involved in a crusade and marching on courthouses and carrying signs.

I've changed, but it hasn't been due to the movement. I started out like everyone else: brainwashed by custom and tradition, Government slogans, the so-called Judaeo-Christian ethic. Then I discovered this marvelous gift of mankind, called reasoning power. I look at people as individuals, not as parts of a group. I'm not thinking: This is a woman I'm dealing with. I'm thinking: This is an individual.

Women who are caught up in liberation movements are not free; they are as imprisoned as people involved in Transcendental Meditation groups, the American Nazi Party, the Communist Party and all other crusades. The women behind the movement want the same thing all group leaders want and have wanted all through history: ego assuagement.

As far as my sex life is concerned that hasn't been affected at all. The women I know are liberation-oriented and free. I recently married the one woman I admire and respect above anybody on this earth. As a matter of fact, my wife is a Playboy Playmate and she's one of the greatest individualists I've ever known. She does as she pleases, which was obvious when she became a Playmate. We get along fine. We don't intimidate each other. I never have to put her in her place, because she's damn rational. She follows orders very well. The way I handle a woman is just the way I've advocated in my book: Handle her as an individual who is different from all other women in the world; she's someone you want in your life, as a friend or as a lover. If she's not someone whom you admire and respect, I would handle her as I do every other individual I don't admire and respect--try to avoid her.

Robert Evans,motion-picture producer and former Paramount Pictures production head

I've always wanted my women to be liberated. Equal, too. Very much so. They don't think I'm boring then.

I think that women are a lot smarter than men, and I've always thought that. You never know what's in a woman's head, what she's thinking. So you never can really tell about her. As the old saying goes: The more experience you have, the less you really know.

Men and women are really different. A man, for instance, is always afraid that if he ever leaves a woman, the woman will kill herself. But it never happens. Conversely, a woman, when she wants to leave a man, just leaves.

Some men fear women; I don't. I just know where I stand. Men have to learn to accept it: That it's not liberation that women are after, it's that they deserve to be on an equal footing. Men may not want to accept that, but at the same time, they are bored with the women they're with, because their women are not on equal footing with them.

Carroll O'Connor,actor

I don't think I've changed in my attitude toward women, but I do detect a change in their attitude toward me. They no longer expect a sexual approach in every kind of communication; they no longer prepare coy, kittenish initial responses. There are a few who still do the flirty-flirty thing, but they seem strangely old-fashioned, silly and sad.

I haven't changed. I still call them women, and always did; they hate terms like doll and broad and dame. But, really, they shouldn't hate those terms, because we don't use them as put-downs but to express--however vulgarly--excitement, admiration and desire.

Even though the women's movement has freed a lot of men from guarding their maleness so much, most of us stick to the old strictures about crying at smaller hurts and showing emotion in general. Perhaps there is a male fear of female dominance, but as far as I'm concerned, that's more of a comedy premise than a reality. There are men who feel they cannot enjoy life with a woman who is running the show, and there are men who cannot even enjoy the body of a woman with brains.

Speaking about sex, I'm told by every periodical that comes under my nose that the sex lives of people today are very different from what they were yesterday, so I'm supposed to be persuaded. Let me tell you: I won't be certain until Woody Allen's sex machine comes on the market.

Bob Pifer,Hurricane Program leader, National Weather Service

About the only change I've noticed is that I'm less likely to hold open a door for a woman. And we haven't changed around here due to any movement. Maybe our secretaries tend to be less formal now; that's about it. We get along real good with our secretaries.

You'd think we'd get a lot of negative mail from females who belong to this movement telling us to cut out naming hurricanes after women. But we get a lot (continued on page 228)Women's Lib(continued from page 110) of mail that says: "Please name a storm after me." We get them kind of letters from men, too.

The liberation people realize that the names of hurricanes are determined by international committee and that it isn't all us, so they don't bother us much about that. They do like us to refer to a storm as "it" once the name has been established and not to keep calling the storm "she" throughout a report. I've heard that weathercasters have gotten requests like that, too. We're probably going to go on calling hurricanes after women. The 1978 names are set, but there might be some changes in 1979--like we'd name them after birds, or U. S. Senators, or maybe even after cities with high crime rates.

The worst ever? That was Camille. She was a bad one, she was.

F. Lee Bailey,attorney

I think I was quite a bit ahead of the movement. First of all, I was brought up by a businesswoman. I got used to the idea early that women could hold their own in various fields. Back before I ever heard of women's lib, I hired a woman as an investigator and she became the first active woman trial lawyer of this generation. This isn't all brand-new; there have been women executives and lawyers for years, but they didn't proliferate. Now they are proliferating. And that's fine. The women I've dealt with in law--the good lawyers, the women judges I've appeared before--were all very fine. I've never seen a woman lawyer lean on her femininity to curry favor with judges or juries. That could be bad. Do women lawyers take advantage? I haven't seen one hike her skirt up yet. But I have seen some short skirts.

I'm all for women, but I can't let myself weaken because of any movement. Like crying or something. I haven't shed a tear in 30 years. Bear in mind the nature of my business. Going to a troubleshooter lawyer is like going to your doctor when you're afraid you're going to die. Weakness is incompatible with the role, and if you had those feelings, you'd have to get the hell out.

Cleveland Amory,columnist, author ("Who Killed Society?")

My attitude has changed for the better as women have changed for the worse. My behavior has not changed an iota: It is impeccable, despite the fact that women have become, on occasion, peccable.

As far as any single incident of the women's movement's being outstanding, my position is that giving them the right to vote was all right as long as they didn't bring their friends.

Even though it's all right to do so now, I rarely show female traits, such as crying in public, though occasionally I bat my eyes. But really, about being guarded about my maleness, in this department, a Boston man has no weaknesses.

My sex life hasn't been affected at all; I try to keep the troubles of the world out of the bedroom. As far as the sex lives of women being changed, I can only say that I don't know any women that well.

Gunther Gebel-Williams,the world's greatest big-cat trainer ("Lord of the Rings," Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus)

I think the women's liberation movement in Germany is not so far out as here. In Germany, so long I bring the money home, I be the boss at home. That means nothing against womans, but that's right now my marriage and family life. I think I have a very good family life. I never have fighting. But I try to be always right.

I've been very successful with womans; I don't change. I have no problem. Womans have this feeling about me, my strength, when I'm inside doing the show and also when I'm outside that I have a very strong personality.

Has my sex life changed since woman's movement? Not at all. I still think there's enough womans around that likes to be womans. Still enough womans around to make you a very good sex life--whatever you need--and, really, men don't have to change.

In my job, female cats is like girls: much easier to work with, you know, much more attachable. You can do better tricks with males than with females, and a male looks bigger and better; but females don't give you as much trouble, they're easier to deal with, easier to train. They pay more attention to you.

Tony Bennett,singer

I think I've definitely changed in my attitude, and I think that the only way to survive as a male today is to go straight ahead, stick to your own principles and if you get along with someone, that's great and, if not--later.

Men don't necessarily fear women since women's liberation came along, but I think they may be kind of fearful of society on the whole. We have a much more liberal society today; I think we're getting to be honest, and that's good.

I don't know if women want all this equality. They're all different. A lot of women change their minds every 20 minutes.

The way I handle a woman is the very correct way. Like it says in the song: I just simply love them.

Mike Royko,newspaperman

My attitude toward women has changed in a lot of ways since the movement. I'm 44 now; I'm older. I'm just a middle-aged man. That's my new definition of myself as a man: tired and middle-aged.

I've always liked strong women who can stand on their own two feet. And I've never liked women you have to fuss over in a silly way, women who get weepy and foolish. I've found that the women I know in the newspaper business never get hysterical and weep. It's the guys who get hysterical and weep.

I have a very macho public image, so I can't ever take on female characteristics. Nevertheless, I'll go into a closet once in a while and smell a flower or have a cry. But never in public. At home, I'm a male chauvinist pig. My wife no longer worries about the laundry, or about dry cleaning, or about getting dinner on the table, but I reserve the right to yell about it.

Has my sex life been affected by women's liberation? Well, I'm a married man, so I don't think about things like that. I don't even have lust in my heart. I think it has affected women's sex lives, however. They seem to be getting more--from what I read in the papers.

"The women behind the movement want the same thing all group leaders want: ego assuagement."

"My sex life hasn't been affected. I try to keep the troubles of the world out of the bedroom."