According to the
women's historian Lois Banner, the day appeared to be part of the backlash against the
feminist movement, moving toward a version of human interaction inherent to
hookup culture, and that men "are really frightened because women are outperforming them". Activist
Feminista Jones argues that it limits women's
freedom of choice, thus being in the mainstream of traditional patriarchal restriction of
female sexual behaviours. The
sexual educator Walker Thornton wrote that the day, although silly, emphasized for her the issues she had with the modern worldview of
Valentine's Day. ''
Men's Health was unsure whether the holiday was actually celebrated, or whether the whole thing was a joke. Student newspaper The Brown Daily Herald'' discussed the
gender and sexual political implications surrounding the meme, suggesting that fellatio is considered by many to be a job the giver must endure as opposed to a form of enjoyment, and in the framing of Steak and Blowjob Day as a "man’s holiday" aimed at obtaining payback for Valentine's Day, this is perpetuated. The
Daily Dot considers it a "lame joke gone viral".
The Huffington Post stated that the day "made them want to gag", and
FHM and the
Daily Mirror noted that businesses were cashing in on the unofficial holiday. The concept of a men's movement looking to create such a day has caused some controversy and incited opposition, being described as
antifeminist or
patriarchal. The men's magazine
Maxim described it as the greatest holiday of all time, whereas
Cosmopolitan was unsure whether it was an outdated and sexist event or a bawdy celebration of sex and food. One opinion piece on the day suggested it was
Neanderthal in trying to force through the idea of a day devoted to the combination of fellatio and steak, and suggested a range of alternatives. The holiday has drawn attention from various celebrities, including
Christina Aguilera, who encouraged her fans to celebrate it in 2014. In 2016,
Instinct noted that the day is also now being used as a way to successfully
raise money for
breast cancer research. In Germany,
Bild noted the day is known as
Schnitzel und Blowjob Tag, or
Schniblo for short, and in France, female-targeted magazine '
noted it was a day targeted at men, while ' said it was a "most American holiday". In Spain, daily newspaper
El Mundo noted in Spain it would be called
Día del Solomillo y el Sexo Oral and that the day joined food and sex, which it opined were two of the greatest pleasures in the world. == See also ==