Tiddly winks

Say it ain't so!

Here I've been thinking that the notorious VIP-debate wink was so obnoxious because it was Sarah Palin winking, but perhaps it was Sarah Palin winking that was the problem all along?
Jezebel has mini-essay up on whether it's ever appropriate for a woman to wink. I'll forgive them the irritating "can a women ever... " set-up, because I know the Jezzies have unimpeachable feminist cred and probably authored the headline with tongue firmly in cheek, but:

"Winking tends to be ridiculous by nature: patronizing, bizarre, old-man roguish.... Winking, for all its conspiratorial overtones, is inherently divisive: it places the winker in a position of secret-sharer; the wink-ee, by contrast, has no say in whether or not he wants to be in on the joke. As such, it's somehow embarrassing for both parties."

Untrue, ladies! At least, I certainly hope so. I remain an ardent partisan (and frequent perpetrator) of The Wink. It's always struck me as a friendly gesture of support, high spirits, even solidarity, not to mention an appealingly co-opted old-fashioned masculine gesture that indicates confidence and mischeviousness on the part of the female winker. You know, like wearing a secondhand man's corduroy blazer. But "patronizing," "embarassing," and "inherently divisive"? My. Guess I should watch my mixed signals!