But while most of the military is gracious towards the long-suffering spouses of servicemen and women, there is a dark counter-narrative that percolates through military circles, both online and off. According to purveyors of this counter-narrative, all too many military wives are gold-digging sluts. Some portray the ranks of military wives as stuffed full of “dependas,” which is military slang for a wife who leeches off her hard-working husband, sucking him and the government dry — and then who has the nerve to complain about not getting even more, or even to sleep around behind his back.
This stereotype is perpetuated by word of mouth, of course, but also through social media, primarily Facebook pages dedicated to public shaming of women deemed “dependas.” Facebook pages like Dear Dependa, The Dependapotamus, AntiDependa and Dependa World have amassed thousands of followers by posting memes and stories that paint military wives as arrogant, overweight, lazy and unfaithful parasites who only married their husbands for the benefits. The sites are typically illustrated with pictures like this, from AntiDependa:
There are "good ones" of course. They are beautiful, cheerful and uncomplaining. Like Stepford wives, as all good women should be.
Read the whole thing. It's just ... ugh.
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