Seriously, Patrick Dempsey? Here's What "Spread Thin" Looks Like for Women

One day after he and Jillian Fink announced their divorce on January 23, Patrick Dempsey said this: "It would be nice to be one-pointed and not spread so thin sometimes. I think where I'm going is to really streamline and be much more specific in balancing things a little bit better than I have in the past."

Huh. Doesn't that sound completely unlike anything you've ever heard a woman say before? And we have to point out—dun dun dun—the double standard here. What sorts of comments would a woman get if she said she wanted to "streamline?" You're being selfish. Think of the children. Think of your husband. Think of your career.

To use one guy to prove a larger point about attitudes that should really have been eradicated by now, let's make a brief comparison between Patrick Dempsey and Women Patrick Dempsey Has Worked with Before: 

Patrick Dempsey: actor, racecar driver, husband, father

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Kate Walsh, Patrick Dempsey's former Grey's Anatomy costar: actor, founder of lifestyle and beauty company Boyfriend LLC, writer, director, spokesperson, ocean conservation and reproductive health advocate

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Reese Witherspoon, Patrick Dempsey's Sweet Home Alabama costar: actor, producer, wife, mother, founder of a lifestyle company, board member of the Children's Defense Fund, Avon spokeswoman

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Shonda Rhimes, the saint who gave Patrick Dempsey a job/arguably revived his career: screenwriter, director, producer, single mother, showrunner, and creator of six TV shows

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Jillian Fink: celebrity makeup artist, mother, jewelry designer, sculptor

And that's not even counting the unofficial titles most woman have beyond their professional selves: sister, therapist, hairdresser, housekeeper, chef, best friend, semi-close friend, see-you-once-a-month friend, etc., etc.

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