Men have always detested women's gossip because they suspect the truth: Their measurements are being taken and compared.

Jong’s quip satirizes a long-standing cultural double standard: men often dismiss women’s conversation as “gossip,” while treating male talk as neutral or serious. The punchline reframes gossip as informal social intelligence—women exchanging observations, judgments, and comparisons that can puncture male self-image and social power. “Measurements” works both literally (sexual/physical comparison) and metaphorically (status, competence, reliability), implying that what men fear is not trivial chatter but evaluation. The line also hints at how private talk can function as a counter-public sphere, where women assess men’s behavior and reputations outside male control.