Laura Bates, the founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, says that it seems to be increasingly difficult to talk about sexism, equality, and women's rights in a society that perceives to have achieved gender equality. "In this 'liberal', 'modern' age, to complain about everyday sexism or suggest that you are unhappy about the way in which women are portrayed and perceived renders you likely to be labeled 'uptight', 'prudish', a 'militant feminist', or a 'bra burner,'" she explained.
But just like Bates, there are plenty of women who prove this notion wrong. And you can find many of them on the subreddit r/TrollXChromosomes. It's an online community that invites to "come for the period comics" and "stay for the cultural awareness", and many, in fact, do — the subreddit has over 817K members. The content they share and produce tackles important gender issues in all sorts of fields, including sports, health care, and work.
Continue scrolling and check out some of its latest posts. For the earlier ones, fire up Bored Panda's first article on r/TrollXChromosomes.
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The End
#texastaliban
A fetus isn't even a fetus until the end of the 8th week of pregnancy. Until then, it is still an embryo. And "cardiac activity" isn't a heartbeat.
The pandemic isn't making this any easier, too. According to UN Women, the global champion for gender equality, there are 6 urgent issues women are facing during the time of COVID-19.
1. Violence against women and girls. "Before the pandemic, estimates said one in three women will experience violence in their lifetime," the organization said in a statement. "As economic and social stresses rise, and movement is restricted by lockdown and stay-at-home guidance, instances of violence are likely to increase. At home, survivors of domestic violence may be trapped with their abuser, with limited access to support services, healthcare, and justice systems. And in public, women are at heightened risks of violence navigating deserted public spaces and transportation."
“Men Is Too Headache.” Sometimes, Sister
Oh that is awesome! Language barriers can't hold back the sentiment ^-^
Double Standards
Friendly Reminder
And they fought hard. With their lives, their reputations, subtle and not subtle ways.
2. The gender pay gap. "Around the world, women are at the frontline of the COVID-19 response as they make up the majority of health and social care workers, especially as nurses, midwives, and community health workers, and account for the majority of service staff in health facilities as cleaners, launderers, and caterers. Yet, an average gender pay gap of around 28 percent exists in the health workforce," UN Women wrote.
"Once occupation and working hours are accounted for, the gender pay gap is 11 percent. Although the health sector performs well regarding women’s participation, it still harbors discrimination against women in earnings, and full-time employment and leadership roles for women are lagging."
Birth Control Is Healthcare!
Sounds Like A Better Solution Tbh
I Think We All Know Why
3. Digital gender divide. UN Women pointed out that studies online have become the new normal but not everyone can continue their education because internet access remains a privilege. "Many around the world, including girls from poor households cannot participate in remote learning, since they lack the required tools, skills, and technologies."
"It was already a dire disadvantage that girls, women, and marginalized groups are least likely to have access to technology, and as the COVID-19 pandemic has moved so many aspects of daily life online, the lack of connectivity has become even more alarming, exacerbating existing gender inequalities."
One Of Us
Just Do Your Jobs!
"If firefighters fought every fire they would get tired, so we will allow half of all fires to burn themselves out."
The Tea Is Hot With This One
Abortion Rights Is A Human Rights
4. Informal work and instability. The pandemic has deeply affected women's livelihoods and income. "Women typically earn less and hold less secure jobs than men. With economic activity at a halt during the pandemic, women working in the informal sector have seen a dramatic decline in their capacity to earn a living. Adding to the loss in income and paid work, many women are also juggling an increase in unpaid care and domestic work."
But according to UN Women, this can change. "It's on all of us to share the added burden of unpaid domestic and care work at home and speak up for a gender-aware response to the economic shock of COVID-19, including supporting women in the informal sector."
Every Single One
Once I was out on my bike. A small forest path that I've ridden many times. When I turned a corner, there was a guy standing between the trees, looking at me crazy and smiling lasciviously and saying "Hello". I HAVE NEVER DRIVEN FASTER IN MY WHOLE LIFE. Never been there again...
Where’s The Lie
I have honestly read a comment recently from a woman who was told by a man that they had better be smiling under their mask. Wtaf
I gotta admit, i did that when i in school, mostly it comes from bad education at home. I hope to say that i grew from that and trying to do my best to be better from that.
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This one always gets me. Who the h*ll would tell someone they don't know to smile? I've heard of "resting b*tch face" and I totally get it. I have "resting murderer face". When I smile casually, you can see it in my eyes, but my mouth simply becomes a straight line. If I'm laughing or telling a funny story, I have a grin and my teeth show. My passport photo (when they tell you not to smile and just let you face relax), looks like the last person you see before you're stabbed to death.
These guys think they're being charming and positive. No, they just don't see us as people with actual lives who may have reasons that we're not smiling. They feel entitled to give a perfect stranger the job of decorating their day, because apparently our job is to be ornamental.
The only time I say anything to strangers that’s are just going about their day is a complement like I love your shoes or similar I have never felt the need to make a person smile at my demand
smile it might never happen, is a one way ticket to me ripping your throat out,
Ha, agreed. I usually respond with, 'It just has'.......🤨
Load More Replies... No, I did not realize that. Mostly because I am not the type to tell anyone to be fake.
Earlier tonight I was speed walking from my restaurant job to tye grocery store. I needed to get toilet paper since I was on the last role and my period just started and I was worried I'd get there and they'd just closed. A stumbling older man clad in leather felt the need to say "smile sunshine" as I passed. Gross. To be fair my umbrella fell when I sped up and he picked it up for me and seemed nice then. So I think he was just ignorant but you don't say such stuff to a young girl, especially at night. I couldn't bring myself to say thank you but I bobbed my head and left.
I don't know ANY women who haven't had it happen at LEAST once, and Every, Single, Group...online and offline...that I've EVER taken part in and this subject has come up, has been an experience in hearing these testimonies. As well as what often happens when women refuse by "ignoring" some guy who tells her she'd "be prettier if you smile".
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I usually give them a manic axe murderer grin in that situation. The awkward silence afterwards heals my soul.
The one I liked was someone on a plane telling Miss Manners (Miss Manners!) to smile, that she looked like she was going to a funeral. Well, she was.
...for me, a perfect stranger whom you have no desire to please. Entitled f**ks.
Thats just stupid, I smile when I want to. And when you smile, they think you like them immediately ? Wat ?
not to mention in the workplace. men in the street can be ignored.... Men wont even smile in profile shots on dating sites..lol.
Is telling women to smile an American thing? Never happens in my country.
For some, that might be true. However, it could also be a way of trying to cheer them up. Reminding them to smile might improve their mood,
I have NEVER asked a woman on the street to smile! IWhat kind of streets do you frequent?
It's good that you don't do it, but a lot of people do.
Load More Replies... Im iffy on this one... it can definitely be creepy if said/approached ina certain way... But Ive seen it done by people of all ages where it made them crack a genuine smile. I do get what this is saying though, but if we're afraid of offending someone with a smile then we might as well just not go outside or communicate with people
Dude, after the hundredth time some rando told me to smile, I *did* want to not go outside or communicate with people.
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sometimes i do that to make her have an emotional pause... is that wrong ? we are alive, life goes on, past can't be changed, live in the moment, plan for the future, learn from the past ... learn to let go to the things you can't change ... focus on things you want to do ...
Oh hon, promise you'll read this post and every single response before you ask a strange woman to smile again? Or talk to other guys, ask them if they've ever asked a woman to smile... and had any response other than being ignored or receiving a death glare.
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Or Not. Nobody is Obligated to change their FACE to please anybody else.
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You seriously suggest that men are told by perfect strangers to smile just as often as women are told this? What color is the sky on your planet?
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If it's not a "look pretty for me" thing, then why don't they say it to other men?
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So what? There's a compassionate way of dealing with sad people ("Are you okay? Is there anything I can help with. I'm here if you want to talk) and then there's this bullshít.
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"When you're pointed with a camera" - that's obviously a different situation. Women are told daily for no other reason than to accommodate men. Ugh. Let me frown, my life's hard.
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Go. Away. There's no misinterpretation here, this is not a man trying to be compassionate, empathetic people understand that sometimes someone is sad, and maybe offer support, not erasure of the other person's feelings.
Load More Replies...Never Thought Of It Like This
Not to stroke my own ego, but I once heard someone say "She's only around because of her cupsize" and I responded with "Yeah, something must be really wrong with our boss to hire people solely because he needs boobs of a certain size in his field of vision during the workday, I wonder how he manages to run a company that way," and everyone was quiet.
Truth
I wonder if they have those sexist rules to encourage men to watch women play sports. It's bloody ridiculous and absolute bullshit.
5. Period poverty and stigma. "Even before the pandemic, women, and girls have been facing discrimination when they menstruate. In some parts of the world, they are seen as dirty, untouchable, or a disgrace. Whether it’s a lack of money to buy pads, tampons, or other products, access to toilets, or discriminatory laws and practices, women and girls, especially the world’s poorest, are deeply impacted by their periods," UN women continued.
The organization stated that it's especially challenging for women and girls to manage their periods safely and with dignity during a crisis.
"The provision of safe water, sanitation, and hygienic conditions are essential to protecting human health. Yet, today 500 million women and girls globally are estimated to lack adequate facilities for menstrual hygiene management. This puts women and their families at greater risk of infection. Periods don’t stop for the COVID-19 pandemic, and neither should our efforts to break harmful taboos about menstruation and end period poverty."
We Need More Of This
So Close To Getting The Point
Better Alone Than In Bad Company
6. Underrepresentation as leaders in health. "Women make up 70 percent of the health and social care workforce, and they are more likely to be front-line health workers, especially as nurses, midwives, and community health workers. This exposure raises women’s risk of infection (in fact, infections among female health care workers are up to three times higher than among their male counterparts). Yet, women remain in the background of decision making, underrepresented in health sector leadership, and missing from the center of the COVID-19 response."
There might be a record number of women serving in the 117th Congress but society still needs to go a long way and start treating them the way they deserve.
Planned Parenthood Is For Much More Than Abortions
How great it would have been if parents of those people used contraception. They are a living proof of the neccessity of it.
Absolutely Hate The Way Our Clothing Was Policed In School
Super Girly!
Easier Ways To Stop Abortions. If You Actually Care About Abortion
I bet the number of kids growing up in poverty and the crime rate went down as well.
Mental Illness Versus Toxicity
F*cked Up
When You Can't Get Parental Permission To Get An Abortion So You Become A Parent Yourself
Because Apparently Only Old White Men Count
Truth
I only robbed the house because they didn’t turn the alarm on and one of their windows was open. It was fair game
It's A Step In The Right Direction
One of the scariest things about the Sarah Everard case is the fact that it was an off duty police officer who killed her. A policeman who had been spoken to about indecent exposure a week or so before. Girls are taught to find a police officer if we feel unsafe, who do we go to now.
Who Else Can Relate To This?
It's good to realize that though. Stop those shows with you. It's also why it's so important to reread your childhood storybooks with your current awareness before reading them to your kids. Some of them have themes you really don't want to pass down.
While It Is True That Girls’ Brains Typically Develop A Little Faster Than Boys’ Brains, That Doesn’t Excuse A Lack Of Discipline For Boys
A chapter title in an old book-----"The week before a woman's period they act like men do all the time"
I'm Sure Selfawarewolves Would Love This
Im a guy and Ive been hit on by a guy. I was actually flattered and felt kinda bad for him when I told him I was about as straight as an arrow.
Worst Theme Park Ever
My bf is like this. I can get all done up with hair, makeup, dress, heels, etc. but honestly he’d prefer me in a t-shirt, shorts and no make up with a messy ponytail. Thank God, because I really can’t be arsed to get all dressed up every day. On the other end of the spectrum, my little sister’s (thankfully now ex-) bf, who once yelled at her when she came home from a 36 hour shift at the hospital and put her jogging bottoms on. She needed to be “presentable” at all times for him and it completely broke her self esteem. Arsehole.
We Are Starting It Early, Guys!
Preach
Experiencing Both Sides Of The Gender Divide As A Professional
Oh Well
If You Need To End A War, You Call Wonder Woman
It's weird the reaction a woman gets when she walks into a comic book store (alone that is). If you get a chance, check that out. If there are no ladies already in the shop it's almost like you spooked a herd of deer.
Makeup
Or the opposite: "You'd look so much prettier if you'd wear makeup." Well, I feel absolutely comfortable without makeup, I hate the feeling of things on my face, and on top of that, I don't want to look pretty for a random stranger in the streets.
#noragrets
Some People Really Think That Pregnancy Is Easy, Huh
It's not pro-life, it's pro-birth. Pro-birthers generally give zero f***s about human life for roughly 80 years of life. They only care about 9 months of gestation.
“You’re A Pretty Girl And Therefore Can’t Be Smart”
The "Friend" With The Long Game
I Can't Even Watch The Notebook Without Cringing Now
Pressure
Yes They Can Be
I think it's important to note that men are actually wired this way. My mom made a decent feminist out of me. Try to do half the work in the household, paternity leave for a total of 2 years (2 kids) ... I'd say I'm firmly in the feminist camp. Yet I still notice that first impressions are always base emotions such as "I'd hit that". I notice that it's just what my lizard brain tells me ... it's my conscious decision not to be a creep about it and behave normally. What I'm trying to say is that boys are not so much "taught" to be creeps, they're "not taught" how to behave properly, "not taught" that we're not cavemen anymore.
Call Them Out
I dumped one my best friend, not for being a sex offender, but for simply not having respect for his fiancee and sleeping around. And for disparaging me for not wanting to behave in a similar fashion. I tried being tactful about it at first and tell him that I wasn't ok with his behaviour but eventually had to block him, in his mind "out of the blue." One of our mutual friends had no idea what he was doing and told me he was heartbroken and fell into depression for having lost my friendship. Then I told her why, and she blocked him too. I'm not saying I've always been the ideal role model, but at least I can recognize the errors of my past and work towards rectifying my shortcomings. Edit: spelling
Note: this post originally had 68 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
I like the idea of making all men stay off the streets after dark. What would you ladies do on a night out if no men were around? I would walk and enjoy the night air.
I'm feeling so much pity and shame for a nation that managed to make abortion a political issue, striped from any connection to reality, just to be able to control the wombs of women. Somehow the US managed to put themselves below the standards that the Taliban apply. I really doubt if the USA is the country of the free and home of the brave. They seem to be the country of snitches like the DDR was until 9 November 1989.
I really appreciated this thread. As a straight man I was brought up by a woman and have worked in two professions mostly working with women and gay men. I have always respected and admired women throughout my life. I totally agree with the posts above as when I have been in the company of groups of men I am sometimes disgusted at how they need to impress their friends or colleagues with misogynistic stories or comments about women. Not all women are perfect but the choice of words and phrases that describe all women should be seriously considered in conversation. Men should man up and try to be better than the average macho male rather than trying to emulate them.
All of these have opened my eyes to this problem. Now I want to do anything I could help
How come at prom all girls MUST wear dresses, while boys can wear whatever they frickin want? Was shopping with my Gma and she was telling me about how excited I should be for prom this year, asked me what dress I was thinking about. Told her I didn’t know, I felt like maybe wearing a romper. She told me that for as long as she knew of you had to wear a dress. I don’t know if that’s a thing, but even if it isn’t, how come we’re all presumed to wear dresses?
You aren’t. You can wear a tuxedo too. But the prom is supposed to be very formal clothing. A romper is casual street clothing, not suitable as formal wear. Women and girls do wear tuxedos to prom sometimes though.
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One of the little neighbor boys (age 8) was hitting my daughter and another neighbor girl with a big stick. The girls came into the house to get away from him. I called his mom and told her what was happening (the girls should not have to come in to get away from him). The mom said, "boys will be boys" and that was it. She refused to do anything about it. I went out with the girls and the kid ran away or I would have chewed his sorry ass out.
I think it is a lot about how we in general treat our kids, boys n girls. As long as we dont take every life as worthy as our own, we are pretty much forked up. As long as we think, we can surpress anyone, we harden our lives.
Almost all the downvoted comments are men. Tells you something if you look at it
As a trans woman, sexism is a tough subject, as I'm aiming to become "the victim gender" (female), and change from the "offender gender" (male): I'm afraid of becoming a victim of sexism myself, but right now, I'm in the body of the gender who does all these things to the other and I still have trouble seeing the problems... It feels like I'm either oblivious, but an asshole or understanding, but the victim... And yes, this is pretty stereotypical thinking, but tgat's what dysohoria does, you try to grab onto whatever stereotypically counts as a certain gender, because it's all you have... As a person technically in between genders, I'm trying to make my own rules due to this category being relatively new and not having that much stereotypes... but it feels like J'm getting the worst of both worlds
i agree with "not all men" but. women have to be weary of all men. it's not all men, but it's a lot of them. stay safe y'all.
It's not just this - look up what you have to do in order to be approved for an adoption. (Home inspection, financial review, references, background checks, fingerprints, etc...) Having babies "in the normal manner" doesn't automatically make you a fit parent. EVERYBODY should go through those same background checks before reproducing.
Robbie, why don't you go ahead and list the so called "pros" of sexism? I'll be here waiting.
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It seems like when men see these lists, a lot of them think "nah, it's not blatantly accepted - nonsense, it doesn't exist". Yet when women see them, many of them go "yes, this is what I've experienced". It seems it's hard for many men to accept that these things are a part of women's lives, perhaps understandable if they themselves haven't experienced it or don't (believe that they) do it themselves. But it's interesting that a fair few men are quite quick to completely deny the very existence (or explain away, or deny the prevalence/seriousness) of many issues women face day to day. This is gaslighting, no? To be clear, I don't know if you are a man or a woman yourself - and I'm generalising here hence the quantifiers "a lot of", "many" etc. before we go down the #notall...
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I like the idea of making all men stay off the streets after dark. What would you ladies do on a night out if no men were around? I would walk and enjoy the night air.
I'm feeling so much pity and shame for a nation that managed to make abortion a political issue, striped from any connection to reality, just to be able to control the wombs of women. Somehow the US managed to put themselves below the standards that the Taliban apply. I really doubt if the USA is the country of the free and home of the brave. They seem to be the country of snitches like the DDR was until 9 November 1989.
I really appreciated this thread. As a straight man I was brought up by a woman and have worked in two professions mostly working with women and gay men. I have always respected and admired women throughout my life. I totally agree with the posts above as when I have been in the company of groups of men I am sometimes disgusted at how they need to impress their friends or colleagues with misogynistic stories or comments about women. Not all women are perfect but the choice of words and phrases that describe all women should be seriously considered in conversation. Men should man up and try to be better than the average macho male rather than trying to emulate them.
All of these have opened my eyes to this problem. Now I want to do anything I could help
How come at prom all girls MUST wear dresses, while boys can wear whatever they frickin want? Was shopping with my Gma and she was telling me about how excited I should be for prom this year, asked me what dress I was thinking about. Told her I didn’t know, I felt like maybe wearing a romper. She told me that for as long as she knew of you had to wear a dress. I don’t know if that’s a thing, but even if it isn’t, how come we’re all presumed to wear dresses?
You aren’t. You can wear a tuxedo too. But the prom is supposed to be very formal clothing. A romper is casual street clothing, not suitable as formal wear. Women and girls do wear tuxedos to prom sometimes though.
Load More Replies... One of the little neighbor boys (age 8) was hitting my daughter and another neighbor girl with a big stick. The girls came into the house to get away from him. I called his mom and told her what was happening (the girls should not have to come in to get away from him). The mom said, "boys will be boys" and that was it. She refused to do anything about it. I went out with the girls and the kid ran away or I would have chewed his sorry ass out.
I think it is a lot about how we in general treat our kids, boys n girls. As long as we dont take every life as worthy as our own, we are pretty much forked up. As long as we think, we can surpress anyone, we harden our lives.
Almost all the downvoted comments are men. Tells you something if you look at it
As a trans woman, sexism is a tough subject, as I'm aiming to become "the victim gender" (female), and change from the "offender gender" (male): I'm afraid of becoming a victim of sexism myself, but right now, I'm in the body of the gender who does all these things to the other and I still have trouble seeing the problems... It feels like I'm either oblivious, but an asshole or understanding, but the victim... And yes, this is pretty stereotypical thinking, but tgat's what dysohoria does, you try to grab onto whatever stereotypically counts as a certain gender, because it's all you have... As a person technically in between genders, I'm trying to make my own rules due to this category being relatively new and not having that much stereotypes... but it feels like J'm getting the worst of both worlds
i agree with "not all men" but. women have to be weary of all men. it's not all men, but it's a lot of them. stay safe y'all.
It's not just this - look up what you have to do in order to be approved for an adoption. (Home inspection, financial review, references, background checks, fingerprints, etc...) Having babies "in the normal manner" doesn't automatically make you a fit parent. EVERYBODY should go through those same background checks before reproducing.
Robbie, why don't you go ahead and list the so called "pros" of sexism? I'll be here waiting.
Load More Replies... It seems like when men see these lists, a lot of them think "nah, it's not blatantly accepted - nonsense, it doesn't exist". Yet when women see them, many of them go "yes, this is what I've experienced". It seems it's hard for many men to accept that these things are a part of women's lives, perhaps understandable if they themselves haven't experienced it or don't (believe that they) do it themselves. But it's interesting that a fair few men are quite quick to completely deny the very existence (or explain away, or deny the prevalence/seriousness) of many issues women face day to day. This is gaslighting, no? To be clear, I don't know if you are a man or a woman yourself - and I'm generalising here hence the quantifiers "a lot of", "many" etc. before we go down the #notall...
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