Meet Lainey Molnar, an artist on a mission to empower women through her honest comics. She cuts through societal expectations and pressures, using her illustrations to reflect the real challenges women face. Originally from Hungary and now living in Amsterdam, Lainey started sharing her art on Instagram in 2019, tackling topics like feminism, body image, relationships and more.
Lainey's work challenges standards and encourages women to embrace their uniqueness. Her art sparks important conversations and resonates with women worldwide. Scroll down to explore Lainey's empowering illustrations that celebrate honest womanhood.
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I've experienced firsthand what both testosterone and estrogen as dominant hormone can do to a human's emotions. Neither is innocent when it comes to affecting your emotions, but I'll take what estrogen does any day. When testosterone was in charge, I knew the horror of sudden flashes of violent rage, unwanted excessive competitive desire, and a libido that would not ever calm down. Under estrogen's guidance I experience moments of internal rage, a strong desire to cooperate instead of compete, and a manageable libido (most of the time). Under both I have known crushing despair, extreme elation, frustration, anger, joy, delight, and so many other things. The only difference between the two was how I was expected to channel those based on how society perceived me gender-wise. Men are far from "less emotional than women", they're just not allowed to express many of those emotions freely.
Lol yep, I know guys that are exactly like this. Brag about their "superior male logic", yet show themselves to be some of the most illogical people I've ever met.
*Sound of a horde of insecure men about to comment-scream at this post approaching*
"I know that so many of us women are criticized or shunned by society for not hitting the "right" milestones, not hitting them at the right time, or having entirely different plans than what is expected. My goal is to lift the weight of societal stigma from every woman's shoulder because personal life decisions that don't hurt anyone are not right or wrong, they're simply... personal," the artist shared with Bored Panda.
Same goes for jobs. "Do you operate the tool with your peenus? No? So a woman can do it too"
There is a severe lack of work force in contructions to lift heavy stuff, work at high altitude, stay in scorching sun all day! You go girl, we are all for you coming and joining in!
Load More Replies...And still the girls like playing with dolls and the boys with cars...because this is in fact not a social construct.
Ever heard of pelvic floor muscles? With enough training you can operate certain things with them! Though admittedly gripping would be a bit of a challenge.
Load More Replies...I wholly agree with the content of the image and I agree with your reply that it is a choice. A choice that should be respected and preserved. But your derogatory reference to 'breeding' just serves to evidence the negative societal expectations of women - and not just those who choose to not to have children, but also those who choose to have children, by depicting women who make the choice to have children as having no additional value than their choice to mate and produce offspring like animals... i.e. to breed.
Load More Replies...This is off topic but where can I get what the person on the right is wearing? It's so cool.
Exactly this. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should, or want to.
It reminds me of the documentary "Leftover Women" about Chinese women who don’t get married or late. one of them has an enriching professional activity before getting married and having a child. she then explains that her new life is happy but very boring. I found it so sad (in addition to the other testimonies)
Lainey's main aim is to make sure all women feel noticed, heard, and not alone. Through her work, she wants to support and empower women so they don't feel isolated. "I want to give them [women] tools to heal themselves from past traumas and stuck patterns. I know this might sound incredibly ambitious, but I'm set on changing the world."
YES. i will gladly babysit for anyone, but having my own? nuh uh, not for me sorry.
I can't be a bad parent if I don't have my own kids, but I can be a good camp counselor!
I'm that way now. I used to want kids, but then I took a closer look at the world they would have to grow up in.
I hope to be as cool as Chic Grandma when I'm her age XD as it is, I'm 42 and I dress like an early-90s teenager, wallet chain and all XD
Load More Replies...No one in their right mind is going to say this about this old man.
Just turned 72 and I'm going to dress as I like, regardless of fashion. Get used to it.
stop calling senior women "grandma" goddamit!!! She's not your grandma
The problem is that women's clothes, unfortunately, are mostly revealing, sexy clothes. Sexiness is not that important in men's clothing. This is what is causing more backlash against old women on this issue. Revealing and sexy clothes are really looking bad on a very old person and it would look the same if old men did it.
Actually, they both look fine. Equality means that we should not mock EITHER, and nor should we praise one and vilify the other. Clothes are not restricted by age, gender, or style (outside of cultures where gendered clothing is very strict.)
Load More Replies...Why do you judge them? You shouldn't judge people for their choices and the most ridiculous thing under this post is your comment.
Load More Replies...We wanted to know if Lainey finds it hard to share a message using drawings or comics. "My mantra is always 'simplify, simplify, simplify' to convey a message," the artist replied, "but I also come from a fashion background and I tremendously enjoy drawing elaborate outfits and many details, so usually my biggest struggle is where to meet with the two. I’m always ecstatic when someone in the comments points out a tiny detail or easter egg they found in the illustration, so it’s worth the extra work!"
My go to is: people buy house, get kids, marry.. I kill a basil plant a month
Getting out of bed day after day IS something to be proud of! ❤️
Load More Replies...Ah but you got out of bed. Everyone has different battles and it is still an accomplishment when you are dealing with the ones unique to you. <3 Ever forward, my friend.
Load More Replies...If you're dealing with body image or self-esteem struggles, Lainey suggests beginning your path to healing by connecting with supportive communities in safe spaces "where there is nothing shameful talking about the shared experiences of womanhood from all aspects, and with content (could be books, conversations, social media posts) that challenges internalized toxic beliefs and the status quo. I'm trying to provide both with my illustrations because these things can trigger a beautiful avalanche of self-healing."
Always a relief when Aunt Flo arrives in town-- "YES, I knew I wasn't a weak-@ss b!tch!"
Also fun at the other end. Why is every little thing making me insanely emotional? And why is my libido so high? ...Oh, it's halfway to next period, must be ovulation time again.
I'm the opposite, I know my period is about to start when I get ridiculously, outrageously horny. Which, being asexual, is the *only* time I really get horny so it's a really dependable indicator, hahaha
Load More Replies...One would never have seen this a few decades ago. They didn't even show flushing toilets until Psycho.
I was thinking of this last night when I watched it (again). I actually think even the opening scene between Marion and Sam must have seemed quite racy. Even in 2024 I find the two of them lounging in bed in the middle of the afternoon- in their skivvies- pretty sexy.
Load More Replies...i dont get why being a cat lady is shamed. i'd love to be a cat lady!
I think it was made up by men who have a deep fear that they compare poorly against cats. They're right. I'd rather live with my cat that any man I have ever met.
Load More Replies...Dang, I missed the travel-as-luxury-with-a-pocket-dog phase pf my 30's. Thanks, cartoon- now I DO feel like a failure.
Being single is not that bad...not that good eighter.. Both of these pictures are wrong.
Really annoys me how society acts like I'm rapidly rotting away now that I'm in my 30s.
preach! you can do what ever you want as long as you feel comfortable in your own skin and are not harming yourself or others!
Ah, some people want to be harmed. :) *harm with consent ** and a safe word
Load More Replies...Fortunately not necessarily. I feel for those who develop issues though <3
Load More Replies...Those aren’t any of the reasons I wanted my baby. I had an unplanned pregnancy and just immediately loved her. That’s it. I just loved her fell through minute I took the test and it was positive. It had nothing to do with gaining something from it.
understanding the difference between "having a child" and "raising a future adult"
Cosmikid, I really wouldn't want to be the child of someone who's doing it for the species.
That IS selfish, giving birth to someone just so that they can take care of you when your old.
Load More Replies...Not so sure it would be a really bad thing, you know? Humanity didn't do that much good to the planet as whole.
Load More Replies...is that a COVID test??? not sure that's an accomplishment but go on. ( i may be wrong if i am don't vote just explain TY)
Are you just speaking of yourself or are you pulling some magical fake statistics out of your patootie?
Load More Replies...Sometimes I miss what the relationship could've been
Load More Replies...I've had 2 marriages. Both lasted 20 years. Something "society" has no idea how to cope with is that humans consistently become different people over time. So... then what?? We're clueless, sadly.
Um actually you should find your true love, marry them, and spend the rest of your unchanging lives together with zero problems
Load More Replies...Can't confirm. My husband is the one who does more chores and stagnates in his carreer while I'm thriving and profiting in my career. He's not dissatisfied though. He's not the ambitious type and so far satisfied with his part of our relationship. The mistake people make is expecting that the expensive party will sort things out, and the relationship will magically become stable and perfect. But in reality your relationship won't change just because you're married. Marriage has absolutely no impact on the relationship. So if you're happy in your relationship and things are stable and satisfying, then marriage is a good idea for legal security and safety. But if you want to do it to 'go the next step' in your relationship, stuff it. It's not repairing whatever you feel should be better. It's not taking your relationship anywhere, where it isn't already. It's only a firm commitment between two people who decided their relationship is worth committing to. But it won't help tying down loose ends. It's an official contract, not a relationship.
Very well said! I think there is a widespread belief that marriage is magic - that it will "change" a person or relationship. It doesn't. The only thing worse than getting married to "fix" a relationship is having a kid to "fix" it.
Load More Replies...Don't marry any guy who expects or wants his life to remain largely unchanged.
Someone doesn't know how to read an actuary table. Women live longer, men die younger.
Broadly true Phil, but I think this refers to the fact that married men live longer than single men and married women die younger than single women.
Load More Replies...I was just going to throw some kind of park grilling hootenanny and get married in the middle of it.
I'll come! I'll even bring some things to put on the grill! :D
Load More Replies...Winter in my seventies keeps me indoors as much as possible, because I don't have the strength to carry enough clothes to keep reasonably warm outdoors.
I have poor circulation - cold weather sucks. Are you using those stick on disposable heating pads? Worth trying for the occasions you have to go out in the cold.
Load More Replies...10°C then: mini skirt,boots,light leather jacket. today: coat, insulating pants, boots, scarf, shivering
That's 50°F for those not quite ready to exchange your 10 gallon hat for a 37.85412 liter hat.
Load More Replies...I don't mind aging at all, but I could do without the needing to go to the toilet several times at night.
2024 resolutions: maybe, just maybe, try to learn how to like/love myself and like being alive instead of constantly having suicidal ideation XD
went through that for a long time- it did get better for me, so hang in there :)
Load More Replies...Very true! Gone back to college after 20 years and man it was so much easier when I could just openly as questions and speak to my professor (the system my college uses is not intuitive or simple at ALL). It's really stressing me out, I'm struggling, but I chose to do this for myself.
Because often our "choices" are little better informed than a coin toss?
Sometimes you want something and once you have it you find out it actually sucks or wasn't what you thought it would be. It happens and there's no shame in realizing things turned out differently than you thought they would.
Yes!! I'm so tired of people venting their struggles and then being told "well you chose this." Whether it's a career path, being a parent, an academic pursuit, etc, it's okay to struggle a bit. Especially when it's putting you on a good path.
Wait - you get long-term friendships??? And I bet that you *talk* about real s**t too!
Sigh. Sad. We took a wrong turn at "Agriculture." Screwed up the world. Beer, cities, armies. Disasters.
YESS this one should be higher. Friendships are more important than you think
I love what she says and how she says it, and I love the looks she draws
Since 5 of the top posts had to do with choosing not to have children, and I see this all over so many BP posts, I got curious: Are all these European BPs so different than American women? What I found was that 91% of Eureopean women want children, including 83% of those that don't have children. Their reasons for not having kids, just like in America boil down primarily to economics/financial insecurity, and then to not finding the right partner and having a partner who doesn't want them. In fact, far more answered that they go childless because their partner doesn't want kids than because THEY don't want them. (The most on-the-nose and detailed questions were from a Gallup study from 2014, so that's kinda dated, but I found similar sources much more recently.) So is all this anti-children feminism on BP true feminism, or promoting what men want far more often then women? Well, the small minority of women who didn't want kids did feel pressured to have them...
This is a great question! I see a lot of the anti-children brand of 'feminism' on BP and question whether it is feminism at all. Feminism is a lot of things but at it's core is about self determination and personal choice. I don't see how we can view anti-children feminism as anything other than an oxymoron. As a feminist, I would never deride or condemn another woman for ANY choice she makes. Whether that is to have children or not have children.
Load More Replies...Decent art, but a smug high-school level "message". Would be edgy for a teenager.
I love what she says and how she says it, and I love the looks she draws
Since 5 of the top posts had to do with choosing not to have children, and I see this all over so many BP posts, I got curious: Are all these European BPs so different than American women? What I found was that 91% of Eureopean women want children, including 83% of those that don't have children. Their reasons for not having kids, just like in America boil down primarily to economics/financial insecurity, and then to not finding the right partner and having a partner who doesn't want them. In fact, far more answered that they go childless because their partner doesn't want kids than because THEY don't want them. (The most on-the-nose and detailed questions were from a Gallup study from 2014, so that's kinda dated, but I found similar sources much more recently.) So is all this anti-children feminism on BP true feminism, or promoting what men want far more often then women? Well, the small minority of women who didn't want kids did feel pressured to have them...
This is a great question! I see a lot of the anti-children brand of 'feminism' on BP and question whether it is feminism at all. Feminism is a lot of things but at it's core is about self determination and personal choice. I don't see how we can view anti-children feminism as anything other than an oxymoron. As a feminist, I would never deride or condemn another woman for ANY choice she makes. Whether that is to have children or not have children.
Load More Replies...Decent art, but a smug high-school level "message". Would be edgy for a teenager.
