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Gender stereotypes are one of those things that just won’t go away. No matter how many times they get debunked, they keep popping up in conversations, dating advice, magazine horoscope pages and those weird “alpha male” podcasts. And most of the time, they’re completely wrong.
That’s why women and men of Reddit decided to set the record straight and call out the biggest myths about themselves. Their answers ranged from funny to genuinely frustrating, and they show just how many assumptions people make without really knowing what they’re talking about.
Scroll down to read them.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
That we are the reason why women use botox and go to the beauty doctor. we hate how it looks.
Luke || Kira (he/she) 7 hours ago
It seems to me that women who get botox and cosmetic surgeries & men who take steroids and @buse the gym to be absolutely shredded are the same category. They claim they're doing it to attract the opposite gender. The opposite gender generally hates the desired look and it's ultimately more about impressing the same gender and gaining some sort of "status".
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#2
"Man wants a challenge in a woman".. Girl,I'm constantly in a challenge in a day. At work, at road, at street, every meeting, where the country is going, what is the stock options doing, what the heck kids want etc... I want peace in a relationship. Not a challenge.
#3
One that surprised a lot of women I've dated: most guys almost never get random compliments. So when someone says 'nice shirt' or 'you look good today,' we remember it for years like it was an award ceremony.
Tobias Reaper 13 hours ago
a friend once told me i look good with short hair ever since i have kept it short she told me i look good with a beard so i kept and maintained my beard
#4
That some women think you’re flirting with them when you hold a door, smile or say hello. Sometimes I’m just being a nice human being.
#5
That as a single man, I'm interested in every woman that I cross paths with.
Lost Panda 13 hours ago
Doesn't even have to be single. Just being a straight man apparently means you're interested in every woman
#6
Myth: That we are just being polite when we say we like both outfit choices and we secretly have a preference but don't want to hurt feelings
Reality: Sometimes both options are just equally great in our opinion.
#7
We're not babysitters. We're dads. And we enjoy time with our kids.
DowntownStevieB 3 hours ago
To help with this standard, men should also not use phrases like "ask mommy" or "this is mommy's area of expertise."
#8
That men can get by with 20% of the blanket and mattress?
#10
My daughter was led to believe that all men can burp the alphabet and was disappointed to find out I couldn't.
#11
That SA doesn't happen to men. Yes the numbers are different compared men being the victims vs women. It is actually not gender specific. Happened to myself, and seen it dozens of times in my line of work.
Doctor Strange 9 hours ago
The numbers for SA for men are vastly underreported, as most men either don't report or their reports are dismissed because people don't believe men can be assaulted. Especially when the perpetrator is a woman.
#12
While we were walking down the sidewalk together back in the 1970's, my college boyfriend casually mentioned to me that he was sure glad that I didn't wear make up. I stopped in my tracks and I said " Do you seriously think I was born with these black lines around my eyes ?!?"
#13
"Men are simple creatures."
We can be just as complicated as the best of them.
#14
Most of the time we'd really rather not end the spider. He ain't hurting nothing.
#15
That men know when we are being flirted with or being hit on. No we really don't. Often times we miss cues like that.
#16
That we have no idea what's going on emotionally. We know. We just weren't given the tools to do anything about it growing up.
Rick Murray 1 hour ago
Then you get those of us who are emotionally flatline. I "allowed myself to cry" when mom died. It made my eyes hurt and everything snotty. It really didn't do anything for me so I don't get why people say to "have a good cry".
#17
That whole “Roman Empire” thing. My wife walked in one day with the biggest grin on her face and said “when’s the last time you thought about the Roman Empire?” She’d heard about the trend on a podcast.
I replied with “uh, never?” And she walked out visibly disappointed.
#18
I think the irony of all the generalisation in this thread is really lost on most commenters.
#19
That we’re attracted to those super buff, steroid types or those looksmaxxers and that we can’t possibly be attracted to men like Michael Cera.
The_Nicest_Misanthrope 12 hours ago
I'd rather sleep with a soggy cardboard box than Michael Cera, but still a fair point
#21
That we exaggerate our pain. By the time I even mention it you might want to call the undertaker.
#22
That we can control when our periods occur. Yeah babe, I'm totally cramping and giving birth to blood clots to ruin your birthday...
#23
That looks are everything. She can be a ten, but if her attitude is a one, she's a three or four at best. I've checked hot women that I end up not taking a second look at because their attitude is insane.
#24
A friend of mine believed that if given a choice, all men would pursue blondes.
This came right after me telling her I have a thing for brunettes.
#25
Men like the chase.
#26
One thing I've noticed when some women say 'my life would be so much easier if I were a man' is that they're typically describing the life of a man who is noticeably attractive, rich, and powerful. They usually do not imagine a life as a complete gender-bent version of themselves.
Well, sure, the man you're picturing is definitely more privileged than you, but he is also more privileged than 90% of us. Yes, I get that women do have major disadvantages compared to their male counterparts, but the 'male self' you're dreaming of is the exact kind of man every single one of us wishes we could be.
#27
If a man is talking to an attractive woman, he has a romantic interest in her. This got old when I was single, I just like to talk to people.
Doug Moyer 3 hours ago
Luckily, my wife knows that I just like to talk to people, or she might get jealous.
#28
Hand size, foot size, and overall height are not indicators of genital size, despite all the claims otherwise. The genes that govern both are separate. So that huge guy with big feet could be tiny, and that super short guy with little hands might be packing. You can't tell by looking at other body parts.
#29
That we aren't happy because we're alone.
I love it.
Rick Murray 1 hour ago
So alone it's easily a kilometre to the nearest other house, several to a tiny village where the cows greatly outnumber the people, and fifteen to the nearest useful supermarket. 🥰
#30
There have been lots of trans men who report that people generally aren't as nice to you, trusting of you, don't get as close to you, are more suspicious of you, less charitable to you.
In my experience as a man with a sister and many female family members... life is generally a bit more... independent, i guess is the word. Parents, family friends don't check up on you. You're generally expected to solve your own problems. My sister on the other hand often gets plenty of help emotionally and otherwise from her friends & supported financially by our parents.
I know not all men are independent. Not all women have a large support network... its just my personal experience.
TotallyNOTAFox 2 hours ago (edited)
As "man of the family" I'm responsible for everything including taking care of my mother with progressing dementia while my sister just pissed off and live her life - But sure, I'm the failure of the family because no well paying job, no higher education (universities too far away) and no partner - Even better is being compared to my sister and how successful she is (for having kids) while running away from every form of responsibility. One big downside as man is being left alone with problems, based on the assumption of being "stronger"
#31
That we're all dropping hints on purpose. Sometimes we're not being mysterious, we're just tired, hungry, or overthinking everything.
StrangeOne 13 hours ago
Sometimes I just really need some time to think about what's bothering me before I say something damaging over what could be nothing. Just me overthinking.
#32
An ex bought me Rush Hour 3 on dvd because “All men like these movies”
So that.
#34
That men are always “thinking about nothing” because they don’t care. Sometimes we really are thinking about nothing, but sometimes we just don’t know how to explain the 47 random problems running in the background.
Doug Moyer 3 hours ago
I've been thinking a lot about thinking lately. One thing I wonder is how many people are actually fully aware of what they are thinking? What kind of spectrum is there for this?
#35
Loud sneezes being intentional.
KatWitch57 2 hours ago
Everyone who's never been overtaken by a loud sneeze believes this, until it happens!
#36
That trying to make us jealous makes us want you more, no dude, I am blocking you now. Have fun with Jenny instead.
#37
The idea that we’re never nervous about walking outside at night time.
Daisydaisy 12 hours ago
A pack of drunken men can be just as dangerous to a lone male as to a lone female
#38
That they can change us and still like us afterward.
TotallyNOTAFox 1 hour ago (edited)
"Marriage is when the man hopes she never changes and the woman that he does" - Unknown
#40
That we dont feel unsure, afraid, fear, ashamed, inferior sometimes, that we dont worry that we're taking up too much space, worried about being too assertive, that we all feel we're simply entitled to things, that any male failing is a simple failure to take advantage of his privilege, we dont experience the full gamut of human emotions...
Many things like this
I feel that in this respect, a lot of what women believe about men is based on the worst caricature of a man, created as a figure they can justifiably hate and argue against when it comes to speaking about problems women have with men, rather than what 99% of men are actually like as real human beings.
Its easier to argue against a boogeyman, than have to realise that men are just as human as they are.
KatWitch57 2 hours ago
The vast majority of women (or men fr that matter) are not represented by the rabid views you see on the internet.
#42
That there is such a grand difference in how men vs women think. Outside of the chemistry influencing our thoughts, and conditioning brought by tribalism, is there really such a difference between how men and women process information? I feel like it more has to do with the genetic makeup of each individual and how they were brought up.
Doug Moyer 3 hours ago
I think there is far more variation within each gender than there is between the "averages" of each gender. In other words, the overlap is far greater than the exceptions.
#43
That we all enjoy taking care of others, nurturing them, and that the very basis of our happiness is seeing others enjoy the fruit of our labor.
#44
That women are drowning in compliments from strangers every time we go out! I’m so tired of hearing men be like “I still remember the compliment a person gave me from 10 years ago, women can’t relate they get complimented all the time”. Maybe beautiful women can’t relate but I’m an average woman and I’m completely ignored in public. most average people regardless of their gender are ignored and it’s not an experience unique to men. .
#45
That we all hate each other and get jealous. I think other women are awesome!
I respect the hell out of my boyfriend's ex, she sounds great! I wish my ex's new girlfriend nothing but a wonderful life!
#46
That we care about height. My guy, I care more about how you treat animals and humans more than anything.
#47
That we go to the bathroom together to talk about you. Babe we're just making sure we don't go alone to a place full of strangers.
#48
That we all value men on wealth,
I don’t personally.
#49
That men are emotionally simple and don't overthink things many do, they just tend to hide it.
#50
Just because I happen to have cheese does not mean you're getting any. I'm NOT a brie dispensary.
#51
That we are "too emotional" for the hard jobs and that we aren't strong enough to lead.
#52
That women on the internet are real.
#53
That we’re all miserable if we don’t have a man in our life and our one life goal is to get married.
Luke || Kira (he/she) 7 hours ago
Shoutout to my mom who never married my sp3rm donor and has happily lived without a man for 30 years and counting
#54
If you give us a compliment we will remember it for months. Maybe even years.
Be honest with us. Don’t hide stuff, and don’t lie about it. We’d rather disagree than be gaslit and find out later.
If we often seem closed off or stoic, it's not because we don't have emotions. On the contrary. We feel things and feel them DEEPLY. But we're often afraid to actually be vulnerable and EXPRESS those feelings. Reason being, when we're frank about how we feel...
A.) It's almost a guarantee that those feelings will be weaponized and used against us at a later time.
B.) If what we're feeling is in any way negative or upsetting, we run the risk of upsetting YOU. At which point our feelings are brushed aside, and we have to flip to "consolation mode" and comfort you over how OUR feelings made YOU feel.
C.) In a worst-case scenario, our feelings are dismissed on the grounds that patriarchy and misogyny mean that women's feelings are ALWAYS more important, because women are marginalized and oppressed and have it worse in every possible way than the men "playing life on easy mode."
After all of this plays out a few times, we learn fast. If we have feelings, it's safer and easier on everyone if we just clam up and shove it down and do whatever it takes to keep the women in our lives happy, because we prize peace and harmony more so than a free expression of emotion that's only going to circle back and bite us in the a*s. And this means we stew and we repress and we bottle it aaaaalllll up. Forever.
All men are individuals, but I 100% PROMISE YOU THAT THIS IS SOMETHING WE ALL HAVE IN COMMON.
The_Nicest_Misanthrope 12 hours ago (edited)
This one comes off much more bitterly than I think was intended
#55
That men aren't sensitive or in tune with emotion. We just get chastised for showing it, even when we are told we should open up.
#56
That men are totally fearless and never get anxious. We stress about the same stuff as anyone else but hide it better.
#58
That the hot women they're following on Instagram are natural. I have asked multiple men to show me their idea of a "natural looking" woman, and every time without fail, they show me a woman who is wearing heavy make-up, is using filters, and has clearly had work done.
LancePoekinhos 13 hours ago
this is totally wrong. i don’t think i know any men who would say that.
StrangeOne 13 hours ago
Who are these men? I know my bf much prefers me with no makeup. He hates heavy makeup. The only filters he cares to see me with are the silly ones because it cracks him up like crazy.
Rick Murray 47 minutes ago
I work in a factory where makeup is not permitted (contamination risk). The girls that I think look kinda cute look far better, in my totally ignored opinion, than they do after drawing on themselves with magic marker. I'd much rather see the real you.
#59
The idea that everything we do appearance wise is for them. Most of us just want to feel good about ourselves and it really has nothing to do with how men perceive us.
#60
That bigger is better.
Luke || Kira (he/she) 7 hours ago
Where I live, we say "You can make a great performance even with a small puppet". I'm still a virgin so correct me if I'm wrong but I've heard that most of the woman's pleasure stems from activities not involving a ween
#61
That they are somehow the exception, and given the chance, could change the minds of gay women. I am a homosexual, Brad. Your beer breath and Cheeto fingers will not change that. This might not be "most" men, per say, but it's too darn many.
#62
We're all hopeless romantics. Nope. I'm very aloof and don't attach easily. When I do, I'm still not much of a romance type. My love language is food. If I'm feeding you a home-cooked meal while wearing a sundress, that's as romantic as I get.
Rick Murray 45 minutes ago
Works for me. If such a person is actually willing to deal with my arcane food preferences and intolerances, then ❤️!
#64
That women don't get attracted to men who are vulnerable or sensitive.
Geobugi🇰🇷🇰🇭 6 hours ago
Depends on the woman i think. Some may like it and for others it might be a turnoff if the man is overly dramatic
#65
Oh… and let me add that they can’t seem to conceive that we may actually know things about car and home repairs, tools, taxes, etc.
I battled this in my marriage more than I will ever stand for again. My Wasband couldn’t tell you the difference between a broom and a hammer but always had an opinion on the right way to do things. All the tools in the house are mine.
He never did a single load of laundry in all the years we were together, but always had a speech about the ‘right’ way to do it, same as the dinners he never once ever made. I would get a NYT-style food critic review for meals he had no idea how much work and love I poured in to them. He only ever ordered pizza when I wasn’t there to feed everyone. But what I always got was an essay about how I could have improved this or that about my cooking. The man burns toast ffs.
I’m a trained chef. 😳
#66
That we are just naturally better at certain types of chores or we have like special eyes that can see spills that you can't see.
#67
That being persistent after the first "no" will somehow garner a different response.
You will get a different response eventually, directly to the nuts or face.
#68
Women always want expensive or high status men.
#69
That we want men with money, muscles, and height, and that's our only selection criteria.
#70
That feeling and acknowledging our emotions somehow precludes us from being logical. Not so.
#71
That we all have "rosters" or "rotations" of men we're entertaining behind our boyfriends' backs.
Or, in the same vein, that we can't be friends with a man without it meaning we're cheating with him or secretly have feelings for him.
Or, also in the same vein, that any time we go out, we're hooking up with other guys. And if we go out with the girls, we're all covering for each other's cheating.
Doug Moyer 3 hours ago
Sounds like OP is self-selecting toxic men if she has so much experience with this controlling jealousy!
#72
That men aren't actually bad at recognizing flirting/picking up on hints.
There was a woman I would frequently run into in my work and every time we would always chit chat for a few minutes. One time she stopped and looked me up and down and said "You single MrWoodburn?" to which I replied that I was. "We should go out some time" she responded. Now, being the oblivious oaf that I am and thinking she was just being polite, I assumed she was joking so I gave her dual finger guns and said "Maybe" before breaking off the conversation to get back to work.
Lost Panda 13 hours ago
In my younger years, I usually never realized it until a few days later after the opportunity had passed
#73
That the only emotion we feel is anger. In truth we feel the full range of emotions, but the only socially acceptable (and useful) one to show is anger.
#74
That we know what every building we drive by is.
#75
That we have no feelings. We do. We are often very emotional and mask it.
Serena Myers 1 hour ago
Mr Myers does not mask his emotions. He was sobbing when our ginger cat Rossi passed and not afraid to let me hear him. Our tiny ginger, Vale (although he's a year old, he's very small) somehow got out last night and Mr M sat up till 04:00, and then I took over the watch. The wee beastie sauntered in at about 08:30 as if nothing was amiss. Mr M: I hate cats. Also Mr M: Is he in yet?
#76
I had a longer post but they really do assume we know anything about cars. Had engine trouble and i took it to a mechanic. Y’know as if I knew anything about whats under the hood to even stick a new engine in.
An engine is expensive, labor is where that cost comes from. They have the know-how and tools to do it not guys in-general.
#77
Men get turned off when women make the first move.
Geobugi🇰🇷🇰🇭 6 hours ago
What men? Not me, it makes it so much easier if the woman is more extrovert
#78
That we have pillow fights in negligee when we sleep at a friend's house.
#79
That our rejection of you is a personal attack.
#80
That it takes 5min to do makeup .
#81
I don't know about mythical, but my ex boyfriend was grossed out when I told him I can grow a happy trail on my stomach just like men do lol. He was lucky I preferred the look and feel of having no body hair, cause I considered growing it out just to shatter his illusion of women even further.
setsuriseikou 5 hours ago
TIL what we call "MIL's path" (or "wh0re's path") in Russian is called "happy trail" in English
#83
Silent treatment is regular treatment for us.
TotallyNOTAFox 1 hour ago
"Silent Treatment" aka "Finally some peace and silence" in some cases
#84
That women molt their skin like reptiles.
#85
They don’t fart.
TotallyNOTAFox 1 hour ago
The farts of women often smell worse because on average they produce more hydrogen sulfide due to small differences in digestion processes between the genders. (Useless knowledge, but fun science)
#86
That we can easily find a good looking and decent guy to either date or sleep with and that we're just being picky for no reason.
Guys are FAR more judgemental when it comes to looks in regards to dating. That's why there's no genderswapped beauty and the beast.
#87
Submissiveness.
What do you think ?
David Paterson 11 hours ago (edited)
Dang dang dang dang dang. These are supposed to be gender stereotypes, and in fully 50% of cases I can't tell which gender it is supposed to apply to. Even then, some people post the myth and some the debunk. Occasionally a single post can be interpreted in four completely different ways. For example "we're good at organising", is that the myth or the debunk and is it supposed to apply to men or women?
Pawsome 5 minutes ago
In a way, a lot of entries in this list are exactly what it’s criticising. “All men think that women…” and “all women think that men…”. No! Most people are able differentiate between entire genders and individuals. There are always idiots. Of both genders. And they should be judged and called out like the bigots that they are. But that’s it. And I also just don’t understand how bringing up a real issue that affects one gender requires criticising the other gender or putting it down. For example. Yes, SA is not taken seriously in men, but it’s not magically solved for women because we talk about it. In both cases, it unfortunately boils down to the same thing. The victim is expected to stay quiet and to suffer alone. This is not an issue that should be a gender war. It’s a matter of protecting our own and attacking the perpetrators, no matter who they are. Sure, there are differences between SA on men and women, but gender is not the cause of SA. The people who commit SA are
Rick Murray 34 minutes ago
I'd just like to post a comment from mom - that men feel irrationally negative towards intelligent women. She was so sick of having to dumb herself down so often.
David Paterson 11 hours ago (edited)
Dang dang dang dang dang. These are supposed to be gender stereotypes, and in fully 50% of cases I can't tell which gender it is supposed to apply to. Even then, some people post the myth and some the debunk. Occasionally a single post can be interpreted in four completely different ways. For example "we're good at organising", is that the myth or the debunk and is it supposed to apply to men or women?
Pawsome 5 minutes ago
In a way, a lot of entries in this list are exactly what it’s criticising. “All men think that women…” and “all women think that men…”. No! Most people are able differentiate between entire genders and individuals. There are always idiots. Of both genders. And they should be judged and called out like the bigots that they are. But that’s it. And I also just don’t understand how bringing up a real issue that affects one gender requires criticising the other gender or putting it down. For example. Yes, SA is not taken seriously in men, but it’s not magically solved for women because we talk about it. In both cases, it unfortunately boils down to the same thing. The victim is expected to stay quiet and to suffer alone. This is not an issue that should be a gender war. It’s a matter of protecting our own and attacking the perpetrators, no matter who they are. Sure, there are differences between SA on men and women, but gender is not the cause of SA. The people who commit SA are
Rick Murray 34 minutes ago
I'd just like to post a comment from mom - that men feel irrationally negative towards intelligent women. She was so sick of having to dumb herself down so often.
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