25 Times Women Took Down Toxic Men Online

It’s clear to anyone who’s ever spent more than five minutes online that not every comment out there is a positive one or that there might be posts and thoughts shared that could be considered ambiguous at best. Both instances often entail traces—or an entire portion—of misogyny - contempt or prejudice directed specifically at women.

While clearly not every internet user—male or female—is there to spread hate or negative views towards a certain group of people, such negativity is unfortunately not that rare of an occurrence. According to Statista, negative comments and generally abusive language tops the list of the most common forms of negative prejudice against women online, which is followed by sexist and misogynistic remarks as well as actual threats.

According to the Canadian Women’s Foundation, as many as 44% of women aged 16 to 30 are targeted by online hate speech. But be it said type of speech, sexist remarks, or simply unpleasant comments that could have been kept to oneself, some women believe authors of all of the above are worth taking down a notch, and so they often take it upon themselves to do it.

While online comments directed at women focus on all sorts of aspects of their life—from career choices to their bodies, and beyond—some of them work as reminders that females are not always presented with the same rights or responsibilities in life as their male counterparts are, which is something feminists have long been fighting for. According to Pew Research Center’s 2020 data, more than three-in-five women in the US see themselves as feminists.

Pew Research Center’s 2020 survey found that while many women consider themselves feminists, the extent to which they feel the term represents them well seemingly differs depending on age, education, and political views. Younger females with a college degree, representing the Democratic political party are reportedly more likely to say that the term ‘feminist’ describes them very well.

People’s views seem to differ not only in regards to how well the term ‘feminist’ describes them, but also in regards to how they see the movement itself. According to said survey from 2020, the majority of people in the US—roughly 64% of them—believe that feminism is empowering, four-in-ten say that it’s inclusive, too; however, nearly as many as the latter find it polarizing, while a third of Americans say it’s outdated.

In addition to women taking down toxic men or showing support for certain feminism-driven ideas, the examples on this list also depict certain expectations—or lack thereof—women have when it comes to men and dating. While some of them are not something extreme or out of the ordinary—a gesture as simple as making plans for the first date can seemingly go a long way—women (especially those with a college degree) reportedly find it more difficult than men to find a partner who would meet their expectations.

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