It can often be hard to believe that, in the 21st century, misogyny can still be so rampant.
But one viral thread recently pointed out just how deeply ingrained and pervasive it truly is in our society.
It all started when Twitter user @sswyers tweeted about a snide comment her boss made after viewing the thumbnail of a woman's profile picture on LinkedIn.
After some confusion, @sswyers tried to dig a little deeper into what her boss meant.
The boss finally got down to the matter.
He thought the picture was "slutty."
@sswyers wasn't having any of it.
I was getting annoyed right back, so I told him to just explain what he meant. He talked for a minute about how if… https://t.co/db9TEfsBze— Sawyer (@Sawyer) 1560550026.0
And then, after some back and forth, @sswyrs finally got down to what it was really about.
Needless to say, @sswyers was appalled, and called out exactly what was happening here.
This man saw a THUMBNAIL of a picture of an attractive woman, and decided that not only was she a "slut", but that… https://t.co/f8FA4SD845— Sawyer (@Sawyer) 1560550545.0
A woman has her smiling face on her profile. A man she has never met sees it and instantly feels rage and disgust.… https://t.co/Oy6lBe77nI— Sawyer (@Sawyer) 1560550955.0
@ men: Don't you ever ask women why they're afraid again.— Sawyer (@Sawyer) 1560550968.0
People were left shaking their heads.
@babenofun @sswyrs SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK— ☀️🌻🏳️🌈 (@☀️🌻🏳️🌈) 1560687660.0
@BrettHethering @sswyrs It's too common at that! As in not every man feels/thinks that way, not by a long shot (!)… https://t.co/mTpkf93yy1— Good Omens Ivy (@Good Omens Ivy) 1560631938.0
Other women soon chimed in with their own horror stories of misogyny from both men and women.
@MTA_1996 @sswyrs When me and my sister were kids, our neighbor asked my mom to put up curtains in our shared room… https://t.co/3ZwVOsLDws— Elisabeth (@Elisabeth) 1560667226.0
@Elisabeth__E @MTA_1996 @sswyrs Ugh. Reminds me of my highly religious neighbors as a kid. The wife tried to get me… https://t.co/jOxmm7vN1p— Snap, Crackle, Pop (@Snap, Crackle, Pop) 1560668221.0
You've been warned, ladies.
No attractive profile pictures that might make men all hot and bothered.
@Mickey_Marine @sswyrs @battleborngoali To be fair, you’re showing a bit of earlobe.— diecastzinc (@diecastzinc) 1560651163.0
@FionaMMarsden @diecastzinc @sswyrs @battleborngoali *Scribbles note* "Must appear dead in the eyes." Got it.— 💗💜💙Foul-Mouthed Engineer💗💜💙 (@💗💜💙Foul-Mouthed Engineer💗💜💙) 1560653789.0
If you're dealing with a toxic work environment, there are things you can do to protect yourself. The book The Arsonist in the Office: Fireproofing Your Life Against Toxic Coworkers, Bosses, Employees, and Cultures by Pete Havel, available here, offers suggestions for workplace survival.
The ultimate tribute to office misery, the film Office Space, turned 20 years old in 2019 and issued a 20th anniversary edition, available here.
"Straight men of Reddit, what is the strangest thing you have been told not to do because 'that's gay?'"
The following behavior just screams, "gay," fellas. Watch out.
Song Choice
"Sing a Lily Allen song during karaoke."
– KentuckyFriedEel
School Protocol
"Advice I received in high school from other students:"
"Don't cross your legs with one knee over the other. Put one ankle over the other knee."
"When carrying books, palm them and carry them at your side. Don't rest one edge of the books near your waist."
"Never button the top button of your shirt."
– Gorf_the_Magnificent
Look, But Don't Look
"This one time, at summer camp, this guy who'd just been swimming in the lake told me you could tell how cold the water was by how hard his nipples were. 'But don't stare too long,' he said, 'because that's gay.'"
"You were the one who told me to look in the first place!"
– SonOfTheShire
Sandwich For Sissies
"When I was a kid, my dad called me a sissy because I cut a sandwich diagonally."
– captainmagictrousers
Getting Woodwind
"I played the clarinet. I got called Faginet a lot."
– Virtual_Caramell
"But that's one women do," one might argue.
Daddy Duty
"Changing my daughter's diaper. Mentioned it in the office one day. Called gay."
– Bullydaddy
A Lighter Shade
"Buying a white IPhone."
– Freshrendar
"Added my husband (then boyfriend) to my phone plan. Went to the store on my own to upgrade both our phones. We both just wanted the next gen Samsung. It was only available in purplish-pink in store."
"I shrugged and said it didn't matter, he's putting a case on it anyways. Guys working at the store kept trying to talk me out of it, actively pushing me to go to another store, making them lose commission, just so my partner wouldn't have a feminine phone. He used his pink phone for 3 years."
– Caity26
Life Skills
"I've been criticized for knowing how to sew and cook. Those are essential life skills!"
– placeholderNull
"My father was a Marine drill instructor in the 50's. Guess who did all the sewing in my house growing up?"
"Yeah, no one dared to call him gay for it."
– desrever1138
Here are examples of guidelines for being a manly man, according to manly men.
Manly Appetite
"Not a straight man but... back in my bartending days I asked a man if he wanted to see a dessert menu. He said 'if I wanted dessert I'd order wings like a real man.'"
"Weird flex but okay."
– BigJiggies
When I'm In The Mood, I Masticate
"When I'm feeling extra manly, I just take a bite out of a cow and then chew on some raw wheat."
"Like a man."
– AmigoDelDiabla
No Appointments Necessary For Straight Men
"I left a pick-up basketball game because I had an appointment to get a haircut. Evidently, the only straight way to get a haircut is as a walk in."
– patricksaurus
Abiding By The Law Is So Gay
"Using turn signals. And not as some sort of euphemism, but literally using them while driving to turn or change lanes."
– Sargatanus
In grade school, some fellow classmates asked me to check for gum on my shoe because they saw me step in some.
When I lifted my leg to take a gander, the boys were howling hysterically as if my actions confirmed something.
Well, it sure did. Apparently, if I l looked at the bottom of my shoe from in front of me, I was "normal," but since I bent my leg back and looked at the bottom of my shoe from behind, that made me "so gay."
Although, I didn't come out 'til years later, maybe those goons were onto something. Thanks for the heads up, guys.
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