Truth be told, I often find myself feeling jealous of women's fashion choices. They seem to have a much wider selection of options available than men do. It's pretty awesome; I'm happy for them. It might also explain why I roll my eyes at harsh dress codes, especially in places where there isn't any expectation that you'll face customers directly.
After Redditor livelifereal asked the online community, "What do you envy about the opposite sex?" people were candid with their responses. Fashion, travel, basic biology, dealing with children... you name it, it's touched upon here.
"As a girl who goes to the gym..."
As a girl who goes to the gym I envy how naturally strong men are and how it's easier for them to build muscle (I know it's different for everyone, but in general). I wish I could lift as heavy, and I know I could do it but I'd need to train harder/longer.
"They can be nice to kids..."
They can be nice to kids without instantly being seen as some sort of child predator.
"I often see girls..."
Being able to compliment someone of the same sex about their appearance.
I often see girls complimenting other girls on Instagram post with things such as "stunner, babe" etc etc. With us guys you just don't get that often and if a guy did it out of the blue it would seem very out of place.
Also guys complimenting girls about their appearance is often seen as 'simping' when in actually most guys just want to say something nice. The same doesn't often apply to girls complimenting guys, at least from what I've seen, feel free to correct me on that one.
"Definitely their ability..."
Definitely their ability to wear a variety of clothing. Men's fashion is so dull.
"Not being asked..."
Not being asked if you are married, engaged, have kids, planning on having kids at a job interview. All illegal btw.
"Apparently..."
That they're not necessarily expected to have children. As a woman, people get shocked when i say i don't want kids. Apparantly it's "a part of the gift that comes with being a woman."
Also, i have endometriosis and couldn't ever dream of being pain free because of it.
"Worked as an engineer..."
Being taken more seriously and seen as competent at work.
Worked as an engineer for many years and having people regularly assume you don't know anything is soul crushing more than it is funny. I didn't spent 10 years studying this s*** just so you could ignore me in meetings and direct all the attention to my colleague who doesn't know s*** just because he is a man and I 'must be the secretary.'
Now work in another field where there is less of a gender disparity, but I'm still a bit sad that I wasted so much time on engineering.
"Being able to wear shorts..."
Being able to wear shorts without having to shave/wax their legs first. God damn it, I hate waxing my legs, but in summer it becomes an absolute necessity.
"Never being obligated..."
Never being obligated to make the first move. As a guy, I hate with a passion that it feels like we have to do all the work, deal with the rejection, plan everything out, be expected to pay for everything...or else WE'RE the deadbeats/broke/worthless. F*** outta here with that trash.
I go on midnight walks a lot. Even when I was younger (15 or so) I didn't really think about it either. My grandma actually recently asked me to start walking with her, because she wants to lose some weight and is too scared to go alone. Guys definitely don't realize how much safer we are in general than women, because I didn't even think about it being something anyone was afraid of until the last couple of years.
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Adulting is hard. The responsibilities of juggling work with social responsibilities while sweating it can be tough daily hurdles to get over.
There's no rest for the wicked, they say, but that doesn't mean we can't take a breather whenever there's an opportunity.
The thing is, we don't always see the opportunity because we tend to go through life with blinders on. Well, I speak for myself.
Nevertheless, like how shortcuts on a keyboard save a lot of time to fulfill a purpose, there are just as many things in our life that can be made easier that aren't always readily available information.
Fortunately for strangers online, they were given a plethora of unexpected life wisdom when Redditor Insanitanium12 asked:
"What simple 'life hack' should everyone know?"
For those who spend a lot of time in front of computers, these could be game-changers.
Information At Our Fingertips
"Google it first."
– anon
Watch Your Sitting Posture
"Get into a routine of stretching your hip flexors and chest if you sit for long periods. Absolute game changer for people who suffer with chronic lower back pain as a result of being hunched over a desk."
– JediKnightCoffman
Keep Moving
"5 minutes of daily exercise is infinitely better than 0 minutes and will make a big difference."
– 0x0ddba11
When it comes to our interactions with people, we learn as you go.
But these tips can be super helpful as we go along our respective journeys.
You Do You
"No matter how good a person you are, at some point you will be the bad guy in someone else’s story. You can’t please everyone, and you shouldn’t try to. Be a good person, and have friendships with people you can respect and look up to."
– cheesypoofs_1776
When Making Decisions
"If you have trouble choosing, flip a coin. While you're waiting to get the result, your mind automatically starts to wish for what it wants. Then you can choose easily."
– riathekid
Growing A Backbone
"In a lot of daunting situations, for example asking someone out or standing up for yourself, you only need to be brave for a few seconds to get it over with."
– Zuverally
You'll be grateful for stumbling upon these solutions to problems you never knew you had.
Alternative Shopping
"Buy anything you'd need in your kitchen from a restaurant supply store. ANY-THING, plates, glasses, pans etc. There are a few online that sell to consumers. Those $8.99 tongs at a box store are like $1.30. A 16 oz. mason jar glass that sells for $3-$4 a piece can be bought as a 12 pack case for $8.55. Oneida China plates that sell for $345.84 a case for $57.84. I just bought a 2 foot by 2 foot wooden butchers block cutting board that would have been close to $400 for $55."
– FenwayFranks
Make Unofficial Announcements
"If you put something down temporarily, say out loud 'I've put the screwdriver by the microwave' or whatever."
"This engages many more areas of the brain (particularly the language centres) which creates a richer memory making it less likely you'll forget where you put it."
– anon
Preventative Measures
"In a similar vein, I will say it out loud when I turn stove burners off, unplug my hair straightener etc...I’ve found this helps me eliminate those moments where I leave the house or am in bed and I’m suddenly like 'Did I leave that on?'"
– PlasticRuester
Say It With A Twist
"My wife and I made this a ritual due to her OCD. Any time we're going out, I'll say to her, 'Hey. I unplugged the iron.' Saying it in a funny voice helps too, because it's easier to remember that Shrek told her the iron was off."
– dougthebuffalo
Hygienic Regimen
"Brush your teeth more thoroughly before bed after you are done eating and drinking for the day."
"Morning brushing is important too, but more so for fresh breath; while evening cleaning will prevent bacteria from breeding and damaging your teeth and gums."
– graycat3700
If you read this far, congratulations!
With your newly acquired knowledge, you can now apply some of these to make your life stress-free on some level.
Because why should you make things harder for yourself in an already stressful world?
You deserve better.
As we all know, wisdom is earned with time and life experience. Try explaining that to youngsters when they have questions that are too complicated for them to grasp.
Kids will always be inquisitive but they usually aren't ready to receive answers–especially when the subjects are related to the concepts of romantic passion and death.
The best response to give a child when they ask about a mature topic is what Mrs. Potts (R.I.P. Angela Lansbury) told Chip in response to his observation of the budding romance between Belle and the Beast:
"I'll tell you when you're older."
Curious to hear examples of earned wisdom, Redditor dickdockdack asked:
"What is the single most 'you’ll understand it when you’re older' thing?"
Getting older can be unpleasant over time. But children need not worry about it until they have to."
Unexplainable Ailments
"Health issues. I know I've been genetically lucky, but after 20, random sh*t just starts happening for no reason. It's like Darryl developing a soy allergy at 35, who develops a soy allergy at 35?"
– hey_there_kitty_cat
Kids, when your grade school classmates stop pulling your hair and you stop retaliating mercilessly, you'll learn a thing or two about the people you call "friends."
Value Of Friendship
"That the quality rather than quantity of friends matters."
– pinetreeroad
Sure, Everyone Is Cordial, BUT
"Good people aren't always nice people, and vice versa."
– bibbidibobbidi-bacon
High Stakes
"High school drama isn’t important. Like, at all."
– lalondtm
Kids Are Influential
"Understanding why your parents wanted you to go play with the awkward kid, or why they were so keen to help you make friends."
"It's beyond annoying as a kid when your parents try to guide who make friends with, but most parents instinctually know that bad social habits start early, are hard to break, and can be a real burden when you are older."
– zazzlekdazzle
They Come And Go
"Friendships fading away."
"I remember my dad telling me all kinds of cool stories about things him and his friends did in the past. I even asked him 'why aren't you still friends with these people?' He really did basically say 'it's complicated, you'll understand when you're older.' Even back then I remember thinking 'that's crazy, me and my friends will always be friends."'
"Sitting here now in my early 30's and it really hits home."
– Slowjams
Here are some honorable mentions.
Passing On "Luxuries"
"Can we get McDonald's? No we have food at home."
– ninten-dont
Kitchen Rule
"Why it’s so annoying when you forget to take the chicken out of the freezer."
– steviebergwijn
Convenience Of Zapping Food
"Man, I don’t know how parents in particular survived before the microwave oven. I’m a reasonably not-incompetent home cook, I understand there’s nothing you can do with a microwave that you can’t do without one - but doing without requires a lot more time, attention, and planning ahead, all of which are in very short supply with little kids underfoot."
"Also, unsolicited LPT: use the lower power settings, they do take longer, but they allow the heat to diffuse out of the 'hot spots' faster than it accumulates, so you get a nice, evenly-heated meal, and not an ice salad with lava dressing."
– bonos_bovine_muse
Getting old is a cruel fact of nature.
Loneliness Hits Hardest
"Why elderly people in nursing homes who get no visitors are so lonely and filled with despair."
– Back2Bach
Hardest Decisions
"We had to put my mom in a home because we physically could not care for her anymore. She didn’t want to be there and we didn’t want her to be. But there weren’t any other options."
"My dad was there every day until he got sick and died. My sister and I stopped in a couple of times a week each. The last month of her life I was there every day."
"I hope she knew I did the best I could to take care of her."
– BlondieeAggiee
We currently live in a fast-paced society where youngsters almost always have play dates, birthday parties, county fairs to attend, etc.
This is to be expected as kids are always needing to be stimulated.
Little do they know of the inevitability of doing nothing becomes a luxury to look forward to.
Until then, younglings, live life to the fullest and your reward of chilling out will come when you have learned to recognize it.
The Strangest Requests From Make-A-Wish Kids That Actually Were Granted
The Make-A-Wish foundation and similar organizations arrange to make the dreams of children with life-threatening or terminal illnesses come true.
As a result, children have been given trips to Disney World, the chance to meet celebrities, or throw a pitch or shoot a basket at the stadium or arena of their favorite sports team.
Moving and tear inducing stories to say the least.
However, not all children's wishes are lavish and extravagant.
For some, just getting the chance to enjoy a picnic with their friends, away from hospitals, doctors and nurses, is the only thing they want more than anything int he world.
While other wishes might result in confusion before they induce tears.
But knowing it's what the children dream of these foundations waste no time in making these wishes happen.
"Make a wish employees What was the most strangest thing a make a wish kid asked for and actually received?"
Simple Wishes
"I shot an internal promotional video for Make-A-Wish once."
"I got to read through a big book of wishes they had granted."
"Some of them were so extravagant and amazing."
"Family vacations, celebrity meetings."
"And then I saw a 3 year old who wished for a banana split for breakfast."
'And that's what they gave him."
"No one was like 'ayo'."
"'Wish higher'."- josiemarcellino
To The Moon And Back
"I helped host a visit to a planetarium by a kid whose wish was to go to the moon."
"The front office folks thought I could just give her a personal tour of the planetarium and show her some nice high-resolution visuals, but I thought she deserved better than that."
"I commissioned a jeweler friend and meteorite enthusiast to make a silver crescent moon necklace, which he graciously donated to the cause, and I donated a small lunar meteorite from my own collection."
"It was a gorgeous necklace very much to the credit of my friend's artistry and generosity."
"We couldn't take her to the moon so we gave it to her instead."
"She was thrilled, but later said her real highlight of the trip was the astronaut ice cream."
"Ah, kids."- aluminum26
Always Wise To Have A Back-Up Plan
"My daughter was a Make-A-Wish kid."
'She asked to go to Australia to meet the Wiggles."
'Unfortunately, she wasn't able to travel that far, we live in the US, health wise."
"She made a second wish, to meet Captain America."
"We never told Cap that he was a back up wish after the Wiggles were a no-go."
"LOL."- Allyson244
A Gentle Nudge Never Hurt...
"When my sister was 5 and I was 8, she had cancer and had the opportunity to make a wish."
'When our mom and the Make-A-Wish person sat down with her, they told her she could wish for whatever she wanted."
"She just kept saying she wanted macaroni."
"They kept saying 'but it can be anything you want!'"
"Yet she simply wanted macaroni and cheese."
"After some strong encouragement to think bigger, and the Make-A-Wish person suggesting Disneyland, she chose to go to Disneyland."- tinbasher97
Some Wishes Come With Baggage
"I was granted a wish after beating brain cancer in 2015."
"They flew my mum and I out to the capital city of our state and we stayed in the flashiest, most expensive hotel suite with all the bells and whistles."
"We got free dinner, drinks and dessert on arrival, got to chill in the VIP lounge while we were waiting for our room."
"Our room was decorated with teddy bears and chocolates and MAW decorations."
"The next day we were chauffeured to the local mall in a limo and I went on an eleven hour shopping spree with a pre-loaded VISA card and bought every solitary thing you would imagine a 16 year old girl wanting."
"I ended up having to buy another suitcase to take everything home with me but it was the most epic 3 days of my life."
"I’ll never forget it."- lizzierose456
Detective For A Day
"A friend of mine is a K9 police officer. "
"He helped Make-A-Wish grant a wish to a set of twins with the deadliest form of Cystic Fibrosis."
"Most of the time kids with CF aren’t allowed to be around others with it because of cross infecting bacteria."
"Them being twins shortens their life expectancy even more."
"Well these 10 year old boys wanted to meet a police dog."
"My friend and some of his buddies upped the wish and during their meeting of his dog they got called to help solve three 'crimes' in their town."
"They pulled over a high jacker, found and arrested a robber and helped find a 'missing' six year old, my friend’s nephew."
"The town police department gave them certificates and honorary police badges for their work."
"Around 200 people showed up to where they got their awards to cheer them on."
"At their eleventh birthday they gave my friend a plaque they made with their dad thanking him for the best day ever."- hisamsmith
Becoming Their Heroes And Role Models.
"To be a 'merman', a boy mermaid."
"He got a tail and swam in the giant tank with other mermaids at the aquarium."
"To play football with 'the red team'."
"No pro or college preference , just had to be red."
"USC made it happen."
"To be a 'cool kid'."
"Got a limo ride to the mall."
"Red carpet entrance with cheering fans, signed autographs, shopping spree for clothes."
"5 years old, so cute- and very 'cool'."
"To be Robin, not Batman.. he said he wasn’t ready for that."
"Went on an epic adventure fighting crime with Batman."- scootercomputes
Some young children dream big, while some still aren't aware just how big they can dream.
Strange as some of their wishes may be, anything that brings a smile to the face of a child with so little to smile about is as close to a dream come true as anyone is likely to get.
While also rapidly decreasing the world's supply of tissues.
The 2016 film Hidden Figures was notable for bringing international attention to Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, and Mary Jackson, three remarkable mathematicians who were integral to the early successes of NASA space launches.
The title carried a double meaning, as it referred not only to a mathematical term but also to the fact that these remarkable women's contributions to NASA had been grossly overlooked for far too long.
As their accomplishments were overshadowed by those of their white male colleagues.
Indeed, Johnson, Vaughn, and Jackson are far from the only women who made momentous contributions to society but still don't get the recognition they deserve.
Despite the considerable efforts of journalists and historians to earn them their rightful place in the spotlight.
"Who are some women that often get overlooked in history but had major contributions to society?"
Virginia Hall
"Virginia Hall has a building named after her at the CIA."
"She was an American woman from Baltimore who went to Europe in the 1930s, lost her leg in a shooting accident, then proceeded to become a leader in the French Resistance and master of disguise, all with a wooden leg."
"The book A Woman of No Importance is about her and came out last year."- Muchamuchacha42
Anna Connelly
"Anna Connelly invented the fire escape in 1887."
"That same year, Josephine Cochrane invented the dishwasher."- fergi20020
Carol Kaye
"Carol Kaye, the First Lady of bass playing."
"She played over 10,000 sessions, including albums from Frank Sinatra, Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder, and the Monkees."- Cerrida82
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha
"Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha."
"She is the Dean of Medicine at Hurley Children's Hospital in Flint, MI."
"She saw that children were having elevated lead levels (ELLs) outside the normal range."
"She contacted the Genesee Department of Health, who at first, dismissed her claim, then sent her obfuscated data to make it look like the ELLs were completely within normal trends."
"She grew frustrated at this, so she called a team of epidemiologists from VT, her alma mater, to find the source of the lead."
"Lo and behold, she found that the water in multiple zip codes was contaminated with lead."
"She informed the Genesee Department of Health Again, who brushed her off."
"She then said 'f*ck it' and held a major press conference where she announced on air that the water in Flint wasn't safe and to come to the hospital to get your child tested and to pick up supplies of water and liquid infant formula."
"If she saved thousands of children from the permanent effects of lead poisoning."- MadameBurner
Marie Tharp
"Marie Tharp."
"She created the first map of the ocean floor, which led to the discovery of tectonic plates, and the theory of continental drift."- PhantomKitten73
Inge Lehmann
"Inge Lehmann was a Danish seismologist."
"She discovered P' waves, waves that reflect off of the inner-core, confirming that the earth has a solid inner-core and a liquid outer-core."- Occams_l2azor
Dr. Georgeanna Seeger Jones
"Dr. Georgeanna Seeger Jones."
"Dr. Jones singlehandedly organized the field of Gynecological Endocrinology."
"While at John’s Hopkins with her husband, Dr. Howard Jones and Drs. Roberts and Steptoe, she devised the hypothesis of follicular hyper stimulation, which produced more than one egg per cycle."
"Her later discoveries led to increases in viability of In Vitro Fertilization."
"Per Wikipedia : 'As a resident at Johns Hopkins, she discovered that the pregnancy hormone hCG was manufactured by the placenta, not the pituitary gland as originally thought'."
"'This discovery led to the development of many of the early over-the-counter pregnancy test kits currently available'."
"On 1949, Jones made the first description of Luteal Phase Dysfunction and is credited to be the first in using progesterone to treat women with a history of miscarriages, thus allowing many of them to not only conceive, but to deliver healthy babies'."
"She also served as a Dean of the College of Pontifical Sciences, advising the Vatican of matters of Gynecology and Conception."
"Her husband always said 'She’s the smarter one'.”
"She was also a great friend."- Fyrepup
Dr. Virginia Apgar
"In 1952 Dr. Virginia Apgar developed a quick, easy five-point test that summarizes health of newborns, and determine those needing emergency assistance."
"The Apgar Score is now given to practically every newborn, and helped save countless young lives, and reduce infant mortality."- anthropology_nerd
Be it poor timing, ill-kept records, or blatant sexism, there are far too many female trailblazers who deserve far more recognition than they are given.
Thankfully, there are also passionate historians who will continue to work hard to make sure they all get their moment in the sun.
With all of us showing our endless appreciation.