Yeah, the fact that the phrase "the fairer sex" even exists is evidence enough that we need to have a little sit-down. So look, I'm not sure who started this lie - but women are VERY capable of some grossness.
Very. You don't even want to know. Honestly, we can be horrific.
But the idea that women are somehow inherently delicate, lovely, kind, and gentle isn't the only misconception out there.
Reddit user BOBO24PLAYZ asked:
"Women of Reddit, what is a 100% myth about women?"
So first we are going to get the obvious stuff out of the way. Not all women menstruate or have vaginas, but genitals is almost always going to be the first thing asked about when a Reddit user poses a question like this.
When it comes to vulvas, vaginas, urethras, and menstruation it's seriously BAFFLING how much misinformation is floating around out there.
So let's just go on ahead and knock some stuff out right now.
A Cave System
cave GIFGiphy"That we pee and bleed from the same hole." - Scared_Gap5717
"I remember I said there were two different holes in 7th grade and I got roasted. 'It's not a cave system!' and was branded an idiot for the rest of middle school. I am in medical school now oddly enough." - toomuchredditmaj
"There are men who think we urinate and menstruate from the same hole. That is why they think we can control our periods the way we control peeing, I assume." - moffsoi
"My fav part of that myth is the implication that women are simply being stupid or intentionally difficult by choosing not to hold their periods in until the most opportune time."
"As if we have the ability but are going 'ehh, I could wait until I get home but f*ck it, imma change a tampon in a public restroom just for the thrill of it. Really feel like ruining a pair of pants today while I'm at it.' " - Much_Difference
"I don't like how the idea we can hold it implies that we're literal infants who just pee ourselves all the time for fun." - BuckyBear1917
Vagina Rings
defeat GIFGiphy"That you can tell how much sex a woman has had by looking at her genitals. No you can't." - [Reddit]
"Correct. You have to cut the vagina in half and count the rings." - ThisIsMyCouchAccount
"That's to check for age. For use you have to check the tiny odometer." - DudesworthMannington
A Freshness Seal
Giphy"That one bleeds the first time they have sex. If they didn't 'bleed' they were not really a virgin."
"FALSE! Raise your hand if you did NOT BLEED!? I raising mine! 🙋♀️" - cathef
"Thisssss. I didn't ever bleed or tear my hymen until I gave birth lol. It's just a stretchy piece of skin at the bottom of the vagina, not a freshness seal" - cbrpxe
What's The Difference?
Season 5 Whats The Difference GIF by Living SingleGiphy"That we get 'loose' when we have multiple partners."
"I think it's ridiculous that majority of the guys I've met that say this don't also think that those same women get 'loose' when they've been with one man for several years." - OK-Witness8418
"I've met girls who thought this to be true and were afraid to have sex because of it!"
"Granted, they were quite young, but that's how strong the myth is. The 'mind blown' moment when these people are asked what exactly is the difference between 50 times with one man and one time with 50 men has always been pretty amusing though." - narwhals-narwhals
Born With(out) It
Happy Adam Scott GIF by SkyGiphy"That every woman is born with a hymen. Or that if she doesn't have a hymen then she isn't a virgin."
"Hymens can break really easily, such as sitting on a bike or horse wrong, exercise, (sometimes but highly unlikely) using a tampon if inserted incorrectly. And many women are just born without a hymen." - TheShining02
It's Natural
"That pregnancy is no big deal because it's 'natural'."
"It's metal that the human body can go through that kind of stress, but it is still totally physically traumatic. It's why women have a higher rate of osteoporosis-- fetuses literally leach the calcium from their mother's bones."
"Women often herniate their uteruses after pregnancy and just have to 'deal' with not being able to pee properly or have sex pain-free because it's seen as totally normal." - facingnortheast
OK that's enough about genitalia for now. Women are way more than just that.
Spoiler alert, women are human!
Solving A Problem
"We're not a Problem to Be Solved."
"If you want to date a woman and she is resistant, you will not solve that. No matter how many rom-com movies you watch where a man spends 90 minutes of your time annoying the woman he is interested in and gets her."
"This does not happen in real life. Move on. Find someone who is more likely to reciprocate your affections."
"Source: was stalked by someone, which stopped when I told him that if he showed up, I'd push him down the front steps so grow up already." - VapoursAndSpleen
People Explain Which Conspiracy Theories They Believe Are 100% True | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
What I Really, Really Want
wannabe GIF by Spice GirlsGiphy"That we are a mystery. I am sick of telling people exactly what I want and hearing, 'well, yeah but what do you really want?' "
"I am not lying or playing games. You know what women want? To be treated like human being with respect like anyone else!" - ViperBunny
"Wow, so deep. I wish I could know what you really want, though." - Imomaway
Emotions
GIF by reactionseditorGiphy"Women are "more emotional"....ever see a man watch sports or get told he's wrong about something?" - Rizarice
"Men are emotional too but the sh*tty part is that the only emotion they have been taught to process or have been encouraged to process are anger and lust." - bubbly-region
"Men are so much worse at handling their emotions. I assume this is because they are taught they don't have any, and thus don't recognize their many (many!) emotional outbursts." - thediplocrap
Lesbians
monsters inc GIFGiphy"That Lesbians 'just haven't had the right penis yet.' "
"Sirs, I regret to inform you: there is no magic penis out there that will change our sexuality. I know you love the little fellas and think they're magical, but for us Lesbians? I swear to you, they are not, nor will they ever be magic."
"In the wise words of Mike Wizowski: 'Put that thing back where it came from or so help me.' " - RelentlesslyCrooked
Not Me
Oh No Lol GIF by Late Night with Seth MeyersGiphy"That we are more emotionally intelligent and intuitive than men."
"I am definitely not empathetic and don't like dealing with emotional people, I'm mostly just socially awkward and not particularly mothering or kind."
"Seems like the assumption is that women want to baby men. Not me lol" - counterboud
A Recipe For Broken Adults
Lunch Box Cooking GIF by KiddyPlanetGiphy"girls are more mature"
"No, girls are just punished much more severely than boys are for behavior that all children exhibit. Boys only seem less mature because we do not demand maturity from them at a young age like we do from girls."
"Girls are forced to suppress being human and boys are forced to suppress emotions other than anger. It's a recipe for broken adults." - BanditaIncognita
Indirect
Game Of Thrones Ugh GIFGiphy"That all women are 'indirect communicators.' "
"I'm not saying they can't be, I'm not even saying the majority don't fall under this category, but personally, indirect communication goes right over my head. It's frustrating because I don't assume people can read my mind, why should I be able to read theirs?"
"I feel like when people assume I communicate indirectly just because I'm a girl, it leads to them not listening to what I'm saying, instead they try to dissect and analyze what I'm 'really' trying to say."
"Also men are just as capable of being passive aggressive."
"I live with a man and he constantly thinks I'm trying to send subtle messages and I've had to sit him down and explain that if I'm upset about something I will tell him. He on the other hand will slam doors, stomp around the house, give me the silent treatment, say nothing is wrong only to snap at me over something small (I'm making him sound awful but he's actually a pretty great person lol.)" - Reddit
Stereotypes
Art Fun GIF by KAKTUZBOYGiphy"That we are sh*t at directions. I never get lost and my husband couldn't find his way out of a shed."
"Also that we are sh*t at math. I live in Asia and the idea that women aren't good at math doesn't really exist here, so surprise surprise the girls perform on a equal level to the boys in high school in most Asian nations."
"Stereotypes are self-reinforcing, and dangerous. Even the people who are harmed by them can come to believe them and lose confidence in themselves." - practical_ghost
Perfection
perfect natalie portman GIFGiphy"Women are perfect all the time."
"I don't like it when people hold women to a higher standard than men. We're all just people trying to do our best and I'm sick of people expecting perfection from me just because I'm a woman."
"Everyone expects me to be smiling all the time; and when I'm direct at work, I'm called a b*tch."
"Women politicians are criticized for the smallest mistakes, women in all professions are. People expect so much and sometimes I have nothing to give. I'm burnt out." - Adorable_Island_1798
Dude ... and Lady
fedora GIFGiphy"That we all think and feel the same!"
"I had a manager who refused to call me dude, because his girlfriend didn't like to be called dude. I'm not your girlfriend, bro!"
"He would not listen to me when I said it was okay. I even told him I prefer it."
"Instead, he legit called me 'lady.' It would be like 'Hey dudes. Oh! And lady.' "
"Made me feel like I was different, and not a part of the team. Just call me dude!" - QueenOfAYogaBall
Normally, I would end this on a witty note - but I don't have much more to add on top of "women are human!"
So yeah, whatever "all women..." thing you have in your head, go on ahead and forget it. All women nothing. Treat us as individuals please and thanks!
Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.