30 Things That Women Experience Are Deemed ‘Normal’ But Are Actually Wrong

People from the 1800s would probably think that 2021 is a great year for women who are no more oppressed for their gender. But just because women are no more looked down upon and forced to house chores doesn’t mean oppression is gone.

There are still many people, even women themselves, who treat people based on their gender. And you see this culture everywhere around the world, not just in the US.

We need to call out these acts from time to time to tell people to stop these toxic behaviors. From unrealistic beauty standards to sexist remarks and non-con actions, here are stories from women who’ve experienced those horrible things more often than they wanted to.

1.

“Medical discrimination. Not believing woman’s pain or symptoms or saying they are completely related to your monthly cycle/hormones. And thinking of woman primarily by their reproductive for capacity. Yes, doctor I came in for this rash but sure let’s answer your question on family planning and my birth control options.” – Nephron8

2.

“That condescending and infuriatingly arrogant tone that some men take on when explaining something (be it a hobby, some interesting fact, or the fundamentals of this and that) when their listener is a women. I understand that this may simply be done to impress rather than be irritating, but just knowing that they wouldn’t dare talk this way to male friend or colleague is… well, irritating.” – Marjory_SB

3.

“The biggest one for me is the pleasure gap. If I came in the middle of sex and mid thrust, just rolled over and went to sleep with a “good work team!” people would think that was crazy. But it’s literally what men do every single day.” – jem1173

4.

“Women being called ‘girls.’ Whether it is conscious or not, it implies a lack of maturity and, therefore, deserved respect. Among countless other places I have heard this, I attempted to watch a season of ‘The Bachelor’ (bad decision for many reasons) and I could not stand how often the women were called “girls.” I couldn’t bring myself to check out The Bachelorette, but I suspect the men are never called ‘boys.'” – merrypoppin

5.

“The idea that men & women cannot maintain healthy, purely platonic relationships w/ each other and the idea that a woman must drop all her male friends or cannot maintain contact w/ them once she enters an exclusive, romantic relationship.” – thakoconubian

6.

“Being expected to be nice when a man is overstepping your boundaries. As soon as we express any discomfort, we’re made to feel we should be nice to them. Eg, it was only banter, lighten up, that sort of thing.” – infamyinfamy

7.

“People speaking over them, and/or the inherent brush-off that if a woman says it it needs to be ‘verified’ somehow.” – elephantasmos

8.

“Catcalling, it’s gross and degrading.” – Electrical-Nothing25

9.

“Telling me to smile when I don’t f***ing want to. But when I was younger I did out of discomfort.” – Reddit

10.

“Men pushing boundaries without consent during sex. “Accidentally” putting it in the wrong hole. Strangling. Hitting. Abusive misogynistic language. Pretty much every woman I know has had a man do these things out of nowhere towards them and they are supposed to accept it because it’s “kinky” or something. And now it’s literally 15-year-old girls who are dealing with this trauma because of porn normalizing it as something boys are supposed to do to women; it’s completely disgusting.” – OrangeyPanda

11.

“Not technically “women” but I think getting an infant/very young girl’s ears pierced should not be acceptable. Parents are ignoring their child’s right to consent to things that happen to their body and it’s purely aesthetic. Strange to push beauty standards on babies, let alone one that involves literally putting a hole in their body that could last their whole life.” – naughtyschool_girl

12.

“The way the medical community seems to approach childbirth. I’ve watched documentaries etc (no kids myself) and what really struck me is how patronising everyone was to these women who are going through perhaps the worst pain of their life, and how things like LITERALLY CUTTING THEIR GENITALS are seen as no big deal. In what situation would you ever be able to cut a penis and shrug it off as nothing?! Madness.” – AirStoned

13.

“The amount of money we have to pay for menstrual products. I remember being a poor university student having to use rolled-up toilet paper because I couldn’t afford pads or tampons, and menstrual cups were not a thing back then. $12 for a box of tampons doesn’t seem like much until you’re living off KD, ramen, and rice, then it becomes a luxury.” – livercookies

14.

“Being expected to let men have sex with them but also shaming any woman who also shows a modicum of libido. It’s almost like society wants women to have sex but hate it at the same time, and it’s gross.” – Chessebel

15.

“Dressing little girls in a way that makes it difficult for them to move around. Your 4-year-old should not miss out on valuable play because she doesn’t want to mess up her clothes or hair. Her appearance should be the last freaking thing on her mind. It makes me so angry to see little girls having to sit on the sidelines while their brothers and male cousins play rambunctiously because their parents put them in a dress and expensive shoes. I hate the bulls**t propaganda that little girls “naturally” prefer playing quietly indoors and/or alone.

Sure, it may be true for some little girls (just like it’s also true for some little boys), but you cannot tell me that socialization doesn’t play a massive role in what kind of play children “naturally” prefer.” – parezcounapina

16.

“The fear of expressing too much comfort around male friends who might see it as a sexual opportunity.” – Ripple935

17.

“Getting hit on at 13 by grown ass men.” – monstiemama

18.

“Feeling “expected” to have sex and having their pleasure being secondary. I experienced this a lot when I was younger and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Like, I thought if I was kissing a guy “well, now I’m expected to have sex with him because he’s turned on. I guess I have to.” And also thinking that during sex, the end goal was really mostly about him.

It wasn’t until I was older that I realized how flawed it was for me to think that way and for men to have reinforced that thinking via their actions.” – GreenMountain85

19.

“Spaghetti strap tank tops on a hot summer day being “provocative.” And the high school dress code.” – crazy4zoo

20.

“Painful periods. They are NOT normal and doctors need to stop making it seem as if it is. It took until my 30’s, when I had surgery for a painful ovarian cyst, before they discovered I had endometriosis (and a dead fallopian tube). She was the ONLY doctor to even suggest I could also have endometriosis and that they would look while in surgery.” – veggielovvvvvver

21.

“Society values men’s time more than women’s. My husband and I both technically have flexibility in our work schedules but guess who does all the doctor appointments etc. for the kids? Me. Because God forbid a man miss work in the middle of the day, or take a day off because his kid is sick. Every time he has done it, he gets sh** from his higher ups. Easier for me to just do it since everyone expects a mom to miss work sometimes.” – nefariousmango

22.

“Downplaying how horrible periods can be. I’ve seen so many men act like women are being babies on their period and it’s just enraging.” – OverallDisaster

23.

“The amount of sexual abuse and harassment that is rampant in our society. Most women I know started being harassed by men when they were elementary school students, and that is seen as normal.” – the-neonmoon

24.

“The fact that women die of reproductive cancers more often than men because our pain and symptoms aren’t taken seriously. So many health women lose their lives because their pain and suffering is considered normal, are told that what they’re experiencing isn’t bad because women are meant to experience pain and dysfunction.” – TheThoughtfulLemon

25.

“That people think they have the right to comment on how a women looks or what she is wearing. There have been way too many times where someone feels they need to point out my “physical flaws” just because, ex. acne, dark circles under my eyes, body/facial hair, too pale, etc.” – mermaid_with_pants

26.

“I know way too many women who think it’s normal to have to do most of the housework and childcare, plus the mental and emotional load of household management, even if they also have an outside job. Also to manage their husbands as if they are children who can’t be expected to remember to make appointments or buy their own clothes or things for the children or holidays or take care of menial tasks without reminders and help.” – FranzLuciferdinand

27.

“I’m in the UK, I love running but I pretty much can’t train for the past few months as when my fiancé is home at 4:30 pm it’s dark. I can’t run on our old railway path when it’s dark! It’s annoying but normal to me now, but for a man? Yep, run on your own at 5 pm no worries.” – UnderstandingCheap57

28.

“Pressure to have kids. Lectures and being guilted if you don’t want to. The weird idea some people push that motherhood needs to be the center of our lives.” – Connie_Damico

29.

“Inappropriate behavior from men, especially from a young age. If a boy hits a little girl he “just likes her”. That little boy grows up thinking there’s no repercussion for violence, and keeps hitting women. The cycle just goes on.” – professional_joe

30.

“Being polite to creepy men. There are so many things that can go wrong and I’ve read too many stories of women being killed for not taking a guy’s number.” – TheSilverCrystal