Alison Sullivan
Sexism is bad for everybody, but what’s not often discussed is the way it affects men. Men are also suffering under the patriarchy, if you can believe it. If you can’t conceptualize how then this r/AskReddit thread will give you a lot of clear examples.
Posted by u/Real_loser23, the question was, “What is a double standard that is seen positively when women do it but negatively when men do it?”
A lot of the examples show how people should be far more compassionate towards one another in general, because we’re all human. Especially on the bodily autonomy front. Ladies, please keep your hands to yourselves.
1.
overcoming eating disorders. i am a woman but ive noticed so many men in my life that struggle with their body image and disordered eating and they’re way less likely to get help for it —throwawaypsychnurse
2.
I was a stay-at-home mum just before my brother became a stay-at-home dad. Our parents constantly put him down and told him he wasn’t a real man mooching off his wife, while I was told I was doing the right thing and nurturing my children. No amount of arguing could change their minds —figjammania
3.
As a teenager, I went to a nail salon with my dad and convinced him to get a mani-pedi with me. It was like they never saw a man get their nails done. He didn’t get polish or anything and they still looked and treated him weird. (The other customers and the ladies doing our nails.) never went back to that place again —Raid100
4.
A few years ago a 14/15 year old girl who lived over the road from us, knocked on our door. She was scared as she had just got home, in the dark and her brother was supposed to be home but was out. She thought there was someone else in her house as she could hear banging and shouting. So I went over, she let me in and I hollered and made a load of noise. She asked if we could check upstairs, in her bedroom, so I ran up the stairs with her behind me.
A little bead of cold sweat trickled down my back as my brain cell came into alignment.
What the fuck am I doing – I am in a girls bedroom, alone with her, it’s late and dark and I don’t know her – while my wife is over the road. So I asked her to leave and go sit with my wife while I searched the house. Everything was fine, the house was empty and the girl was grateful. Her Dad even came to thank me the next day and mentioned that it might have been awkward.I just hate that I had to think that way and that when a child needed help I had to concern myself with “what other people might think” —barriedalenick
5.
When my daughters were younger they both played a LOT of soccer, and as a hobbyist photographer, I took a LOT of pictures. Early on I had a number of awkward conversations with other parents about why I was taking pictures of the kids.
Had it been my wife with the camera? Nobody would have even noticed. —CRCs_Reality
6.
I know it’s been said before but the double standard for female pedos is insane. While men are condemned and ostracized (rightfully so I should add) the women pedos get a slap on the wrist and the boys they abused are congratulated and even seen as weak or un-masculine for speaking up.
Imagine if a male teacher raped a female student and someone told a girl that they were lucky and “weren’t being a real woman” the internet would explode —Absted_reborn
7.
Male preschool teacher here. With Every new hire, I have to prove to myself I’m competent and not a danger to the kids. Despite 14 years of experience.
Thankfully parents tend to trust me quicker as I build strong parent-teacher relationships. —Mixedstereotype
8.
Male nurse here. People assume I’m gay all the time and patients make weird faces or comments when I introduce myself as their nurse. There’s also lots of areas of nursing that won’t even consider hiring male nurses like labor and delivery, mother/baby, pediatrics (sometimes), NICU. —cereal1010
9.
When a guy wants to go out and hang with his buddies, but hig gf/wife says no, everybody understands and deals with it. But when a girl wants to go out and hang with her friends, and her bf/husband says no, everybody gets concerned. —Dr-Jiggles
10.
My dad once told me (a guy), “There’s just something wrong with a man who has a cat.”
I still want a cat, of course, they’re cute as hell and keep themselves clean, I just won’t tell him about it. —OminousLatinChanting
11.
I find it pretty dumb that it’s totally fine for girls to hit/slap/punch whether joking or not, physical assault is totally fine and no one thinks anything of it because often times “the guy can handle it if it gets out of control” but if the guy were to handle it, he’d be charged with assault and lose his job and friends. —MurderousVegetable
12.
Socialising in general… Me and my gf moved countries recently and she has a much easier time approaching and making friends with strangers at gigs, pubs etc then me. I feel like I’m treated with suspicion, like I have ulterior motives. —EdgeHarvest
13.
Breaking up with a toxic ex. Why do people call men cowards when they escape from shitty people? —spooky_spronklez
14.
Going to the toilet as a group. —Goose-rider3000
15.
Sextoys. Its you go girl for women but creepy for dudes —Senalmoondog
16.
Crying. It’s all “let it all out” with women. You’re so strong to share this with us. Keep hanging on.
And men just displace sadness with anger and hit stuff. Because crying isn’t always an option. —RevolutionaryPain995