Let’s start with a few things I’ve seen girls get made fun of for. We have girls who wear a lot of makeup and girls who don’t wear any, both of which are shamed. Young women are criticized for shaving their bodies and for not shaving certain body parts. We see girls get mocked for being basic but also for being quirky and unique.
Do you see the contradictions?
Obviously, there are many more examples. To name a few, girls are also mocked for being nursing students, mocked for owning a tapestry and even judged for liking iced coffee. No matter what young women do, someone will find a problem with it.
The brutality of TikTok comments show just how much hate girls get for expressing themselves.
The brutality of TikTok comments show just how much hate girls get for expressing themselves.
Photo courtesy of TikTok
Is there anything I can do that won’t get me criticized?
Men will constantly talk about how bad chick flicks are, but when I say my favorite movie is “Superbad,” I’m a “pick me” girl. When I say I like Taylor Swift, they’ll say I’m basic. I kid you not, I even had a man tell me I’m “not like other girls” for liking — wait for it— the color yellow.
One of the worst misogynist trends involves men describing young women as having “fatherless behavior,” whatever that even means. Imagine making fun of a girl because of a man’s actions.
This kind of judgment also extends to the rich and the famous. Swift is known and criticized for writing about her ex-boyfriends, even well after she’s written two albums that have songs all about fictional stories she created. In contrast, no one seems to care about Ed Sheeran’s or Justin Bieber’s countless songs and albums about their ex-girlfriends.
Women and girls get made fun of for anything they do.
Photo courtesy of TikTok
Not only is it apparently unacceptable to write about dating, but also about your own body. Yes, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s infamous hit song is quite vulgar, but there are also rap songs by men degrading women and referring to them with sexist profanity while explicitly describing what they do with them. So, why is it that “WAP” is the one that got all the hate?
Honestly, it’s exhausting to have to constantly defend your interests, hobbies and just about everything else you enjoy.
Personally, it was enraging to have a male peer ask me if my blue hair was “because I like attention.” Since then, my hair has been dark brown. Comments like this can make us women feel so insecure and unable to enjoy anything.
Women, however, also make fun of each other for the exact same things men do. We as women have to take responsibility for being unnecessarily cruel to each other because of the misogyny implanted in our brains from a young age.
The sexism ingrained in our society and beliefs needs to be recognized and eradicated.
Photo courtesy of TikTok
For example, how many times have you seen someone get mad at the girl their significant other cheated with, even though it was their partner who cheated?
The sexism ingrained in our society and beliefs needs to be recognized and eradicated. This is a wake-up call for everyone.
With that being said, I don’t have the solution to abolishing hundreds of years of misogyny. I am just an 18-year-old girl who’s sick of being put down constantly. But, what I can offer is some advice.
This is a wake-up call for everyone.
Photo courtesy of TikTok
We have a relatively short time on this planet. Don’t waste it by caring about a 12-year-old boy on TikTok who doesn’t like the way you do your hair. I believe we should let ourselves freely take pleasure in these things. Our lives are not centered around the approval of men or anyone else.
So, dye your hair any color you please, watch “Pitch Perfect” or “Clueless” without shame and sing a Taylor Swift song like you’re singing at the Super Bowl.
We as a society can make a conscious effort to not judge other women for being themselves. As for ourselves, we must stop letting people ruin the things we love.
