Have you ever received a compliment or been asked a question so annoying or offensive you’re not really sure how to respond? The answer to this, for most human beings, is likely “yes”, but if you’re a female, however, the answer is undoubtedly a resounding “heck yes.”
In a recent YouTube video, The Huffington Post highlighted just how many backhanded compliments and other crazy questions women have lobbed at them on a daily basis that would never, ever be presented to men. From “stop being so dramatic” to “you’re so exotic, where are you from?” the video features 48 women reiterating many quips women and girls face that make them feel self-conscious about their intelligence, emotional stability, physical appearance and basically just being a female in general.
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One of the most jarring things about the video is the age span of the women featured. From elementary school to retirement, there’s no escaping offensive statements.
Of course, there are already numerous YouTube users commenting things like “half of these are compliments,” but it’s important people realize some of these so-called compliments — backhanded or not — make the receiver feel extremely uncomfortable. For instance, when someone says, “You’d be much prettier if you smiled,” they might think they are encouraging someone to be happier, but in reality, the receiver probably hears, “I don’t like your face.”
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Woman are strong and will overcome all of these obviously rude statements, but it is overwhelming to realize how prevalent subtle sexism really is.
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