Warning: Some submissions include topics of sexual harassment.
Reddit user PetitPied21 recently asked, "What are normal things you’ve been shamed for because you’re a woman?" Several women called out things they've actually been shamed for, and tbh, it'll have you shaking your head.
Here are some of the most eye-opening responses:
1. "Body hair (other than on my scalp, eyebrows, and eyelashes)."
2. "Having a slightly deeper voice than my peers when I was a teen."
3. "Not smiling enough."
4. "Back in school when I was 16 or 17, I was on my period, so I went to the bathroom. I reached in my backpack first and grabbed a folded maxi pad (backpacks stayed in class), and a guy started laughing and said, 'Haha, ew a pad. That is so gross.' I just responded with, 'Oh no. I have normal body functions, how horrible,' and I just ignored him and went to the bathroom without caring. ... No way was I going to...take my heavy backpack to the bathroom just to hide a pad."
5. "Having bigger thighs and butt. I've been ashamed and sexualized because of them since I've been 6 years old; I can't wear shorts at all because I'm always afraid someone is gonna try to touch me again. I've had my butt and thighs smacked so many times, and I'm genuinely tired — and I'm still a minor. Why is our society like this? :("
6. "Not sitting like a 'lady.'"
7. "Having a pixie cut and shoulder length hair."
8. "Being too muscular 🙄."
9. "For not wanting to have children."
10. "Cellulite."
"I remember a boy pointing out my cellulite back in sixth grade, asking why I had 'dents' in my leg..."
11. "I got my period pretty early at 12 and also started getting hairy legs, but my mom wouldn’t let me shave. It was a f***ing tough year."
"I’m from Greece, so by June, you kinda have to wear shorts unless you want to melt. I wore white shorts when my period came while I was at school. The whole class was brutal; they completely berated me for the red spot on my shorts and the hairy legs. As if that wasn’t enough, I brought party invitations that day and had to give them to everyone. The girls ripped my invitations in front of me, saying they won’t be associated with a bloody hairy 'creature' like me. Luckily, my grandpa came to school the next day and raised absolute hell. He made my party super fancy and invited the families of colleagues from his businesses. It was awesome, and he let me not go to school for a week."
12. "One time, my aunt said something along the lines of, 'How can you have so many stretch marks when you're so skinny?'"
13. "For being tall. I was called 'Amazon' a lot in my teens and 20s. ... I'm only 6 feet tall. Lots and lots of boys couldn't see past it. It's a shame, as I was an equal opportunist when I was dating and never saw height as an issue."
14. "I don’t shave above my knees. The hair is really light and fine, and I don’t see the need (especially since it itches like crazy if I shave it). I was on a date with a guy once, and I was wearing a short skirt. He pointed at my legs and said, 'Wow, so nice to see you decided to shave for me.'"
"Clearly, it didn’t go anywhere with him, but he was the definition of toxic masculinity. That was only one example of his red flags LOL."
15. "Not being in a relationship, not having kids yet, and owning a house (a guy is going to be 'intimidated' by that)."
16. "I have friends who were criticized for having large boobs, while I've been criticized for having small boobs. So just having boobs is wrong, apparently."
17. "A group of classmates in elementary school would howl at me and call me a werewolf because I had hairy arms."
18. "Going to business school. A date told me men prefer teachers and nurses because they’re more nurturing and make better mothers. OK, buddy."
19. "Being 'boring' because I can be shy and introverted and being 'too passive' or 'soft' yet 'too stubborn' when I have boundaries. Almost as if people only want me to be passive when it serves them."
20. "Prioritizing comfort over style with clothes."
21. And finally: "Wearing too much makeup or not wearing enough makeup."
"We can't seem to win with makeup. You wear too much and you get told: 'You shouldn't wear so much; you look better without it!" When I go without it, I get: 'Are you sick?'"
Ladies, what's the most ridiculous thing you've been shamed or criticized for? Let us know in the comments below.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.