I’ll preface this as usual by saying that not all people are as bad as I’m about to complain about. No, not all men are misogynistic bastards. But yes, a lot of them are.
As I get older I think about this concept more, that there is a clear divide between the expectations upon women and men. Perhaps its because I often have to defend my decision not to have kids, to old ladies and old men, but my partner doesn’t even get asked the question to begin with. And he’s seven years older than me, prime baby making age, in the eyes of the boomers.
So it makes me hyperaware in that sense of the divide there. But once I entered into the corporate workforce, woof, it didn’t get much better. And believe me, my company is actually really good in terms of equality, and I do see a lot of women in powerful positions. And trust, most men these days are fine, not perfect but fine. But some. Some? They can kiss my balls, my big fat female balls, which is exactly what they deserve.
I am particularly angry because I recently attended a conference held by the big names of my company (a lot of them are woman, so whoopie for equality there) and yet there was an interesting guest speaker. Obviously he was a man. But what man? A successful entrepreneur talking about the steps to create a need in the market?
No.
A millionaire businessman with a great story of building a large business?
No.
Get this. A rugby coach. Albeit a successful one. But at the end of the day, a rugby coach, in shorts and a t-shirt. With a PowerPoint about leadership and teamwork that featured exactly zero women. The cherry on the cake? His talk was proceeded by a woman explaining our company’s goal to bridge the gap for women in management and more ‘masculine’ fields.
There are so many things that irk me about this, but the main thing is that nobody noticed this, not even the women who attended with me. And the only reason I can think of is because they are so friggen used to it that it didn’t click with them.
Then we can talk about my walk out of the conference centre, where a man looked at two women behind me and said for everyone to hear, ‘Did you like his talk? I’m sure you two were just admiring his legs the whole time.’ Which he follows by belly laughs.
When I tell you I shot him the dirtiest look I could it doesn’t even cover it. Those woman laughed a little and continued having the conversation that he interrupted in the first place.
Misogyny is not dead, ladies and gentlemen, its coasting the surface like a shark in still water.
Yeah I’m angry about it, if you couldn’t tell. And he emailed me just today, with the shortest and rudest email asking me for help with something he couldn’t be bothered to do himself. Needless to say that I forwarded it on to my own boss with a big fat nope in the tagline.
That felt good, ladies and gentlemen.
Until next time x
Shell Spotted 