Surely we have evolved and learned to fight for equal rights and spoke up for the gender pay gap, and here we are proudly looking at our past selves. But there is still so much to learn and most importantly unlearn. We think that we have known sexism very well and are very careful about it. We confidently believe that we are treating everyone right but somehow we still could not catch the monster digging into our minds silently and that monster is Internalized Misogyny.
What is Internalized Misogyny?
It manifests in the behavior of women who subconsciously disrespect other women, shame their body types, and project sexist ideas upon them even. These women also underestimate themselves.
Here are some examples of Sexist phrases you might have heard from your friends or yourself but probably did not bother to accept that you are also playing a part in sexism.
"Don't be a Pussy"
Word 'Pussy' was an endearment term for people's cat but now it is well known for the slang used to describe a woman's vagina or vulva. Now, the phrase Don't be a Pussy is told to someone afraid of doing something; like proposing to someone, hitting someone, or doing something which takes courage. Means Pussy=Coward i.e who owns a vagina is a coward.
Next time when you think that you do not disrespect women or their worth, think how many times you have said this phrase in a day.
"Scooty accident? Must be a woman"
Why do people have this image fit in their minds that scooties are only designed for girls or weak people? Come on, anyone can have a scooty and it is fun.
"He can cook too, wow so proud"
Can, really? Cooking food is something everyone should learn. You own a stomach, you must learn to feed it. If a man cooks then it is as normal as for a woman.
"What up? Mfs!"
Social media has become a racing field and people are opting for new ways to sound cool. But then they forget about equality and feminism. Calling someone Mf( Motherfucker) does not portray you as the coolest and most charming in the eyes of a true feminist. You are posting a long written post on mother's day and the next very moment you are captioning a photo with your friends "Chillin' out with my Mfs".
Shut up.
Be it, women or men, you must have seen them using these in daily conversations. Next time when they brag about being a feminist, tell them that they must need to unlearn these phrases first.
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