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Why are women’s interests constantly a source of ridicule online?
By Alice Kelly — Written on Jan 27, 2021
What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever been made fun of for doing?
I vividly remember a boy in one of my high school classes mocking me when I mentioned that I was going to a Drake concert that weekend — a concert that he was also going to.
But for some reason him liking Drake was acceptable, maybe even cool. Meanwhile, my interest in one of the world’s most popular artists at the time was “trying too hard”.
This story isn’t something I think about often, nor was it an isolated incident.
In fact, I’ve experienced and witnessed so many similar double-standard interactions that I rarely even bat an eyelid when they happen anymore.
But it was the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw this TikTok asking viewers to “Name one thing that girls can like and won’t get made fun of for.”
The comments were a mixture of people struggling to think of responses by saying, “I’m going to need an extension on this assignment,” and girls sharing their story of unwarranted ridicule.
One girl spoke of how she once sneezed in class and the teacher accused her of “trying to be cute and funny” for her crush. Another said, “I’ve literally gotten made fun of for using an umbrella.”
This kind of bizarre mocking exists prolifically on TikTok and across social media in general. Remember when VSCO girls were a thing? And girls were getting mocked literally just for wearing scrunchies and carrying hydro flasks?
Or when E-girls couldn’t wear dark eyeliner and fishnets without having a comment section full of insults? But then when E-boys arrived they were praised for breaking gender norms and destroying toxic masculinity?
A TikToker named Sasha has amassed almost 3 million views for a video parodying exactly how men respond to women when they share what they’re interested in.
When a girl is interested in makeup, clothes or something generally associated with femininity she’s vain or basic but if she likes video games, sports or anything that might be considered “masculine” she’s doing it for attention or not lady-like enough.
TikTok didn’t invent this phenomenon. We’ve been making fun of teenage girls for years.
Think of the kind of bands, TV shows, movies, and books that get ridiculed for being cheesy, over-hyped, or dumb. You’ll probably find that these things are popular among teenage girls.
"For many people, the fact that teenage girls like something — whether that something is Taylor Swift or One Direction or 'Twilight' — is a reason to write it off completely," said YA author and blogger Kerry Winfrey.
Young women are a powerful market and have the power to make obscure artists, trends, or products mainstream but once they do, it’s thrown back in their faces.
Men are also so accustomed to demeaning women and their interests that they even get frustrated when a woman likes the same thing as them. (Yes, I’m talking to you Drake fan from my high school class.)
Maybe, you could argue, it’s because these passions are fickle or not intellectual enough? But what about that time a reporter mocked a 17-year-old speaker at an Elizabeth Warren rally for using the word “like” and “um”. Because women can’t have vocal ticks? Because men don't speak the exact same way?
Or when Texas congressman Ted Yoho mocked congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and called her a “b*tch”. Because women can’t be passionate about politics without being mocked for being demanding.
There are thousands of answers as to why men do this and yet no justifiable reason but it can probably all be reduced down to one thing: misogyny.
We’ve been so conditioned to put women down that even the very thought of them devoting themselves to something makes that thing synonymous with ridicule.
And while this kind of mocking is most frequently targeted at teenage girls, it does still follow many of us into adulthood.
Another TikToker, Tinx, responded to Sasha’s video with her story of how people on the app mocked her for expressing excitement about a package she’d received.
She’d made a video earlier in the week talking about Kim Kardashian’s PR package for her perfume that included a chocolate heart. When she posted wondering if the chocolate tasted nice, the KKW perfume team reached out to send her the package so she could try it for herself which she did in a follow-up video.
Yet when she excitedly opened the box and tried out the chocolate and perfume, her comments were flooded with people accusing her of being dumb or pathetic for her happiness.
In her duet of Sasha’s video, she points out that female joy is something people are quick to judge or attempt to stifle.
Had the video been of a man celebrating receiving something from a sports player or musician would it have been mocked? Would any of the things women get made fun of for be a joke if a man were involved instead? Something to ponder.
Alice Kelly is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York. She is a generalist with an interest in lifestyle, entertainment, and trending topics.