What sexist behaviour would be the most shocking if reversed?

[GrumpyOldNag]

I was thinking feminist thoughts to myself (as you do ), and I was thinking about how this belief that sexism doesn't exist anymore creates a huge backlash against anyone who speaks out against it, which in turn makes people who do in fact believe in equal rights for men and women try to distance themselves from feminism because it's perceived as crazy and unreasonable. The problem is that a lot of it is so ingrained in our culture and society that it is completely normalised, and the majority of people don't even notice it anymore.

So what would be the most obvious, outrageous sexist behaviour, if we swapped the genders? Would it be men being followed, harassed and intimidated in the street, or on the music channel men gyrating and grinding dressed increasingly revealing clothing while women are all fully clothed? Men dancing in the windows of the red light district, or the overwhelming majority of politicians and CEOs being female?

What in your opinion would bring about the most uproar if one day sexism suddenly switched genders?

Sorry if any part of this doesn't make sense, I had a beautifully written OP all typed out and then my iPad lost it all for no apparent reason...

[BertieBotts]

No it makes sense! :) Interesting, I'll have to have a think.

[almondcakes]

I think it would be a near constant appearance of sexualised images of men and teenage boys, with very few images of sexualised females. The psychological consequences of that would be felt very quickly by men and women.

[kukeslala]

For me what popped into my head first was employment, specifically around working after you have children.

[Scarletohello]

It's hard to think of something as reversing it doesn't seem to have the same impact somehow. I have a male friend who worked in Qaatar for a while and said that sometimes he would go to discos in the hotels and get approached by men, sometimes in a persistent manner. He's over 6 foot, quite a big burly bloke but he found being pursued in this way by men upsetting and threatening. He said it was the first time he'd really had a sense of what women have to face. I think it was a real eye opener for him!

[JonSnowKnowsNothing]

Trivial, perhaps, but people would be pretty shocked if women started jogging, shopping, wandering down the street, etc. in mid-Summer as some men do.
Hmm, will think about this some more.

[Hamuketsu]

If you took a typical newspaper front page/online news home page and did a complete gender transposition of all pictures, all headlines, all stories. I do this in my head sometimes, out of interest. It looks very different when almost all the pictures of politicians, business leaders, etc. are of women, and the images in adverts can be startling. In particular, the violence of women towards men and other women comes across as horrific.

[TheAmazingChandler]

The teen or pre teen sons of celebs being described as 'leggy beauty' etc.

I think men would be shocked by the amount of being talked over that happens.

[Scarletohello]

Women burping, farting in public, gleefully scratching their bits?

Women wearing dirty, baggy unattractive clothes, making no effort with their hair or clothes and passing comment on young attractive men, commenting on the size of their genitals, sexually harassing them..?

[patjen]

Women's magazines having front pages like 'Is Fern* (Britton) having a breakdown?!'

Can you imagine a magazine having 'Is Boris (Johnson) having a breakdown?!" written on it?

Or cupcakes being some kind of lifestyle choice.

*First name that came into my head.

Not exactly uproarious but hard to imagine all the same.

Oh and fretting over what David Cameron wore on his feet- will it be the business-like brogues or down-at-home loafers today while sharing a latte with Sam Cam?

[BeyondTheLimitsOfAcceptability]

Women walking into a local shop topless

[BeyondTheLimitsOfAcceptability]

And on the other side, photos of mens nipples reported to facebook

[BecauseIsaidS0]

You could point them to this video

[GrumpyOldNag]

The Oppressed Majority film is brilliant, it's actually partly the inspiration for this thread! Definitely worth a watch if you haven't already seen it, it's really thought provoking.

[whattheseithakasmean]

Young boys being forced to marry much older women and sexually abused on their wedding night. Gangs of women sexually abusing schoolboys and the policewomen covering up for them. A woman murdering her husband just outside the court room. Images of men fully covered from head to foot walking a few paces behind confident, flashily dressed women.

[StealthPolarBear]

Really interesting thread!
Not sure it's the most shocking but i will add men getting questions about will they work after they become fathers? Do they feel happy leaving their baby in nursery? Will theybe working full time? Wow. When will they prepare all the meals for the week?
The women will just go back to doing what they did befors without a second thought.

[ForeskinHyena]

I was about to post a link to that video too.

[JuliaScurr]

teenage boys being told they are not allowed to go to Camden Market/the park/whatever with a friend without taking a girl to protect them

[Scarletohello]

Maybe TMI but a woman being pleasured sexually by the guy and after she has come she falls asleep and doesn't bother with him, leaving him sexually frustrated and having to sort himself out. ( or is that just me..?!)

[JuliaScurr]

Scarlet
not just you

[YouAreMyFavouriteWasteOfTime]

adverts with normal looking women who are happy with themselves and think they are good enough for this world.

adverts with very attractive men who are have to buy things to be anywhere near acceptable.

beer adverts with only women in them. cleaning product adverts with only men in them.

pages of newpapers devoted to women's sports. with a tiny 'mens section' filled with family stuff.

newpapers full of why men get [insert topic] wrong.

most comedians being women.

fit male popsies on tv and no older men. loads of older women talking about Very Important Things.

young men being leered at by women of all ages.

women van drivers shouting abuse at men in the street. 'you've got a great arse love' etc. 'I d like to get my hands on your tackle' etc.

older men being invisible. men in their 40s seen as past it in attractiveness.

[AnnieLobeseder]

I think what would smack people most squarely between the eyes would be images of highly-Photoshopped gorgeous men in sexual poses with very little clothing on plastered all over everything.

[Scarletohello]

Men having to shave their underarms and legs and being shamed by other men and women if they didn't.

[YouAreMyFavouriteWasteOfTime]

men being seem as loopy/bunny boiler/'emotional'/sexually messed up by women if they express an opinion women don't like.

a man expressing a negative opinion about another man being seen as a 'bitch' and having problem with all other men

[GrumpyOldNag]

What about things like padded bikinis and heels being available for younger and younger girls, I really don't like it but I'm not sure what the equivalent would be- something like padded speedos or trunks? I don't know, it makes me feel very uncomfortable thinking about it.

And women of all shapes and sizes appearing in TV shows like HIMYM and BBT, while the only men who appear are tall, ripped and chiselled.

[grimbletart]

Men being told "cheer up love" on the street, persistently.