Everyday Sexism

One way and another, misogyny and sexism have been in the news a lot lately.

A few days ago I noticed this Twitter account, @EverydaySexism and its website.

The Everyday Sexism Project exists to catalogue instances of sexism experienced by women on a day to day basis. They might be serious or minor, outrageously offensive or so niggling and normalised that you don’t even feel able to protest. Say as much or as little as you like, use your real name or a pseudonym – it’s up to you. By sharing your story you’re showing the world that sexism does exist, it is faced by women everyday and it is a valid problem to discuss.

Some of the stories are sad, some shocking, some funny.

I was reading some of them out to my sweetie on the weekend. He was surprised. 'This still goes on?'

Indeed it does. The tweets and website entries include stories from work, school, home, and the street. There are wolf whistles, 'invitations', gropings, and comments. Comments on bodies, clothing, intelligence, sex.

It still goes on. And it is still intimidating and hurtful.

But the effort may be paying off.

Being a guy, reading the entries at everydaysexism.com is both troubling and mind opening. Via @everydaysexism

— Icarus (@sotongcili) October 16, 2012

Another tack was taken by a company that was the target of a Facebook rant, supposedly by a man outraged at being lied to about the nature of periods. (I think the rant is too over the top to be real, but the outcome is fun nonetheless.)

Here's how the company responded.