14 Things About Being A Woman Many Men Don’t Understand
Seeing as the election in the US is now over and a lot of the surprises came due to how women voted, I thought it would be interesting to highlight some of the ways women experience life differently, that a lot of men might not understand.
The truth is, although a lot of issues are blown out of proportion and a lot of progress has been made, there are still some areas of life that women experience differently, and if you’re a guy, you might not have any idea about.
In this article, I’m going to cover 14 different things, ranging from the way our bodies work to the societal pressures we face. I must reiterate that I don’t buy into the extreme feminist agenda, and I certainly realize there is a lot that is unfair towards men too. My goal isn’t to sound like a victim, demonize men, or to make anyone feel like women deserve special treatment. In fact, some of the issues are caused by women themselves.
Rather, highlighting the realities of these issues will help ALL of us become better and more understanding people.
With that out of the way, let’s begin!
1. The Importance Of Body Image And Appearance
This one is one of the more obvious ones, but it’s one of the biggest issues women and girls struggle with all throughout their lives.
Women are judged harshly on their appearances, both by men and other women.
We are constantly comparing ourselves to others, and may feel inadequate or unworthy of kindness if we don’t meet the beauty standards that are set for us.
This idea is indoctrinated into us from the very beginning. Even as young children, girls are dressed to look pretty instead of actually being comfortable, or able to play effectively. Relatives compliment us on our looks and not our achievements or our personalities. You can positively impact a child’s life just by choosing a different aspect of her to compliment, other than her looks!
In fact, if it’s all someone’s ever praised for, it only makes the need to continue looking pretty all that much more important – we don’t want to lose the only thing we feel we’ve got going for us.
As far as dating goes, a lot of men would never even consider getting to know someone they find unattractive. Yes, I understand this is a problem for men too. Yet, you’d be surprised how many overweight or unattractive women struggle to find meaningful relationships.
To a lot of men, a pussy is a pussy, but they jump ship as soon as they think they have a chance with someone more attractive.
And when it comes to girls…
2. Girls Often Judge Us Harsher Than You Do
Often, the harshest criticisms don’t come from men, but from other women.
Girls usually fight each other more than they fight with anyone else!
In fact, I’ve never experienced a man criticize my outfit, or my hair, or my makeup. If anything, they are more likely to not notice when something isn’t perfect (or even good), and tell me it looks good anyways.
Girls however will make snoody remarks about this kind of stuff all the time. God forbid you wear leggings that make your ass look too nice, because to certain girls, that automatically means that you’re a slut. Even if you’re just doing it to be comfortable.
Clothes can either be too plain, too flashy, or too slutty. A new hairstyle is weird. If you wear makeup, you are trying too hard and if you don’t wear any than you’re careless and lazy. If you have fat, it’s in the wrong places.
If you’re ugly, nobody cares about you, unless it’s to make themselves look better by comparison. If you’re pretty, you must be a bitch, because it’s impossible to have both a great appearance and a great personality.
There’s no winning, and this is partially because many girls can’t help but compare themselves to others, and see every other girl around them as competition.
And again, this really starts becoming an issue as early as elementary school. In men or boys, bullying is typically done in the form of physical threats or acts of violence.
In women and girls, it’s done by exclusion, insults, and verbal abuse.
Both are terrible in different ways, but are seen and treated differently by authorities. It’s no wonder that by middle school, some girls feel like they’re going through literal hell.
3. Breasts Hurt To Squeeze
This one’s a little silly, but I was surprised to find out that a lot of men don’t know this.
Although boobs are soft and squishy, it does not feel great if you wrap your hands around them and squeeze them like stress balls.
Remember that breasts are mostly made up of fatty tissue, not marshmallows and sunshine.
To simulate what it’s like, look for a fatty place on your body – perhaps your stomach or your legs and squeeze it.
Doesn’t feel too great, does it?
To make matters worse, breasts can become much more sensitive as your period approaches, making them even more painful to be squeezed!
4. Periods Can Be BRUTAL
I think that many men underestimate how bad periods can actually be.
On the physical side of things, periods can cause pain so intense that it leaves us screaming or even throwing up. This is made worse when women have a condition called endometriosis, in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows, well, outside the uterus. This affects over 10% of women of reproductive age, and many are never told that their painful periods are not normal.
Hormonal changes during your period can lead to nausea, acne, headaches, and other unpleasantries that make life harder to enjoy.
Not to mention the effects on mood and stress regulation and sensitivity.
Think about it this way. You don’t behave the same way when you’re horny, you’re drunk, or you have something else impacting your hormones. The same situation could occur, and you’ll interpret and react completely differently depending on your hormones during that time.
Just like someone might act differently if they’re hungry or tired, women often experience emotional changes during this time that can impact how they respond to situations.
5. Menstrual Cycles Affect Hormones Outside Of Periods
To make matters even more difficult, hormones are constantly changing throughout our entire cycle – not just when our period actually starts.
Many men believe that periods happen a few days out of the month, and then don’t affect us at all for the rest of it. This simply isn’t true.
These hormones can influence energy levels, appetite, skin, emotions, and even concentration.
For example, during ovulation (around the middle of the cycle), hormone levels peak, which can lead to higher energy and even changes in mood and attraction. After that, in the luteal phase, levels of estrogen and progesterone drop, often leading to premenstrual symptoms like bloating, mood swings, and fatigue before the period even starts. So, while the actual period might only last a few days, the effects of the cycle are at play the entire month.
Understanding this can be incredibly helpful. It explains why sometimes women may seem to have different energy levels or moods at different times in the month. Hormones don’t just ‘turn off’ when a period is over – they’re always in motion, and always impacting how a woman feels and functions.
6. Expectations Of Sex
One issue we need to get rid of entitlement to sex.
This happens all the time, and some women overcompensate by shouting things like “I have a boyfriend!@#!” just because you did something nice, or complimented them.
A lot of men, especially the so-called ‘nice guys’ believe that if they invest time building a connection with a woman, doing her favors, complimenting her, and so on, then they will be rewarded with sex afterwards.
Obviously, girls shouldn’t give people a false idea. But guys shouldn’t automatically assume they are ever entitled to a woman’s body, for any reason, ever.
Unfortunately, this can lead to many women acting cold or being afraid to get too close to a guy.
It is a terrible feeling when you are becoming real friends with someone, and all of a sudden they start making sexual advances.
7. Sexual Harassment Is Common, But Underreported
According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 81% of women report experiencing sexual harassment or assault against them during their lifetime.
In other words, the overwhelming majority of women experience it at some point. It may seem like someone squeezing your ass is no big deal, but the effects of it can be long lasting. For example, a woman might wonder if any men can be trusted or if they are all willing to disrespect her boundaries, or if the assault would have been more intense if the situation were different – if the person was able to get away with it.
Even if you decide it were worth the time, the money, and the stress to show up in court and report the incident, there’s a good chance police won’t care. There is after all, no proof that someone made an uncomfortable sexual comment or touched you in an inappropriate way. And yeah, maybe if you want to drag it out they can get punished, but it won’t take back what you went through.
Sexual harassment happens to men too, of course – it’s just not as prevalent.
8. The Biological Clock
Women’s fertility typically peaks long before they’re physically, financially, and emotionally ready to have a baby. This ‘biological clock’ eats away at us and forces us to make tough decisions that may not be in our long-term best interests.
For example, women may forgo advancing in a career to start a family, or have to drop out of college due to an unexpected pregnancy.
Even for those that delay having children, women experience a decline in fertility after 30, that drops off even further after 35. By age 40, their chances of conceiving each cycle drop by 2 and a half times – while the pressure to succeed only increases, as chances become slimmer and slimmer.
This is why many women end up having to start families by their mid 30’s, especially if they want to have multiple children. This may come into conflict with potential career advancement or opportunities.
9. We’re Expected To Age Well
Unfortunately, the emphasis on looks does not decrease even as we age – even if we’re happily married.
Conventionally speaking, men tend to become more attractive to the opposite sex, as they enter their 30’s and 40’s, and women tend to become less attractive. This can pose a lot of mental health issues, especially if one’s self-worth is tied up in their appearance.
It can be really upsetting for women to realize they don’t get the attention they once did from the general public, and see it going to younger girls instead. At the same time, peers will continue to compare and criticize you for your appearance.
It’s no wonder why the anti-aging market is over $70 billion annually!
10. Motherhood
This one kind of ties in with the biological clock, but it’s another big issue that a lot of people don’t understand the scope of.
Society expects you to become a mother. If you don’t become a mother, you are seen as selfish.
If you do become a mother – and especially if you do a really good job at it and devote a lot of time to your children, you are a liability to the company that you work for. Or at the very least, you’re going to be lacking in other areas that society finds valuable.
For what it’s worth, I fully support dads playing just as big of a role in the parenting process. They are just as much of a parent as the moms are, and if somebody wants to be a stay-at-home-dad, that’s awesome.
But, parenting is still kind of seen as more of a ‘woman’s job’, and people behave accordingly.
11. Stereotyping, And Legitimate Inequality
Although a lot of progress has been made – and some groups have even crossed over and started treating men unfairly by overcompensating, the reality is that there is still a lot of legitimate inequality going on when it comes to women.
The most obvious is in the workplace, particularly in leadership roles, or STEM fields where employers are unable to recognize that women are as capable as men at their jobs.
However, this extends to many other unforeseen areas as well – for example, medicine.
Doctors may attribute legitimate pain to our menstrual cycles, or aspects of our mental health to the hormones that our cycles affect.
Gastrointestinal disorders or symptoms like vomiting may be dismissed as bulimia or anorexia, which are more common in women.
Women have died because doctors dismissed their concerns and avoided actually diagnosing the issue.
12. Double Standards
Next up, we have good ol’ double standards and can’t-win scenarios.
This one might just be better off with a list.
If women sleep with different men, they’re whores. If they don’t put out, they’re prudes. If guys sleep with a lot of different women, they’re respected.
If they prioritize their career, they are neglecting their children. If they stay at home, they’re lazy. If dads stay at home, they’re progressive.
If they put a lot of work into appearance, they’re high-maintenance. Men aren’t as expected to do their hair, put on makeup, or use products to make themselves look like someone they’re not.
If they’re sexually harassed, people will ask them what they were wearing, or what they did to provoke the situation. Even as kids, girls are told that ‘boys will be boys.’
Women are expected to take care of household chores. Men are praised when they do so.
If a woman is assertive, she is seen as bossy, or aggressive. If a man is assertive, he is seen as a leader that goes after what he wants.
When women lose their cool, they are seen as emotional or irrational. Men who do so are more likely to be taken seriously.
The list goes on and on, and maybe some of these don’t seem like a big deal – but they do happen, and they are unfair.
13. Safety Concerns
Women are physically weaker and less capable of fighting back then men, overall. This is an undeniable fact.
Because of this, they have to be far more concerned for their safety. Not only is there the overwhelming concern about sexually-motivated crimes like stalking, rape or kidnapping, but they are also an easier target for muggers and other sorts of violent crime.
Which, makes sense if you think about the fact that we’re less able to fight back.
Many women are taught not to walk around alone, to always have people know where they are, and leave the GPS on their phones turned on.
Of course, crime happens against men too, but women are more fearful of it.
14. We’re Horny, And Want To Cum Too
Finally, guys I hate to say it – a lot of you are selfish in bed.
Sex is supposed to be about the both of you. Just imagine for a second if your wife orgasmed during sex, and immediately rolled over and went to bed. Needless to say, I doubt you’d be too happy.
I completely understand that after you orgasm, sex is one of the last things that’s on your mind.
However, orgasming is pretty great, and a lot of women really miss out on getting to experience them with their partners due to this selfish behavior.
Do her a favor, and try to make her cum before you finish.
I promise you, you’ll be rewarded for it!
Conclusion
Despite all of the progress that’s been made, there are still a lot of areas where women aren’t treated at the same level as men.
Yes, there may not be any blatant illegal discrimination going on in most of the developed world, but there are still smaller issues that make our lives difficult. And putting these together, they can really add up.
Of course, not all of these can be solved, and you shouldn’t feel bad if you hadn’t thought about these things before. I am not a radical feminist, and I simply brought these up to help you become a better person.
Simply being conscious of the issues that women face will help enrich the lives of all women and girls in your life. So, thank YOU for sticking through this, and reading all the way to the end. You’re making the world a better place.
~ Lexi
Lewd Lexi is a professional adult voice actress, phone sex operator, and sexuality educator. Here on LewdLexi.com, she shares not only her newest releases and projects, but works to provide resources to give everyone a better sex life!
