Women of Reddit, what is the best way to deal with people who expect you to stay at the sidelines and to “sit still, look pretty”?

15 comments

1. A big ol’ middle finger and then they get the privilege of watching my ass as I walk away.

2. Ignore that expectation. Do what I deem is best in the situation and sometimes that does include sitting still and looking pretty. But if I’m about to buck authority I make damn sure that I’m beyond logical reproach or willing to except the consequences. Document everything if this is a work setting.

   Context would help.

3. Completely ignore them and do what I want.

4. Fuck em. Best way to go about it is to be yourself. Never let someone try to put you in a box to make you feel smaller than yourself. Especially on a regular basis. As women, sometimes we do have to “sit still and look pretty” but sometimes it comes to a head and enough is enough. That is the beginning stages of misery and they are insecure. You better strut your stuff and sashay away.

5. By doing what I want anyway and not giving a shit what they think.

6. Ask them if saying that is an offer to take over my obligations so I could stay at the sidelines and sit still and look pretty. It obviously isn’t and it’s an efficient way to shut them up.

7. Is that an actual thing?

   I’d laugh my ass off if someone told me anything even remotely close to “just sit there and look pretty”.

8. By being loud and menacing

9. By not doing that.

10. I have never come across anyone who is like that but if I did, I’d laugh and tell them they can sit still and look pretty while I do the thing I want to do.

11. [removed]

12. By standing up and looking however the fuck you please.

13. By getting up from the sidelines, dancing around, and looking however you darn well please.

14. I’ll never interact with them more than once. And they’re going to walk away from that interaction with their knickers in a twist, since they’re *always* the kind of asshole who gets super offended at being told to mind their fuckin’ business since a “lady” shouldn’t be using such coarse language. Especially in public.

15. LOL! I have NEVER had that problem. That rule was created by and for men, and I am SO not pretty, so decided early on that I could have a mouth bigger than Texas if I wanted!