https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/1iilh6n/why_is_society_so_gross_to_young_women/
created by Icy_Jeweler_2345 on 05/02/2025 at 21:31 UTC
4859 upvotes, 176 top-level comments (showing 25)
Seriously, I’m so tired of seeing girls around my age (I’m 18) being body shamed, sexualized, harassed and just dehumanized in general. I’m tired of also seeing them be preyed on by men, and I’m tired of other women constantly judging. Why does society treat young girls so bad? We’re literally just trying to learn and navigate. Why so much high standards? It’s insane.
Comment by 8583739buttholes at 05/02/2025 at 23:41 UTC*
2483 upvotes, 33 direct replies
The worst part is i was sexually harrassed and cat called MUCH more often as a minor than i ever was as an adult
Edit: someone commented on this saying it was because I’m fat now 💀 actually dude I’m petite and i weigh the exact same as i did in middle school there are just vastly more pedos out there than people want to admit.
Edit: got a couple more ‘it’s because you’re fat and old’ comments which are hilarious considering I’m underweight and in my 20s. Love that people just want to assume these things cuz it goes against their world view if they don’t. Also i got a lot of other comments from women with the same experience guess this is a common thing :(
Comment by Cuckooexpress at 05/02/2025 at 21:59 UTC
1139 upvotes, 18 direct replies
What’s disturbing is that the sexualization starts very early. In terms of being preyed upon, a lot of young girls are often leered at by much, much older men. It’s not uncommon. I was an average-looking kid. Nothing special. When I was much older, one of my older male cousins said he saw it happen often and said that he had to stay nearby to get them to stop. I was just a kid of about eleven. I had no idea this was even happening.
Comment by Naps_And_Crimes at 05/02/2025 at 21:59 UTC
874 upvotes, 5 direct replies
Worked at an elementary school and this old guy came up asking some basic questions, nothing that would raise red flags until he asked "so any cute girls here?" I just stared at him and I guess he caught my disgust and left with no other words.
I feel men like this just haven't really faced the consequences of treating women like that and dtend to go to places where it's accepted and even encouraged
Comment by vDorothyv at 05/02/2025 at 23:18 UTC
281 upvotes, 3 direct replies
When I was a teenager I didn't get it since teenage girls were hot to me, so it didn't click how weird it was older people were also being creepy. Now that I'm in my thirties I can't help but think how gross people are to be not only attracted to but being outwardly creepy to young women like that.
Comment by marinocturne at 06/02/2025 at 00:06 UTC
132 upvotes, 5 direct replies
Every so often i remember that I got cat called as a child and young teenager so frequently that I got used to it.
now as an adult, my physique hasn't changed much since i was a teen but im clearly an adult, i RARELY get cat called. ive been catcalled maybe a handful of times as an adult, but it's insignificant compared to when I was clearly a minor. and that thought icks me out SO OFTEN
maybe there's some correlation there to the type of people that catcall and the type of people that are attracted to kids...
Comment by Plenty-Character-416 at 05/02/2025 at 22:08 UTC
299 upvotes, 4 direct replies
I have to agree with you. I became much more content when I reached 30, because nobody cared about me (in a societal aspect) anymore. And it felt like a burden lifted off my shoulders. The pressure on young girls is ridiculous. It's almost like a celebrity status you never asked for; admired and hated at the same time. Hang in there, girls. And keep those who genuinely care about you close.
Comment by AceKittyhawk at 05/02/2025 at 22:14 UTC
356 upvotes, 5 direct replies
I hate to break it to you but it’s just young women. You’re always gonna be too sexy too conservative too thin too thick too career oriented too domestic too many children not enough children too much breastmilk not enough too successful not ambitious enough etc etc.. There is no correct way to be a woman…
It’s arguably better than old times but culture doesn’t change so fast. Often it’s just a thin veneer and same under. It can be disappointing to realise the world isn’t as welcoming and smooth for women as we are lead to believe. But as you get older you learn to set boundaries, care less (or none) about some people/judgments and surround yourself with those who respect you.
I’m sorry for your frustrations with some of these things and wish you the best
Comment by dechtre70 at 05/02/2025 at 23:18 UTC
63 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Unfortunately, it starts when girls are very young. My granddaughter is 4 and it pissed me off recently when she was trying to tell a grown man something but he didn't even listen. He just talked over top of her saying how pretty she is. He didn't say it in a creepy way but it was just like that was all there was to her. And I see that happen a lot with little girls all the time. No one ever has anything to say to them except that they're pretty. It's like people forget they're little humans with smart little brains and they're soooo much more than just pretty.
Comment by Hot-Marsupial724 at 05/02/2025 at 23:51 UTC
35 upvotes, 2 direct replies
They are even worse to “old” women.
Comment by LunaBlue48 at 06/02/2025 at 00:10 UTC
70 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Unfortunately, society is pretty awful to women at all ages. I replied to another comment about how I was sexualized and harassed from a disturbingly young age on a regular basis. The mistreatment of women just changes a little as you get older.
I’m 40 now, and the overt sexual harassment has gotten to be less over the years, but older women are still infantilized, dehumanized, overlooked, body shamed, harshly judged for just about anything.
Comment by andy11123 at 06/02/2025 at 06:30 UTC
12 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I was trying to buy new swimming togs for my 4 year old. Literally all of the girls clothes in a very mainstream New Zealand store could only be described as "sexy toddler"
So many someone's have been involved designing, manufacturing, approving, testing and selling bikinis for preschoolers.
Crop tops, tiny shorts that's leave her underwear on show etc. It's absolutely sickening.
Luckily my daughter likes dinosaurs, trucks and tools so she wears a lot of boys clothes anyway, they're far more practical
Comment by WolfsmaulVibes at 05/02/2025 at 22:29 UTC
137 upvotes, 2 direct replies
every girl i know has a story of being molested by a old man
Comment by Royal_Annek at 05/02/2025 at 21:35 UTC
382 upvotes, 5 direct replies
It wasn't that long ago women were legally property of men. Some people are desperate to go back to that because they are so pathetic no woman would choose to interact with them, so they have to be forced.
Comment by dwightgabeandy at 05/02/2025 at 22:54 UTC
56 upvotes, 2 direct replies
I think the media has spent a long time training people to hate young women. Think of all of the reality shows from the beginning. Body shaming, slut shaming, comparing each other and competing instead of lifting each other up.
Comment by pancake_sweater at 05/02/2025 at 22:22 UTC
51 upvotes, 4 direct replies
It wasn’t until I reached my mid 30s that I even started to realize just how predatory men are. Women are raised to be so naive. We’re taught to take the blame, be nice and polite, and to try hard and wait around for men to deem us worthy. And all this training makes us the perfect targets for exploitation. It’s gross and sad and I wish I was made aware of this early in life so I wasn’t so malleable. With that being said, I have an unconventional appreciation for aging as a woman. All the reasons we’re told to fear it are reasons I’m embracing. Oh no, I’m becoming invisible to men who prefer 20-year-olds? Darn.
Comment by AndroidSheeps at 05/02/2025 at 23:38 UTC
14 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I'm 30 years old and it's still like this sadly. I really wanna tell you it gets better but it doesn't.
Comment by Grand-Programmer6292 at 06/02/2025 at 00:58 UTC
8 upvotes, 0 direct replies
We were talking about this at work today. What is the fascination that some men have with underage girls?? Like they're obsessed with finding out if they're of age yet. I'm working on a case now with a 19 year old who was going after a 12 year old. I don't understand that mentality. What the hell is a college age student doing with an elementary school student? After a decade in the field I'm still shocked every time a case like this comes my way. I've seen way worse gaps in age, but this particular case is what started the conversation today.
Comment by vividlavishsprinkles at 05/02/2025 at 22:12 UTC
32 upvotes, 0 direct replies
They are gross to women of all ages.
Comment by Inner-Tart-8041 at 06/02/2025 at 01:01 UTC
12 upvotes, 1 direct replies
society is gross period burn it to the ground
Comment by lilmgil at 05/02/2025 at 23:37 UTC
34 upvotes, 1 direct replies
It's gross for old women, all women. Society is pretty uncivilized.
Comment by F_Rick137 at 05/02/2025 at 22:01 UTC
78 upvotes, 3 direct replies
In developed countries like USA is not that bad. In Mexico women cannot even use public transport because men are trying everything to touch or smell women. It is disgusting. I just saw a video recorded 2 days ago about a girl just walking on the street and then stopping to enter into a building. Suddenly a man who was driving his car, saw her and stopped the car to just walk behind her and bite her ass. In addition, justice system over there is awful. Legal actions don’t work.
Comment by Silver_Ice7586 at 06/02/2025 at 07:54 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
It’s gross, the older I get the more clearly I can see it. I spent most of my teenage years trying to look good for boys & men. When I was 17 there were so many older men after me, one in particular who chewed me up & spat me out.
I’m 23 now, still have some maturing to do, but I’m so glad I’m not that teenage girl anymore. It seriously isn’t easy being a young girl
Comment by Traveler108 at 05/02/2025 at 21:50 UTC
70 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Misogyny. Old as the hills.
Comment by OldCarWorshipper at 05/02/2025 at 22:35 UTC
24 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Being a young woman in society has always been a shitshow. If it's not creepy guys bothering you, it's other young women stabbing you in the back. I'm male, but I've heard numerous stories of what my mom, aunts, cousins, and female friends have had to go through. It sucks.
Comment by AlassePrince at 06/02/2025 at 00:13 UTC
22 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Because it has been that way for all of humanity ever since men thought themselves to be better than woman