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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think feminism has started excusing bad behaviour in women the way patriarchy used to excuse men?

92 replies

WryCoralCritic · 17/08/2025 12:36

It used to be “boys will be boys.” Now I hear “she’s just setting boundaries” or “she’s living her truth” as excuses for poor behaviour. AIBU to think we’ve swapped one blind spot for another?

OP posts:
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WhenYouSayNothingAtAll · 17/08/2025 21:46

WryCoralCritic · 17/08/2025 12:57

Exactly, I’m not talking about women asserting themselves in healthy ways. I’m talking about when genuinely selfish or unfair behaviour gets wrapped up in the language of empowerment. It blurs the line and makes it harder to call out.

You still haven’t given any concrete examples. I wonder why. It can’t be that hard since you must encounter it a lot to make you start a thread about it.

everychildmatters · 17/08/2025 21:17

I think people generally dislike feminists. I was told, for example (by a woman) that a woman who chooses to walk herself down the aisle "is a narc."

DorothyStorm · 17/08/2025 21:14

republicofjam · 17/08/2025 20:36

I think OP is actually the outraged old man mentioned by another poster who declined his request to share a table in a cafe full of empty tables.

I assumed she was the woman wanting four days free childcare and expecting another women to take four days of annual leave.

republicofjam · 17/08/2025 20:36

I think OP is actually the outraged old man mentioned by another poster who declined his request to share a table in a cafe full of empty tables.

5128gap · 17/08/2025 19:04

I think its more accurate to say that feminists are unlikely to sit there passively while other women are attacked for their choices and behaviour. Especially where there's important context to be considered, where the attack is exaggerated, a generalisation based on stereotypes, coming from a place of sexism or misogyny, or where its being used as whataboutery to divert attention from male bad behaviour. Unfortunately attacks of this nature on women happen very frequently, so feminists tend to have to do a lot of explaining, challenging and correcting.

BaronessEllarawrosaurus · 17/08/2025 18:39

I went to work, did a full shift, come home again and still no example of someone being rude while claiming they are just holding their boundaries. Actually the guy i told to fuck off probably thinks I was rude but in real terms he was harassing me and refusing to take no for an answer.

DiordreBarlow · 17/08/2025 18:38

Absentmindedsmile · 17/08/2025 14:34

She?

Good point. I assume MN = mostly women but you're probably right.

usedtobeaylis · 17/08/2025 15:17

Nobody has really given any examples of what is supposedly rude and selfish but excused by feminism. What we have got is people calling women

Attention seeking
Embarrassing
Arrogant
Narcissistic
Self-obsessed

For behaving in a way they personally don't behave, or don't like. Which says everything.

TwelvePercent · 17/08/2025 15:05

What is crysta clear, is that very few people take the time to find out what Feminism actually is before deciding it's the reason for anything mildly disagreeable that a female does.

Feminism centres women and girls. Porn does not. It's a woman's individual choice and may even be beneficial to her as an individual but no, not feminist as it harm's the perception of women and girls as it sexual uses them & presents them as a consumable product.
Individuals setting boundaries - yes, feminism does allow women to centre themselves instead of bowing to men's wants & needs (see financial independence/ contraception) but its an individual choice to be an arse on Nans 70th because you don't like the restaurant.

Its so sad seeing this rubbish reposted and people clapping along when it's just nonsense.

TheDogOnlyEatsBiscuitsIfTheyreDippedInTea · 17/08/2025 14:49

WryCoralCritic · 17/08/2025 12:45

I mean things like rudeness being brushed off as ‘boundaries’ or selfishness reframed as ‘empowerment.’ That sort of thing.

The thing is, what’s often rude for a woman to do, is just being assertive for a man.

Snorlaxo · 17/08/2025 14:46

You’re being too vague.

Rude behaviour can be up for debate.

For example there was a post recently where a woman was asked to babysit a friend’s toddler for 4 days so she could go on a business trip. The woman works and lives with her young adult children on a house that isn’t baby proofed. She said no and the person who asked posted a passive aggressive meme on Instagram complaining about people who aren’t there for you. She thinks OP was rude to say no and should have taken time off work to look after the child.

I’m not saying that all women are angels and never rude but the bar is very different for women because people are more used to women who people please and say yes when they don’t want to do something.

RikkeOfTheLongEye · 17/08/2025 14:34

WryCoralCritic · 17/08/2025 12:49

I don’t mean genuine boundaries. I mean when the language of boundaries gets used to justify being selfish or cruel. Same with “living your truth”, sometimes it’s just dressing up bad behaviour in empowerment terms.

I'm sorry but I think you are being ridiculous to assume there is some sort of clear, objective difference between 'real boundaries' and 'selfish and cruel' ones. Sure, there are probably extreme examples that are easy to categorise one way or another, but it's usually a matter of opinion. One person's 'woman distancing herself from an emotionally abusive parent / partner / friend for the sake of protecting her own wellbeing' is another person's 'selfish, entitled, narcissistic disloyal daughter / partner / friend'. One person's 'woman rightly trying to have the best of all worlds by balancing her responsibilities as a mum with ambition and passion for her career' is another person's 'neglectful, career-obsessed mother who's never there for her kids'. Etc etc.

Any sort of self-assertion and boundary-setting in this world, whether from a man or from a woman, has the potential to disappoint and threaten the interests of others. Women are just more likely to be expected to make sacrifices for the good of family / community / colleagues / 'the peace'.

Your original post is just so vague. I do actually sort of agree with you that feminism can be used to justify some pretty rubbish behaviour (please see also therapy / wellness language, talk of self-actualisation and self-expression, and individualism more broadly in our society). There has always been a tension between strands of feminism that promote women's freedom to do whatever they want and strands of feminism that expect women to make sacrifices for one another / campaign for collective good / examine critically the ways in which the things they 'want' might themselves be conditioned by patriarchy. On the other hand, I don't think I've ever heard a woman in real life use feminist language to justify shit behaviour. I've heard lots of men in real life use some version of 'that's just how men / boys are wired' to justify shit behaviour.

Absentmindedsmile · 17/08/2025 14:34

DiordreBarlow · 17/08/2025 14:22

I don't think even the OP knows exactly what point she's trying to prove.

She?

LimbOnTheBranchBranchOnTheTreeTheTreeInTheBog · 17/08/2025 14:29

DeedlessIndeed · 17/08/2025 14:13

I do often see misandry played off as "jokey" feminism.

One husband doesn't pick up his socks and then it's all "God, I hate men."

That would never fly the other way around l, rightly so.

It's the other way around all the time, have you been on the Internet at all?

If misogyny disappeared tomorrow, there wouldn't be any 'misandry' in the world.

If 'misandry' disappeared tomorrow misogyny would still be rife.

(I don't actually believe misandry is a thing, it's simply women reacting to misogyny and men needing a name for it so they can victimise themselves and "but men....." when women bring up misogyny)

EmeraldShamrock000 · 17/08/2025 14:23

There is no harm in having reasonable boundaries, there is an invisible line, that is often used as an excuse for poor behaviour.

My neighbour, since died, declared herself to be a very honest person the day we moved in, she was extremely rude, she thought she had a right to voice her ignorant opinions against everyone and ask very personal questions, she was just being direct. 😒

DiordreBarlow · 17/08/2025 14:22

I don't think even the OP knows exactly what point she's trying to prove.

IcedPurple · 17/08/2025 14:17

I'm not sure if I'd put it down to 'feminism' but there is an element of women always being seen as 'victims' and the menopause/PMT/'peri' and so on are excuses for everything. To me it's an updated version of 'It's your hormones, dear'. Which is why I wouldn't call this sort of behaviour 'feminist'.

Millytante · 17/08/2025 14:14

GarlicLitre · 17/08/2025 13:59

Do I think feminism has started excusing bad behaviour in women the way patriarchy used to excuse men?

Oh, yes, absolutely 💥

Feminism is the cause of everything aggressive, assertive, authoritative, confident, criminal, disobedient, ignorant, ill-mannered, independent, individual, strong, successful, raucous, rude, powerful, unattractive, unladylike or unsubtle done by any woman.

Patriarchy used to be the cause of men's bad behaviour until it was called out (by feminists). After that, it stopped making men behave badly. Some men have continued to misbehave, however, and it is now unclear what causes this. It will probably turn out to be feminism.

Glad you've brought this to our attention, OP!

Excellent. 🤣👏🏼
You’ve perfectly illustrated why some notions are almost impossible to satirise. What you wrote could be an opinion column in the Torygraph, for example.

DeedlessIndeed · 17/08/2025 14:13

I do often see misandry played off as "jokey" feminism.

One husband doesn't pick up his socks and then it's all "God, I hate men."

That would never fly the other way around l, rightly so.

usedtobeaylis · 17/08/2025 14:12

Women are currently being called rude for saying no to men, and being called selfish for choosing not to marry and have children. So there's some context around that.

Millytante · 17/08/2025 14:10

Not at all. That’s not Feminism you are seeing in action but more likely the effects of a culture saturated in pornified images of women sold and eagerly received as evidence of our ‘empowerment’.
This cynical exploitation of the theme started around 40/45 years ago, just as young women were hacking out new paths for themselves (free of old gender expectations, for example) but then, SPLAT!!
The patriarchy and commerce joined forces to stamp all this out, and almost overnight we had a twisted new mantra asserting that promoting sex in any and all situations was an act of bravery and sisterly empowerment. Binary gender ideals became ever more important (and look where that has got us, in terms of teenage misery)

To get back to our ‘moutons’ a bit after that waffle, I fail to see how Feminism managed all the yobbish upheaval it’s credited with while at the same time did naff all in terms of stamping out many of the perils we read about here, daily, where women are in thrall to the weakest and least evolved examples of men and feel powerless and trapped, and often endure terrible abuse. (For a start, old school/RealDeal™️ Feminist writers were not raging on the barricades merely to see women swearing on telly or walking down the street in a bra)

Isn’t it a possibility that it’s not a question of Feminism, but one of pervasive anti-Feminism we should be concerned about?
Shouty, bratty women on telly, or eejits spouting selfish therapyspeak bollocks as a philosophical statement (never mind the much more important and worrying trend to redefine the word ‘woman’ to encompass the original bloody oppressor of course): I don’t think any of this is down to The Female Eunuch.

Neemie · 17/08/2025 14:09

I don’t think it has anything to do with feminism. I also think women are pretty pleasant and reasonable most of the time. If there is a rise in bad female behaviour, I really haven’t noticed it.

RetiredMan · 17/08/2025 14:06

I'm sure some women use those terms inappropriately, people will always have rationalisations for bad behaviour. I'm told that women care a lot about other women's opinions, so they may have more reason than men to go out of their way to paint themselves in a good light.

I don't see that it's fair to blame feminism, even if some phrases are borrowed from there. People will borrow phrases from wherever they can, the misuse of a phrase doesn't mean there isn't also a valid use.

PistachioTiramisuLimoncello · 17/08/2025 14:02

Absentmindedsmile · 17/08/2025 13:51

YABVU.

In a world where misogyny is at a high, young men and old are watching porn that makes them thinking choking girls and anal sex is the norm, inbreds like AT have millions of followers, VAWG is a scandal, people are calling girls who’ve been groomed and raped by male gangs, prostitutes, we need to support women.

We recently had to go through a SC case to confirm in law that yes, yes only biological women Are women, and only biological men are men.

Women need to support women and good men to need to support women.

When VAGW is reduced, and maybe when 2 women a week aren’t killed by males, we can look at the details of ‘feminism’.

Edited

Yes yes and yes to all that 🙌🙌🙌

ForZanyAquaViewer · 17/08/2025 14:01

WryCoralCritic · 17/08/2025 12:57

Exactly, I’m not talking about women asserting themselves in healthy ways. I’m talking about when genuinely selfish or unfair behaviour gets wrapped up in the language of empowerment. It blurs the line and makes it harder to call out.

You’ve been asked multiple times and apparently cannot give a single specific example.