What sexist behaviour would be the most shocking if reversed?

[GrumpyOldNag]

I was thinking feminist thoughts to myself (as you do ), and I was thinking about how this belief that sexism doesn't exist anymore creates a huge backlash against anyone who speaks out against it, which in turn makes people who do in fact believe in equal rights for men and women try to distance themselves from feminism because it's perceived as crazy and unreasonable. The problem is that a lot of it is so ingrained in our culture and society that it is completely normalised, and the majority of people don't even notice it anymore.

So what would be the most obvious, outrageous sexist behaviour, if we swapped the genders? Would it be men being followed, harassed and intimidated in the street, or on the music channel men gyrating and grinding dressed increasingly revealing clothing while women are all fully clothed? Men dancing in the windows of the red light district, or the overwhelming majority of politicians and CEOs being female?

What in your opinion would bring about the most uproar if one day sexism suddenly switched genders?

Sorry if any part of this doesn't make sense, I had a beautifully written OP all typed out and then my iPad lost it all for no apparent reason...

A long queue of passive, patient men waiting to use a public toilet . Each wondering if there will be room to park the buggy, if there will be room in through cubicle for an adult and small children , ifthey wil get to the front of the queue before their child week on the floor or their own pelvic floor muscles give out.
While women swan in and out of the ladies quickly and solo.

No, of course I know that men slate their partners, sexist jokes are as old as comedy. OK, badly explained. I meant more that women can discuss partners with friends and there's a therapeutic element to it as well as a sense of solidarity. Do men do that? I really don't know.

This was (still is )a tough one, I think if all the semi naked women in advertising were to be replaced by men in g-strings / budgie smugglers (Tony Abbott in seductive pose across the bonnet of a Jaguar perhaps )
That would be noticed immediately I think
I remember when I was a sweet young thang ( maybe not so sweet) having men buy me a drink in a nightclub and then hit on me almost straight away or not even bother with the drink, I would say "No" and then suddenly I was a bitch or a slut or "prick teaser" maybe if women started hitting on any man they thought was attractive and then becoming abusive when turned down.?

CallieG - that happened to me really recently and I'm definitely not a sweet young thing these days. The man (well over 40 years old) called me a lesbian because for some reason I didn't want to sit with him and his drunk friends. Then he became even more repulsive. And I was so angry because I couldn't think of anything remotely witty to say, my friend and I just walked out. Grr.

Nice rebuttal of the 'ohthepoordivorcingmenzhavesuchashittime' post on the Facebook thread, Almondcakes!

where the woman boss strolls into the office, turns to the other woman boss in the office and jokes about how she is going to use a whip on the admin man to 'keep him inline' - in front of the man. While gesturing grandly in a sort of 'whipping manner' with her arms just to reinforce the point.

It just happened to me. I am of course 'the admin man' in reverse.

LordFocus.

noblegiraffe I have just cried with laughter at your post - so funny. Some of these responses are price less.

thanks uptoapoint - the trials of working in a very male dominated environment.

Lord focus that is shocking.

Male writers using myths as inspiration would be accused of not being original while female writers would not be questioned. Male writers would also feel that they must disguise the fact they are male by using a pseudonym or only initials in order to be taken seriously.

In a staffroom full of secondary school teachers (mostly men, only one woman), a new female teacher would be asked to pass a memo on to Dr Smith. The new woman teacher would, without thought or hesitation, pass the memo to the only other woman in the room (who, as it happens, is not Dr Smith).

Have you seen the video on youtube called "Oppressed Majority", a french film maker has done this thought exercise as

It shows everyday sexism, but with the gender reversal and it's very powerful to watch

At a movie premiere the female actors will be asked serious questions about their roles whilst the men are asked who they're wearing.

A man goes to drop off his partner's work suit at the dry cleaners and is asked for the ticket 'is that 'mr' or 'master'?' If he says 'neither, it's ms' he gets eye-rolled. Why isn't he proud of his family and his status as a husband?

You can buy 'masculine hygiene' products and men are encourage to cleanse their masculine areas and wear nappies at all times of the month so that they can get on with enjoying their lives without worrying about dampness and stains in their knickers, or embarrassing smells which will definitely be emerging from their masculine areas.

Following on from Doctor Two's post, comediennes hosting the Oscars would sing a 'funny' song called "We've seen your arse" over a graphic depiction of a gang rape of a man in a bar.

Hello - hope you don't mind but we've moved this to Mumsnet Classics now.

Brilliant thread, it made me think of the book Egalia's Daughters . It's an old classic from the 70s where the author portrays a society where the roles are reversed, mind boggling to read but it makes you realise how sexist our society really is.

I havmt read the whole thread but I was thinking of the op and it made me think of my situation a lone female working with men. I have been bullied, handed sexually explict magazines and adverts. Ive had to fight for five years to get a female changing room and a locker.

I thought have their been men in my position and I thought yes, a guy on the admin team who was the only male with a workforce of females, they made his life hell for a while. Caling him alsorts and talking about periods and stuff but in the end he was excepted, I on the other hand are still ousted by much of my males colleagues.

Working with men though I find that the way they talk to women making them feel sexually abuwed sometimes is how they talk to each other, the mens changing room is very sexually charged to find a better word. I guess it is all about power.

what does annoy me are the adverts on tv with extreme gender stereotypes, but the media pandering to them is so wrong.

I liked the new bread adverts lately with the single dads, but why are all the baby care adverts just have mums on, and saying mums pick our products etc etc.

I want to see men hoovering, females driving, men washing up.

Injured men would be left in excruciating agony for hours to see if they could 'push through it'. Any pain relief eventually administered would be given grudgingly at the lowest possible dosage and the man would be left full of guilt for being a wuss who couldn't do it properly.

Women would be generally expected to have insatiable sexual appetites and needs, while men who enjoyed sex would be seen as cheap trash.

The world envisioned by posters on this thread is a scarily uncaring place :(

I am sorely tempted to hire a white can and practice my best pick-up lines on the local builders though :o

Men would be bombarded with cures for imaginary ailments, particularly special yogurts for bloating.

Just been back to the Facebook link to this thread, and the worst of the "whataboutthemenz" posts seem to have vanished, thank goodness. But now there's the typical "naturemademenandwomendifferentsoweshouldn'fightit" crap.

Cheers Rowan!

Websites will be set up (and advertised on TV) so you could find and rate quality Tradeswomen!

(FFS - didn't it even occur to this company to use Tradespeople? Really?! I'll never use them.)