Sexist bullshit I’ve overheard at Michigan
From the comically clueless to the downright infuriating
Tuesday was International Women’s Day, an event that got a lot of people talking about feminism and gender equality. We’ve come pretty far in our nation’s history in terms of how women are treated (I voted this week, #womenssuffrage), but, at times, my experience at Michigan has made me think we still have a ways to go. Guys, take notes. Here are some things you should never say to a female wolverine…or just never say, period.
‘I just want to get girls drunk and have sex with them.’
Might as well start off with a bang, right? This was shouted by one extremely inebriated gentleman standing next to me at my very first Michigan football game. I was a high school student at the time spending the day on campus while I decided whether Umich was the place for me, and this interaction gave me some serious second thoughts.
‘She must be on her period or something.’
About a female bouncer who yelled at a dude for trying to sneak in around her, and got a little irritated trying to control the line. She was probably just salty about making 21% less than the dude next to her.
‘IOE is like the easier version of engineering. If you meet a girl that says she’s in engineering, she’s probably in IOE.’
The dude had the cojones to say this to me at a party I was hosting, within earshot of a group of female engineers. First of all, I’m pretty sure engineering and easy are words that should never be placed in the same sentence, and secondly, what?
‘A girl who likes beer is one of two things: a slut or a liar.’
A quote from a delightful frat guy thrown my way while I was sipping on a Coors Light, who then proceeded to ask if I would prefer a Smirnoff Ice. Beer has no gender, you guys, it’s delicious no matter who’s drinking it.
‘I don’t date Michigan girls because they all want to work after college. Maybe it’s controversial, but I really just want a girl who will cook and clean for me.’
The absolute icing on the cake of my experience with sexism. The guy in question went on a rant about what he was looking for in a wife — namely, that she was a good cook and didn’t have any radical career ambitions — while we were waiting in line for the bathroom at a tailgate. I didn’t stick around long for the backlash because damn I had to pee, but I heard my Michigan ladies in the crowd throw out some strong words in response.
‘Any of you thots want to come inside?’
Thot: noun; acronym meaning “that hoe over there.” Yelled at my friends and I walking by a group of guys hanging out on their porch. I flipped them the bird and kept walking, because sometimes you just have to ignore the haters and keep doing your thing.
These are some of my experiences, but we’d love to hear yours! Drop some of your most ridiculous sexist quotes in the comments or share them along with this story and join the conversation about what it’s like to be a woman at Michigan.