Here Are Some Phrases All Women Should Memorize To Take Less Sh*t

Women need to take less shit, and this viral tweet is here to help

In just about every setting, a woman is potentially up against some challenging behavior. At work, we can be interrupted and minimized. On the street, we’re fodder for every man with a voice box and no home training. It’s exhausting. So one woman decided to make a list of phrases all women should practice to rebut some of these annoying interactions.

The items on the list are: “You interrupted me. I’m not finished talking,” “no,” “that isn’t funny,” “that isn’t appropriate,” “I already know that,” “that won’t be necessary, “leave me alone,” “you’re making me uncomfortable,” and “stop ignoring what I’m saying.”

Twitter user @vegby shared the list last week, and it’s already been retweeted more than 100,000 times and liked almost 300,000 times. Chrissy Teigen shared the list, and lots of women chimed in about how it was making them feel.

https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/931196346786353154

https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/931223019690909696

And just because our point always has to be proven, on the original thread men immediately showed up to contest the contents of the tweet, and mansplain why even such a list existing was somehow reverse sexism. Spoiler alert: reverse sexism is not a thing.

No. No it doesn’t.

“Putting you off” is the point.

Of course you do.

This is a case of spectacularly missing the point.

Women can’t even make a sorely needed list without some men showing up and making it about them. This is the point. This is why these reminders are so needed.

The most frustrating thing about this list is the fact that we all know how these responses would be received at work, by men. Not well. But this is a good reminder that this discomfort is something a lot of us feel. Print out the tweet and shove it in your work bag if necessary. Look at it as a reminder that you’re allowed to respond to these types of interactions earnestly. Then the next time your co-worker makes that ridiculously sexist joke, try one on for size.

“That isn’t funny.”