Why Women Can’t Win

Damned if we do, damned if we don’t

Lauri Carpentier

6 min read

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1 hour ago

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A while ago I wrote a story about this guy I barely knew texting me to check if I was open to cheating on my partner. Check it out here if you want the full story.

The texts themselves were actually not the point at all. Rather, they were a segue for me to start musing on how kindness from women is often perceived by men as sexual interest, instead of just generic kindness. This thought made me sad, and so naturally, I started to reflect on the why of it all and wrote about it.

But clearly the actual point of my article was not of interest to quite a few readers, as quickly became clear in its comment section.

The assumptions I had to deal with were once again rip-out-your-hair-and-eat-the-clumps fantastic. As an opinionated woman who writes about feminist topics, I’m never surprised to get my share of misogynist comments. It’s part of the deal. It’s proof we have to stay vocal.

And contrary to the belief of some readers that I only write to ‘whine’ about my experience as a woman and I myself am to blame for everything that happens to me, I try to use my experience to distill larger truths about society and hopefully spark some productive reflection.

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