Hey Pandas, What Was Your First Experience With Sexism? (Closed)

I was raised in the country life. We always loved mud, dirt, hunting, and sports. Well, 8th grade we were playing kick ball. The boys made me be in the back of the line. I asked and one of them looked at me and said, "Because you're a girl and girls are not supposed to play sports," then he pointed to the preps, " Why not be like them, pretty, thin, girly, not like you". Then he turned around and said nothing else...so to prove my point i kicked him in the balls. Then I told him that I can play kick ball.

The first sexism I experienced was my mom and grandma telling me: "If you act and look like that no man will want you. If you don't learn how to cook or clean, how will you take care of your husband and kids?"
Well, I decided to dress how I like, look like I want, and never care what men that I don't even know had to say to me. I will be who I am and the right person will like me for just that.

My (female) teacher saying that I couldn't become an archaeologist because "digging in the dirt like an animal is something that only boys are worthy of doing" and "pretty little princesses" should do something more "worthwhile" like working with kids in nurseries.

I'm an archaeologist, go figure.

When I was about 7, I decided to try out for baseball. I spent about half an hour with my dad in the registration office, trying to explain I wanted to sign up for baseball, not softball. It was co-ed, not boys, and softball was co-ed too. Eventually, we just gave up and I did baseball at a different, more inclusive place. But I'll never forget that.

It's difficult to recall the first time, but I remember the time when my breasts just started growing, there was almost nothing there. Boys in my neighborhood surrounded me one day pointing at my mini breasts and laughed their bums off because they could see the contours through my T-shirt. I felt very embarrassed as if something was wrong with me and that I should hide my body.

In primary school grade 5, I was fed up with other children annoying me so I cried. A girl, then decided to tell me that men don't cry. Even then, that really pissed me off.

The first time something happened that actually registered as not just "that's mean" but "wait, that's sexist" was when I was on an academic quiz-bowl type team in high school. The coach would ALWAYS introduce the guys enthusiastically along with their specialties, like "There's Bob, he's our science guy. He knows everything about biology, chemistry, you name it. We can always count on Bob for the science questions!" And then he'd get to me, the only girl and also the team's math leader, and be like, "And this is A.M." very flatly. My dad noticed it and got mad about it long before I did - I didn't want to believe that was the reason until I noticed when a guy buzzed in and got it wrong he'd still smile and clap and say "Don't worry! You'll get it next time! Keep it up!" and if I did it he'd always get angry and say "For the love of... why are you buzzing in if you don't know the answer?! Just sit there and keep quiet if you don't know it!!!" And that's when I quit.

I was sleeping in class and when I woke up the boy next to me said “hey sleeping in class in only for boys” one year later I started getting my breasts and THE SAME BOY said “hey- want to go out? 0.1 seconds later he’s at the nurse with a broken nose 😎😅

When I didn't grow my chest as fast as all the other girls. I also didn't get my period "on time". Also when I cut off my long hair, I didn't look "girly" enough. Now i identify as non-binary and refuse to let people tell me what is expected of me because I'm a "girl".

A boy told me I swam like a girl but I was prepared for this so I replied "If you swam a little faster you would too. PS when we got time he was actually slower than me.

This happened when I was 10...
I slept in my class because I was very tired. I used to being bullied at past. When I sleep, the contour of the bra strap is really...visible :<
The girls who bullied me pulled on the bra strap and I woke with blush on my face.
"Mirai the busty girl...now you wear bra?"
"Hey, this deaf kid wears bra! So gross, yucky!"
They touched on my breasts too...

And i slapped them and ran in tears :v

"Can I have some strong boys to carry this?"
"Well, why can't I carry it?"
"Because boys are just stronger than girls."

An actual conversation I had with my teacher.

I remember that in my school, in the early grades, boys always hanged out with boys, and girls with girls. Classmates always mocked those that didn't abide by these unwritten rules

6th grade bra strap snapped daily until back bled principal boys will be boys. 7th boy touched my thigh in math class I told him to stop teacher gave me detention.

When I was younger I always liked colors that were labeled as “masculine”. Like orange, blue, red. Whenever I went to the dentist you would get a balloon. I would ask for a blue or red balloon. The nurses would always say, “Don’t you want a punk or purple balloon, sweetie?” My mom would yell at them and say “Let the kid have what she wants. Now I am a very girly girl who’s favorite color is still blue.

At McDonald's with my best friend when I was 5 or so and our moms both got us happy meals....he and his brothers all got hot wheels, I got a mini barbie... no one asked me...I was so upset that I walked up to the counter and asked for a hot wheel instead. They told me no! So I explained to my mom that I wanted to play with friend and his brothers; she got it straightened out for my five year old self...... little did I know this was just the beginning

When I was in 4th grade, I wanted to play the trumpet. My dad didn’t really want me to. He knew I would be awful, and it would be suuupppppeeerrrrrrr loud. When I asked why he didn’t want me to play trumpet, his excuse was “it’s a boys instrument”. I swear, he isn’t a sexist person, it was just a dumb excuse that he probably regrets. Anyways, I still played, and it was awful. I was terrible. And, I was literally so bad that the band teachers told me not to ACTUALLY play in the concert but to just pretend. Oh well

I started puberty quite early. By the time I was in 5th grade, I wore C cups. The boys in my class were ALWAYS looking at my boobs. Because of that, I started to hide in oversized hoodies.

I also used to wear low-rise jeans a lot because I thought they were comfortable. Kid undies are ALWAYS super bright and colorful, so whenever my shirt didn't cover the tops of them, boys would stare and make inappropriate comments.

I am just getting to the age where women start to be sexualized more. I remember the first time I got catcalled, I was walking down the street to my house, and this car drove by and honked at me. It startled me, and I was too scared to talk about it. Since then I have been catcalled a few other times. I also have been stared at a lot by men, who will immediately look away the moment I notice them staring. Also, one time me and my friend were on a walk, and a man started to follow us, until we ran into this random person's yard who was working on their porch.

This is disgusting, I am 14. I am a child, and plenty of people have it worse than I do.

Any office job I've had. When a man is interviewing an attractive woman, but the other applicants are more than capable, guess who gets the job? Every time. EVERY TIME.