31 Times Sexists Tried To Explain Women But Embarrassing Themselves

In that article, she pointed out how society tends to reward women who are pleasant and agreeable—but not the ones who speak up and make others uncomfortable. We need more of the latter.

“I’m not talking about being rude, thoughtless, obnoxious or a diva,” Lewis says. To her, difficult means complicated.

“Most of us are more than one thing; no one is pure; everyone is ‘problematic’. Look back at early feminists and you will find women with views that are unpalatable to their modern sisters. You will find women with views that were unpalatable to their contemporaries. They were awkward and wrong-headed and obstinate and sometimes downright odd—and that helped them to defy the expectations placed on them,” she believes.

To me, that message isn’t just provocative, it’s empowering. It makes me want to get up, be loud, and push for change. It makes me want to call things out, even when it’s uncomfortable. And I think that’s exactly the kind of energy we need to carry forward.

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