“Women, Right?” — Yet Another Misogynistic Comment in Portugal
In the middle of 2024, sexism continues with its micro-aggressions. It’s more than time we sent it to hell
Last Sunday, I went for a long walk with my husband on one of the most famous boardwalks in my country.
We were well equipped, wearing shorts, t-shirts, hats to shield ourselves from the sun, appropriate sneakers, and eager to tackle the route. For my husband, it was his first time, but for me, it was the third, so I knew the ins and outs of the place quite well.
I could almost say I was an expert on that trail, having made the round trip of over twenty kilometers in one afternoon, climbing stairs, walking up and down mountains, breathing fresh air, stretching my legs, and climbing over 700 degrees of stairs.
Last Sunday, even though I knew what to expect, I was excited and joyful because it would be the first time I did that path alongside my husband.
But yet again, as it seems joys in this country don’t last long, we hadn’t even started yet when the security guard at the entrance checking tickets promptly managed to anger me and ruin the morning with his sexist and misogynistic behavior.
Just imagine this: I had bought the tickets online, gone through the whole process, and even airdropped them to my husband… I work online, write online, know how to work with various computer systems and applications… I know all of that, yet I still don’t know how to deal with misogyny.
So, just before entering, with the phone in my hands, I started looking for the file with the tickets. By this time, my husband, who had opened them, innocently said, “I already have them here.”
Then the man — whose profession doesn’t reveal extreme intelligence either, as all he has to do is ‘beep’ a machine and say ‘enjoy your walk’ — still felt the need to make the typical stupid comment.
Turning to my husband and seeking his supposed normal blessing, he said boastfully, “Women, right?” or as if to say, “Women don’t know anything about technology, right?” or “Women, how stupid are they, right?
As life has been giving me less shame, I managed not to stay silent. I gave him a stern look and authoritatively said, furrowing my brow and retorting loudly, “I’m the one who actually took care of everything!”
My husband, thankfully an ally, quickly added, “Nothing to do with that; she took care of it all.”
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