Here are a handful of things a woman might do that could get her labeled as “difficult”:
- Refuse to smile when someone tells her she would look prettier that way
- Ask for what she wants
- Insist on equal treatment
- Express an unpopular opinion (or even a popular one in the wrong company)
- Say she isn’t interested in sex at the moment
- Request help around the house or with the children
- Believe it should be her body and her choice
- Put herself first or make herself a priority
- Know her worth
- Expect appropriate acknowledgment and compensation for a job well done
- Go against social norms, especially regarding appearance, career choice, or motherhood
- Exhibit her anger, disappointment, or sadness
- Call herself a feminist
- Clap back against a cat call or other uninvited advance from an unknown male
There are, I’m certain, many other things a woman might do that could get her branded as difficult. It’s not just men who would label a self-assured or successful woman difficult. Sometimes women will cast other women in that same light because they are so accustomed to societal norms they don’t see the inherent sexism in them.
I have been labeled difficult plenty of times. It used to bother me. Now I simply see it as my duty. I’m not saying we need to smash the patriarchy to smithereens, but I think we’d do a lot better as a species if we allowed the world to become more balanced. Too much of any one thing is never a good idea, especially if that one thing is testosterone.
Live Now and Zen 