Because I’m a woman, I:

- was sexually assaulted by a boyfriend

- told to shut up (and often by other women who were trying to impress men. sigh.)

- told that I should lose weight and wear make up

Fortunately, I grew up in a family and acommunity that valued smart girls and encouraged us academically as well as in sports. For all the community’s faults (um, like being totally racist and semi-anti-Semetic), sexism never influenced me directly as a young girl. So I’m pretty lucky, and I have feminism and other women to thank for that.

-told by a teacher in high school that I had to choose between getting married & having babies or college as I wouldn’t be “pretty enough” after all that book learnin’

-narrowly avoided a date rape in high school – didn’t get so lucky in college

-called a slut

-called a whore

-called a stupid cunt

-called all of the above by a man I was married to

-verbally & emotionally abused by my ex-husband

-held at knifepoint by my ex-husband who told me he would kill me before he would let me leave him

-during a performance review as a reporter, had an male editor tell me I should “smile more” -wondered if that was a job requirement for the male reporters as well

-worked night shift as a reporter, told it was based on senority, complained when new male hire was not put on rotation

-in a different profession, had an older male client leap on top of me as I sat on the couch in his office -”Finally, we are alone” he said – I managed to wedge my briefcase in between us.

-have had multiple clients speak exclusively to my male counterpart

POSITIVES

-my mother always told me I could do or be whatever I wanted and to never let anyone tell me otherwise.

This is really an incredible thing going on here.

It breaks my heart all of these burdens we’ve had to endure and carry.

But I find this exercise liberating. Heart breaking, but breaking the silence is liberating. For me anyways.

Amazing women here.

1. physically beaten and mentally abused by my ex-husband
2. fired from job (where ex-husband and I both worked for the same employer) because the ex-husband kicked a hole in the wall at the office
3. paid less than a man for the same job
4. paid less than a man I supervised
5. had an employer lie to others on staff about why I landed a job — he claimed it was because I had performed a sexual favor (which I HAD NOT) — I did not learn of this until I had been working there for a year. No wonder all the other men wanted to “ask me out.”
6. Hit on bu supervisors
7. Told I would get further if I was a blonde
8. Told to lose weight to keep a job
9. Told I wasn’t up to covering certain stories during my decade as a reporter because it would be too upsetting for a “girl”

Need I go on?

I had a high school gym teacher apologize for judging me when he found out I was valedictorian.

Surprised people when they didn’t believe I am a purple belt in Kempo Karate (perhaps a demonstration?).

I can’t compete with some of the things you ladies have gone through, but I know I don’t have to because these battles were fought for all of us.

Thanks everyone.

I thought I was just comfortable in my own skin and feel no need to impress anybody.

My list
* raped and sodomised by my natural father
* ignored by my step father because anything with a vagina is not important for anything except cooking, cleaning and sex.
* treated like crap in school for being smarter than the boys
*passed over numerous times for recgognition in school while boys with much lower score were commended
* told by the advisor at school that even with honours in all classes but maths, I would never amount to anything, uni was a waste of time and I should go have a baby (it was a girl and I was 16!)
*fired for being pregnant
*denied promotions and pay rises that were given to men with less experience who worked a crapload less hours than I did
* drugged and raped 3 times by so called male friend (who hubby will kill if he ever sees him again)
*been accused of being slut all my life cause I never had friends who were girls. All my friends were boys. I was considered promiscuous for years and I was still a virgin.
*told i had no right to wear a white wedding dress unless I was a virgin.
*accused of trapping my husband into marrying me by getting pregnant. (engaged for 4 YEARS and was 5 MONTHS preggers on wedding day. you do the math…. fucking long pregnancy no?)
*belittled for having any ideas outside of the cooking and cleaning.
*told I am a worthless succubus because I am a stay home mum. I work 24/7/365. And I adore my kids and my hubby (who is the only male in my life who sees me, appreciates me, lifts me up and cheers me. He has also got my back 24/7/3665

been raped and beaten by three of my “friends”
raped by my husband
been blamed for my husband cheating on me
told my education was worthless (by said husband)
called a cunt
called a whore
told that I was a miserable mother
been passed over for a promotin because the guy wanted to hire his frat brother (so not kidding there)
told that I was a miserable person in bed
that I was a fucking fat slob *three weeks after my child was born*
forced into a swinging relationship
had naked pictures taken by my husband and put online without my knowledge

and you know what? that “husband” is now the EX-HUSBAND!!
At least I had the backbone to leave the mother fucker!!!

…been told by a male gynecologist (last time I EVER used a male gynecologist!), when I was a virginal 16, to “Stop wimpering. The speculum is not that big and it doesn’t hurt that much.” Umm…how the f*ck would he know??