Ladies, if you are being objectified, either bluntly or sneakily, or otherwise belittled or treated differently/seen as less intelligent/less repected etc as your makeup or dressing changes, how do you best combat it? Do you take the clap back harder approach? Ignore for a while? Laugh along and talk to him later? Stare in his eyes and say something that completely ruins the vibe of the meeting? Stories welcome 🙂
What’s the best way to shut down objectivation?
r/AskWomen
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“Can you repeat that?”
Or pause for about 20 seconds and slowly repeat what they said in the form of a question.
Both make people really nervous.
I do the “disappointed mum” look, apparently I do it on instinct. You don’t say anything, just give them a look that says “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed” and remind them of their mothers. It’s great if you’re non-confrontational but still want to make a point that what they did was wrong, and I’ve gotten a couple apologies out of it too.
When I was younger, I was way too timid, and often, when demeaned either advertently or inadvertently, I kept silent or would’ve changed subject or just pretended like it hadn’t offended me.
But now, in my 30s, having read a lot of books about women psychology and psychology of people generally I always try to answer with proper tactics.
In this case, I would let the person know by objectifying back with a point, not always the person from whom originated but enough to the point that something is taken or could’ve been taken as offensive. So, to let him or them know their mistake and to feel back on their skin or their mistake.
If you just get angry and start arguing, it may be worse than just keep silent about something that offended you. So speak and tell indirectly and subtly that your feelings were hurt.