Getting to a point of change takes a lot of things. A sprinkle of self-doubt, a dash of willingness, and a huge cup of self-awareness.
It was these moments of realization that helped these 19 men change their creepy behavior towards women. We’re talking stalking, being too forward, and being stuck in delusion.
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Come learn exactly what was the tipping point for them.
The sobriety
Getting sober helped this one guy realize that he had been objectifying women since he was a child.
This stemmed from being exposed to sex at such a young age. As a result, he thought all relationships were supposed to be like what we see in movies and on TV.
The awakening
“Hearing women complain and thinking ‘oh [expletive], I’ve done that.’ Seriously has helped me improve a lot of things.” – u/ jmn242
The grand moment of realization
This one guy had a girl who was super into him, but he wasn’t interested. When he started thinking about dating her anyways, it clicked for him that it’s not a good idea to say yes to a relationship just because someone likes you.
The hindsight
“In middle school, I was a mid-puberty, horniness-stricken, little perv. I didn’t do a good job of concealing it either, I would always get really close to my one friend because I liked her at the time and looking back it was so wrong to do. It took me looking at what they were thinking and how my behavior affected them to really stop being creepy.” – u/ user1one-
The professionalism
In his old job, this Redditor admitted to mistaking offers of friendship and work colleague status for actual interest. This caused him to act unprofessionally to certain female colleagues.
He finally changed his ways with self-awareness and working with a company that doesn’t tolerate that behavior.
The circle change
“Talking to women, becoming friends with women, changing my circle of friends, growing up, learning empathy, and the final nail in the coffin was sobriety.” – u/ ruberusmaximus
The breakup
It took a bad breakup for this Redditor to change their creepy ways. They called their ex all the time and even threatened to kill themselves.
Finally, she left him a voicemail of her crying, begging him to stop. That was the turning point; he realized that he had become evil and toxic.
The nervous laughter
“They aren’t laughing because I’m funny, they’re laughing because they’re scared.” – u/ kirixen .
Sadly, many girls nail down this “nervous laughter” around men at an early age.
The #MeToo Movement
This Redditor didn’t think much of his actions being too forward until he went to college and realized how many girls get sexually assaulted. The #MeToo Movement helped him learn just how prevalent this issue is and how women deserve respect.
The sisters
“I have five sisters, and hearing them talk about something creepy a guy did really made me check my own actions. Also, I think a lot of us were just hormonal teenagers with a typical, insane libido. Getting called out normally works.” – u/deleted
The call-out
“Being called out. Directly and specifically. I had absolutely no idea that there was anything off about my behavior. I thought nobody was picking up on how horny I was. I thought nobody knew. I thought I was smooth AF.” – u/ Ohigetjokes
The all-boys school
Going to an all-boys high school left this Redditor very behind in how to talk and act around girls.
When he went to a normal college and started making friends with girls, they were able to correct his behavior.
The growth spurt
“Honestly, I just grew up. When I was in high school and hormonal, it was hard to see that what I was doing was problematic. With the gift of hindsight, I can see now how wrong I was.” – u/ ColdJackfruit485
The fly on the wall
You can gain a lot by just listening. By being a fly on the wall when women talked about the creepy stuff men do, this Redditor learned a lot about what women view as creepy behavior.
The attention
“I realised attention is not always wanted when I got attention from a girl I hated. She didn’t seem to understand I didn’t like her. At all. But it made me realise that the girl I was chasing probably felt the same way.” – u/ buffalooo27
The religion
“I left religion, which also made me reassess my worldview. My religion was incredibly misogynistic and the culture around it really hammered that home. Only after leaving did I start to view women as equals and subsequently my behavior changed with it.” – u/ comik300
The depression
This Redditor was severely depressed when he was convinced that the girl he was interested in liked him back.
It wasn’t until he worked on this depression and the fog started to clear that he was able to see how creepy he had been acting.
The marriage
“I got married. Permanently no longer considered creepy due to being approved of by someone. Being in a relationship is enough for me to apparently go from ‘creepy’ to ‘quirky.’
I have not changed in the slightest.” – u/ engineertr1gg
The fear
This Redditor changed their creepy ways when they realized that women genuinely fear for their safety in the presence of a larger, stronger male. “Being angry, aggressive and pushy truly does not accomplish anything. More than anything it sends them into fight or flight mode real quick and renders any meaningful interaction next to impossible.”
H/T: Reddit
