As a culture, we’ve come a long way from the old Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus assumption that the binary genders are just too different to ever understand each other.
And yet even as our understanding of the gender spectrum grows and our vocabulary becomes more adept at communicating about these things, there is still a lot men and women don’t know about each other. That’s probably why #WhatMenDontKnowAboutWomen got so much traction on Twitter.
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Let’s start with an important one.
I mean, everyone should know this by now, but considering the state of most women’s dating app inboxes, this can’t be repeated too many times.
Sending a pic of your junk to someone who didn’t ask for it is sexual harassment. Don’t do it.
And really, do you want that pic out there for anyone to see?
While I don’t condone revenge porn, when someone sends you a pic of their naughty bits unsolicited, then perhaps they deserve a bit of humiliation, even if it’s just a phone being passed around at brunch to cause giggling.
Grand gestures are nice, but don’t forget the little things.
Social media and romantic comedies tend to promote the big, romantic moment, the surprise proposal or the over-the-top, rented out the whole restaurant, date.
But what they forget is that the little, day-to-day gestures can mean so much more.
Girls can be total geeks too.
The “fake geek girl” complaint has always confused me, since it seems like a lot of work to create an awesome cosplay outfit or read all of the Star Wars Extended Universe books (new and old) just to land a guy who is going to expect you to prove your geek knowledge before having a conversation.
The Pink Tax is a thing!
We all may laugh at how women’s beauty and hygiene products seem to outnumber men’s 100-to-1, but they also cost more than that all-in-one shampoo/conditioner/body wash.
It’s perfectly okay to realize you like how that pomegranate hydrating shampoo makes your hair silky and smell nice, but if you want to share, then you’re gonna have to share the costs too.
What do we want? POCKETS.
“But that’s what purses are for, aren’t they?” people often counter, and sure, purses are handy that way.
But I don’t want to always have to carry one or borrow a pair of my partner’s baggy cargo pants just so that I can stash my keys, phone, and poop bags when walking the dogs around the block.
This is a generalization, but is good to remember nonetheless.
Not everything is a quick fix and often it’s better to let the person vent, listen carefully, and then simply ask them if there is anything you can do.
Often, it may be that the listening was enough.
Some men also chimed in with their knowledge.
If you use the term “friend zone” to describe your relationship with a woman (or man), then you probably aren’t actually friends with the person.
A true friend wouldn’t need a term to complain about how someone enjoys their company but isn’t interested in sleeping with them.
See also: women get rejected all the time too.
I don’t know where the assumption that anyone with boobs can just crook a finger and have whatever man she wants came from, but it’s not reality.
Nagging sucks for everyone.
This often falls under the heading “emotional labor” in think pieces. Having to keep track of everyone’s tasks and “assign” them is exhausting.
And if you’re asked, don’t just say “I’ll get to it.” Give a firm timeline, like: “Okay. Just let me finish this first.”
You had to know periods would come up.
See also: birth control. Just because a woman is on the pill doesn’t mean she’s looking for sex.
Many women go on it because it can alleviate many of the worst period symptoms and make that week bearable.
We mean it: periods seriously suck.
This is also why you should never, ever question the amount of toilet paper a woman uses for each visit to the bathroom. Let her use what she needs.
If you ask, maybe she’ll want to watch with you.
Many women are open to the idea of watching porn and many aren’t. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know.
Also, when someone is mad about finding their partner’s secret porn stash, it’s often less about the porn than it is about the secret.
You may derisively call it “Chick Lit” but you’d be surprised at what’s hidden in those pages.
Of course, not all “Chick Lit” is smutty, but there’s a wide spectrum from “fade to black” to “bodice rippers”.
This guy’s a keeper.
Really, if she’s willing to take off her bra around you just to be comfortable, you’ve probably earned a lot of trust already.
Bonus points if she just whips the bra out through a sleeve and tosses it on the back of the couch.
