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When God created earth, she made sure to give women enough strength to fight for their rights. You might have noticed I didn't say "he." And that, right there, was a very deliberate act of micro-feminism.
It's a term that's become popular in recent years, as women all over take control with small but meaningful acts of resistance that laugh in the face of toxic masculinity, sexism and gender inequality. Many women have caught onto the fact that a little can go a long way. And instead of big shows of defiance, they're adding daily dashes of micro-feminism to their ammunition.
From holding the door open for a man, to using "she" when the gender of a person in power is not known, to refusing to move out of the way when a guy is in their path, women have been sharing the clever ways they support each other while schooling those that need to be taught.
Bored Panda has put together a list of the best acts of micro-feminism shared by people online. Keep scrolling, upvote your favorites, and feel free to add your own ideas in the comments section below.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
When I shake hands with men I act surprised and comment on their firm handshakes.
My husband does my favorite though. He’s a pretty typical looking manly guy but I handle all the car stuff. Sometimes he’ll take the car for an oil change and when they try to upsell he’ll tell them “oh my wife just ordered filters - she’ll change them.” Or “my wife changed the spark plugs a few months ago, they’re good.” Or “oh I don’t know, I’d have to ask my wife she knows more about cars.” He says their reactions are priceless.
Nota Robot 2 days ago
Close to twenty years ago, I worked in a team consisting mostly of women, one of whom had just bought a new car. All the ladies were talking horsepower, mileage, engines and whatever, I was being unusually quiet. Noticing this, the car owner smiled at me and said: "a blue one", which I immediately agreed is a nice colour.
We've come a long way in our fight for gender equality. But there's still a lot of work to be done. Instead of huge displays of resistance to push feminist ideals, many women are engaging in small acts that, together, can make a big change. These little actions are known as micro-feminisms. And the idea has been trending recently.
Last year, a woman called Ashley Chaney went viral on TikTok after revealing that she always addresses the women first whenever she emails a team. Her video opened the floodgates for others to share their own ways of choosing to empower girls—while, no doubt, annoying some guys.
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#2
Every time a man interrupts me I interrupt him back and firmly say "I wasn't done talking"
not sure if that counts as micro but they are very shocked every time they immediately get interrupted back. Acting like they didn't just f*****g interrupt ME lmao.
#3
If I’m in a group and a man repeats what a woman said like it’s his idea, I’ll say, “Yes! Just like *she* said ” or something like that.
"Examples of microfeminism include directing questions toward the women in the room first, not yielding to men on sidewalks and instead expecting that they yield to you, or referring to CEOs as 'she' first," explains The Everygirl founder Emma Ginsberg.
Acts of micro-feminism are considered low risk because they're unlikely to cost people their jobs or create "major backlash" like big forceful shows of feminism might. "It's effective and gentle, and I hope it will encourage others to see bias," says Alice Rose, a gender and psychology researcher from the University of South Australia's Centre for Workplace Excellence.
#4
I’ve taught my sons to clear the table at big family-in-law dinners and help in the kitchen. I also throw shade at my husband if he doesn’t get up off his a*s. The best part is when it’s a small dinner, my father in law will be sitting there alone with no one to talk to.
General Anaesthesia 2 days ago
This had me falling off my chair and then wiping the coffee off my monitor.
#5
When a man looses his temper at work I always say “you’re so emotional “.
#6
When making presentations at work I always use images of women for engineers, scientists, construction workers, etc. I try to use no images of men at all.
Riley Quinn 2 days ago
This is so important. Unless young girls see themselves represented they won't consider it a viable route to education/profession.
Rose believes it's important that these micro acts remain just that: micro. "Anything too big of a push back could attract negative attention [for an individual]—we don't want that," the expert told ABC News. "There needs to be changes at a systemic level, they need to be done by people in groups, so people can stay safe while these goals are being achieved."
An assistant professor at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, Danna Abraham, says she too has embraced micro-feminism as a form of defiance. One of the ways she does this is by hardly saying sorry. It might seem strange, but Abraham explains that one of the most noticeable manifestations of gender bias is how often women apologize, and a lot of the time, they don't need to.
#7
Offer to take pictures of moms and kids and just moms. When my mom died, there weren't many recent photos of her because she was always the one taking the pictures.
Brian Droste 2 days ago
I have a older female friend like that. She was always the one taking pictures so she is hardly in family pictures. One time she was taking pictures of some friends or family. I remembred that. I told her to get in the picture and I will take the picture of them. So I did.
#8
Okay mine is kinda lame compared to the other ones. But I write novels with great female characters who will not take s**t from men 🤷🏻♀️.
#9
"I went to see the doctor today"
"Oh yeah, what did she say?".
Zaach 2 days ago
All my PCP are women; I was with one doctor for 20 years then she retired (:-); The next doctor should not have accepted me as a patient as she retired within 6 months, the 3rd doctor moved to San Fran with her husband. So I looked through the list of available doctors and chose one who was so new that she did not even have her picture up yet - great decision!
"I’ve noticed a pattern among female colleagues and students: an inclination to apologize for things that don’t warrant an apology. In a study by Schumann and Ross (2010), the authors found that men apologize less frequently than women, even when confronted with similar offenses. This behavior highlights how societal norms and expectations can differ based on gender," she says. "Challenging these norms, even in small ways, can be a form of resistance."
Abraham suggests that before women start an email or a conversation by saying, “I’m sorry,” they ask themselves: Is an apology warranted?
#11
I teach and if my kids say 'policemen' or 'firemen' by default, i explain to them why 'police officers' or 'firefighters' should be used instead. I also gently correct any stereotypes that come up (e.g. if someone says 'boys shouldn't cry', i'll explain that we're all human and it's perfectly natural and healthy to cry when upset). I hope these little lessons stick, even if it's in small ways!
#12
At trivia, whenever there’s a question about sports and doesn’t reference a specific league, I’ll ask if it’s men or women’s sport instead of assuming that he’s talking about the men’s league.
Abraham also makes a point of reclaiming her space in the world. "It’s said that one of the aims of patriarchy is to reduce women to nothingness," she explained. The expert says visual displays of patriarchy happen in broad daylight. All the time.
"In a crowded public space, I noted who gave the right of way when women and men approached each other. My findings were unsurprising: 99% of women moved out of the way to give men the right of way," said Abraham. "Since then, I’ve committed to never moving out of my way when walking in public spaces. Of course, I’m still courteous to people, but I refuse to let others claim my space."
#14
In group settings at work i always ask men to take the notes.
Pandemonium 2 days ago
When I see a woman asked to take meeting notes or handle an admin task, I'll say, "why don't you let me do that?" Dudes can be microfeminists too.
#15
* Playing “Patriarchy Chicken” when walking in public places.
* Firmly asserting my space on airplanes when a rando next to me tries manspreading.
* Continuing to speak when a man tries interrupting me — I act as if I can’t even hear him — and taking my time to finish what I was saying.
* Always addressing envelopes with the woman’s name first when sending cards, etc.
* When at gatherings such as holiday parties, I don’t drift off to the kitchen or go into automatic service mode for the men.
Experts argue that deploying acts of micro-feminism can actually help you—and others—at work. Professor emerita at RMIT's College of Business and Law, Sara Charlesworth, says one way to do this is by recognizing there are women in a room and making sure they feel heard.
Using micro-feminism to draw attention to inequality or sexism in the workplace can also help highlight the issues for those who may not be aware, she adds.
#16
I don't smile/laugh at inappropriate jokes (often by older) men make. They usually are surprised and start explaining the joke and in doing that confronting how inappropriate it just is.
I think this does 2 things:
- have them think about the subject of the joke itself
- shakes their confidence. And probably they start thinking more before they speak.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 2 days ago
“I’m sorry, I don’t really get it. Can you explain to me what’s funny about that?”
#17
Dude who was taking care of my dog now and again was rather sexist and condescending, so I stopped going to him and sent him a message explaining exactly why. Caused quite an inconvenience for me but I had to stand on principle.
Gavin Johnson 2 days ago
Can’t fault this, everyone is entitled to choose how they spend their money and the criteria can be whatever you need them to be. Sexist person? Nope, you don’t get the work.
#18
Ms
I am 'Ms' irrespective of my marital status and have been since my late teens.
Igor914624 2 days ago
I have always addressed correspondence with "Ms" unless told otherwise by the recipient. It is just polite.
Meanwhile, Rose says that engaging in acts of micro-feminism is an opportunity to meet the three basic psychological needs of Self-Determination Theory: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
"Acts of micro-feminism are a chance to exercise autonomy, build up confidence to be assertive and call things out, which leads to self-efficacy, and when you're supporting others in the workplace by speaking up on behalf of each other, that increases relatedness," the expert explains.
#19
I like to tell guys that I like their top.
#20
If anyone judges me for getting medical advice from the internet I remind them that women weren’t included in medical trials until the late 1990s.
I have filled my brain with feminist facts.
#21
When I’m out at a party always looking out for girls who are alone. One time I clocked this girl who was standing by herself and didn’t look comfortable so I talked to her and brought her to my group of friends. We need to look out for each other 100%.
Ginsberg believes that microfeminism is especially beneficial for those who want to engage with feminism, but find it dangerous, intimidating, or straight-up unrealistic to do so in a large-scale way.
"If you don’t want to post online, join protests, or run for office, microfeminist acts will be the bread and butter of your feminism," she says, adding that these actions plant seeds for broader justice for women from the ground up.
"After all, a single action, like telling a male coworker to not interrupt a woman while she is speaking, can shift that person’s actions for years to come," explains Ginsberg. "Reminding yourself and others that fighting systemic sexism starts on a person-to-person level is essential because it’s what sparks hard conversations."
Keep scrolling for some of Ginsberg's micro-feminism ideas...
#22
Wherever I get a cold, I go upstairs to bed without giving my husband a heads up for doing chores first. Just like- oh man time to rest. And I come down when I feel like it. Works for him, so now it works for me.
#23
I hand the man the to go box to package up their food and not the woman at the table. It's almost funny how befuddled some men get.
#24
If a man proudly asserts that he did something that women do every f*****g day as a matter of course (childcare, meal preparation, laundry) I exclaim " Way to go! Just like a Big Boy! Good for you!"
If any man around me refers to household chores as "helping" I say "you meant 'taking care of my living space like a grown a*s man, right?'".
Ginsberg says there are many ways you can incorporate micro-feminism into your daily life. For example, if a man interrupts you or another woman, interrupt them back, or simply continue speaking, call out men who take credit for a woman’s idea, don’t step to the side when approaching men on the sidewalk, ask for people’s pronouns when you meet them, address women in the room before men, if you have nothing to apologize for, don’t immediately say “sorry,” put a woman’s name before a man’s, or refer to a couple as “wife and husband,” and since “guys” is often used as a gender-neutral term, use “girlies” gender-neutrally, as well.
#25
Not a woman but it irritates me to no end when one of the first things people say about my partner(wife) is how pretty she is.
I’ll using reply back with something like “their name, is really smart and funny too.” She is really pretty but that’s not why I decided to spend my life with her.
I also just introduce her by name. She’s a person not a possession and our relationship status and its social title is not a defining attribute.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 2 days ago
It always bothers me when men say “my wife” all the time and never use her name.
#26
Getting my tubes removed at age 30. I'm not playing games with that s**t.
Lin the Ninja 1 day ago
You're better off with the Mirena coil (or any hormonal coil). Risks of accidental pregnancy are much smaller and you can cut a few years off your menopause, which is another one of life's cruel punishments for being nature's default baby maker...
#27
Tell a man “he’s brave” for sharing his opinion, especially when it’s mediocre.
#28
This is really minor, but when talking to children about nature, I use she as the default pronoun. That dragonfly is so fast, where do you think she's going? I saw a raccoon outside, how far away do you think she lives? Etc, etc.
Mel in Georgia 2 days ago
I love this. It's a subtle way to let children know that nature is full of "shes!"
#30
Never moving on a sidewalk if a man is in my path.
Sally Moen 2 days ago
The point isn't to be rude, but to match energy of the man barreling towards you, expecting you to melt away from his space because his time is so very valuable and he need not consider others. Obviously decorum and politeness rule. Just don't be a doormat
#31
When writing letters to married couples I always put the woman’s name first.
nottheactualphoto 2 days ago
I was taught to do that for purely practical reasons. The wife may or may not have changed her name, but it's usually a safe bet that the husband didn't. So, "Betty and Bill Smith," not "Bill and Betty Smith."
#32
I work as a tutor and whenever I call a family to make the first appointment with the student, I always call dad's number. It's funny when they try to remember their kid's schedule and figure out if Mondays at 3 will indeed work for them.
#33
I won’t let the people around me refer to grown women as “girls.”
“But what about someone that’s like 20! Isn’t it weird to call them a woman?” If it’s that hard for you, the phrase “young lady” goes a long way. But there is no reason for you to say “there was a girl in the restaurant earlier” and be referring to a 40 year old woman. You don’t refer to men as “boys,” and for good reason.
“But with boys/men you can also use the phrase guy and there isn’t a female equivalent” okay too bad stop infantilizing women because words make you uncomfortable!!
LooseSeal's $10 Banana 3 days ago
Gals is literally the female equivalent. I feel like I hear "guys and gals" on a regular basis.
#34
I gave a strict talking-to the other day to a young woman telling me she never thought she could/should have a home of her own since she’s single without kids. Not that she couldn’t afford it, just that it wasn’t — normal etc. Just planned on keeping on renting indefinitely … But why not, I said? Never lived with anyone else and now I’ve got a paid-off house in my 40s. All on my own.
You get that equity, sis. Don’t let either a man or absence of one steal your future financial security!
Nicole Weymann 2 days ago
I don't see why renting tends to be presented as underachieving, vs. buying. Not everybody has to buy a house to have a home 🤷
#35
When getting Christmas presents for couples, I pick gifts that the woman would like because I’m 100% sure they are the ones planning, wrapping and signing the gifts on behalf of their husbands and families. Let’s be real, holiday magic is just women doing kinkeeping.
#36
I call every single person on the planet “girlfriend.”
When people (okay men and boys, obviously) make a stink about it I say: “Oh I just use it to mean everyone. Like how we know that ‘all men are created equal’ means everyone.”.
#37
I don't laugh at bad jokes. .
#38
The other day I asserted my train armrest claim so hard the guy next to me moved over.
Chuck the Cat 2 days ago
Did the man do something to you before it? If not, that’s kinda rude.
#39
Ive taken the exclamation points and overly happy to help vibe out of my emails.
#40
When I was a server and barista and a couple came in I’d maintain eye contact with the woman.
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What do you think ?
Marnie 1 day ago
I would say maybe 50/50 of good actions vs unnecessarily microagressions and/or just going too far the other way, like calling all animals in the woods as "she". You should just do the normal thing around little kids. If you go the opposite way, it harms boys, because they don't know about any of this history of bias. They would just hear "she" for every animal and it does the same thing to them that using "he" for every animal would do to the girls.
Load More Replies... Carl Roberts 2 days ago (edited)
When men do these things it's called misogyny. But, when women do it, it's "feminism" . I call it hypocrisy.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 2 days ago
I'm a woman and I agree with you. I do not like when things are séxist in *any* direction. Misandry is JUST as bad and wrong as misogyny.
Load More Replies...
Marnie 1 day ago
I would say maybe 50/50 of good actions vs unnecessarily microagressions and/or just going too far the other way, like calling all animals in the woods as "she". You should just do the normal thing around little kids. If you go the opposite way, it harms boys, because they don't know about any of this history of bias. They would just hear "she" for every animal and it does the same thing to them that using "he" for every animal would do to the girls.
Load More Replies... Carl Roberts 2 days ago (edited)
When men do these things it's called misogyny. But, when women do it, it's "feminism" . I call it hypocrisy.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 2 days ago
I'm a woman and I agree with you. I do not like when things are séxist in *any* direction. Misandry is JUST as bad and wrong as misogyny.
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