Misogyny is hatred Dictionaries: misogyny towards women. It lies at the root of sexism, inequality and discrimination. By default, men can be considered misogynists - due to violence, stereotypical jokes and simply condescending treatment of women as second-class citizens.
But in fact, misogyny is a non-gender phenomenon. And on the Internet, a lot of toxic remarks towards women are left by women themselves. “We women are fools after all!”, “She gave birth to children, got fat and sits at home, a slob!”, “Just look, she’s dressed up like a dress!” — you’ve probably heard and read something like this more than once. Sociologists and psychologists believe that such behavior may be a manifestation of internalized (learned) misogyny.
What is internal misogyny and how does it manifest itself?
Internalized misogyny is a situation of Internalized misogyny, when women belittle their importance and want to distance themselves from other representatives of their sex. And they broadcast these installations in every possible way. A study APPLYING A MIXING METHODS STRATEGY TO STUDY LEARNED MISOGYNY AMONG WOMEN OF THE MILLENNIUM GENERATION, conducted by the Higher School of Economics, shows that pronounced misogynistic attitudes were demonstrated by 26% of respondents. Internalized misogyny can manifest itself in a variety of ways. Here are the main ones.
Misogynistic language
For example, well-known insults with “b”, “s” and “sh”. And also all sorts of mocking words like “jamat”, “tp”, “woman”, “klusha” and many, many others. They are actively used not only by men, but also by women.
At the same time, the researchers, having analyzed swear words in different languages, came up with Can Gender‑Fair Language Reduce Gender Stereotyping and Discrimination? to the conclusion that they are divided into two groups: neutral and female.
There are not many specific male insults: most of the verbal aggression is directed specifically at women. Although attention to language and the rejection of sexist vocabulary, according to Language, Consciousness and Reality scientists, could reduce discrimination.
Endorsement of violence against women
Any news about the murder or rape of a woman literally opens a portal to hell. In addition to those who sympathize with the victim and wish terrible punishment for the criminal, there is a whole crowd of people who, in different ways, blame the woman herself for what happened.
Among these scavengers are women. The main motives of their speeches are something like this: “It’s my own fault! There’s no point in visiting strangers / drinking / wearing short skirts / leaving the house after dark”, “First they spread their legs when they’re drunk, and then they ruin the boys’ lives.” Even if the victim is a little girl, her mother will be blamed for everything: where she looked, why she gave birth, why she didn’t raise her.
Screenshot: community page on the VKontakte social network
Unfortunately, the idea that sexual and other violence against women is acceptable is also conveyed by media personalities. For example, actress Lyubov Tolkalina, who in 2020 said “If you have a role, then what difference does it make how you got it?” Russian actresses and directors talk about harassment in the film industry, that “harassment is wonderful.” Or women who are State Duma deputies who called the Women's Club in the State Duma called the media campaign about Slutsky's harassment a provocation; journalists' complaints about the harassment of their colleague Slutsky were a provocation.
All this normalizes violence, makes it more acceptable in the eyes of society and shifts the focus from the perpetrator to the victim. As a result, victims cannot find any help, protection, or sympathy - and are often even persecuted.
Misogynist: symptoms
Naturally, one should not classify all bad men in this category. After all, there are a number of special criteria that distinguish misogynists from other guys. So, let's look at the most striking symptoms of this psychological anomaly:
- Misogynists are disgusted by all young ladies in general, and not by individually selected representatives of the fairer sex.
- All misogynists deify the image of a man: in their eyes, he is better both in physical and spiritual indicators.
- This category of guys never recognizes a woman's success. Even if a girl defeated them in a fair fight, misogynists will still persistently prove the opposite or refer to shameful manipulations on the part of their rival.
- All actions of misogynists are aimed at humiliating a woman. And to achieve their goal, such men will not be afraid to use even the most extreme means and tactics.
- In love relationships, the vast majority of misogynists act as cruel tyrants. They do not perceive their partner as their equal, and therefore can easily cheat on him. However, they do not accept such treatment and are constantly reminded of it.
