Guys I had the most eye opening experience today. I used to be super big into gaming in the late 2000’s, and had a mic and everything to chat with people online. I would say maybe once every two games, I would be shit on for being a woman playing Xbox.
I would hear all the stupid shit like “make me a sandwich” and “get back in the kitchen”, and all the boys would laugh. Sometimes they would get downright aggressive saying they would kill me/silence me forever, etc. Even when I schooled them. I was never defended by anyone, as this was a norm for women in the gaming community.
I have recently got back into gaming often, and I was struck by the most powerful thing. I was in a group of 10 (random) guys and my friend, and this random dude starts yelling at me at the beginning of the game. He heard my voice and decided to go full incel.
He screamed about how I need to shut my mouth, he didn’t ask me to talk. We all kinda laughed because we thought he was joking, but he started taking it further, verbally abusing me because I was a woman.
Immediately the other men in the game start going at him. Yelling at him, making fun of him, and defending me. He was silenced pretty quick by this group of fantastic gentlemen. I have never felt so protected in my life. These guys made sure this guy knew he was doing wrong, and they all reported him after the game. As a female gamer, I have never seen such a quick response to misogyny and hatred.
Times are changing, roles are changing, and my god men are really doing the most for us ✨
TDLR: Some guys on Xbox defended me on party chat against a furious incel, which was ahhhhhhmazing!
I went from 135 pounds to 95 pounds in less than 6 months. There may be people out there who may be able to pull that off in a healthy way. But Me? No. I look like a skeleton. Everyone, doctors and regular folks alike, keep telling me, "Oh, lucky you!" "Why do you consider this a problem?" Or "Hey! This is a great problem to have! ENJOY IT". FUCK that. I do not enjoy this. I do not enjoy needing pillows because my bones stick out. I do not enjoy feeling weak. I do not enjoy the fear of wondering why tf I'm losing this weight like this for no damn reason. This is not ok and just because I'm a fucking woman doesn't make this ok. This is not an aspiration for me. This is not fun! I'm a human being! This physically hurts! I'm sick and tired of it! YOU try being in my shoes for one day! *just venting not looking for medical advice or anything.
I quit my job back in January because they’ve treated me so bad and my mental health deteriorated. I worked there 4,5 years, doing everything and I wasn’t even allowed to take Christmas off to see my family.
Today I got a phone call from a company that wanted to hire me back in March but they had to withdrew the vacancy because of the pandemic. It was a temp job, 11 month contract. They said they want to hire me regardless and they’ve offered me a full time position with all benefits, medical and pension.
I’m so happy I just can’t believe it! I was not believing in myself, I thought I’m a failure, that I’m not good enough. They said they loved me and they didn’t want to interview anyone else. I’m so grateful for this opportunity!
I know this post is cheesy but I had to share it 🙂
Edit: thank you so much everyone, I will celebrate this Friday 😊
Edit2: Thank you again everyone for your lovely comments and the award! I’m over the moon ❣️
tl;dr at the bottom
I bus to and from the grocery store. With COVID-19, a lot of the buses that pass my house only pass once an hour, and quite a few bus stops are either closed or on reduced service.
Friday night, when I was coming home from doing my shopping, the bus stop closed while I was in the store. I waited an hour, then decided to walk to the next bus stop.
Ordinarily, that stop is pretty well lit. There are restaurants all up and down that block. With COVID, though, most of the restaurants have closed there, and it was dead. dark.
The stop had two bus shelters, side by side, and the lights where shattered in both of them, so I sat down to wait in the one nearest the bus sign.
I hadn't even been there five minutes when a strange man squeezed in next to me. He smelled strongly of alcohol, but he walked steadily, and seemed fairly sober.
He tried to make a little small talk, but I just kept shutting him down. He asked me where I lived, and I just shrugged. He asked me if I welcomed company home, and I told him I was married, and showed him the friendship ring my sister gave me. At that point, I also started texting my sister updates on what he said and did.
He quieted down for a little while, and pulled a can of wine out of his pocket and drank it. Then he turned away from me and started masturbating. I didn't know what to do; the bus I was waiting for was the last bus, I didn't have time to get to another stop before it came, and the walk home would take me more than hour. I also didn't want him to be able to follow me home. I was also afraid he'd become violent toward me if I indicated that I'd noticed; he'd been getting steadily more upset with me as I continued shutting him down. I just moved as far away as I could, looked at my phone, and kept my groceries between us as much as possible.
When he finished, he turned back to me, and said very loudly, "God, sitting next to you is making me so horny," and reached out his hand as if to touch me.
A young teenage boy, maybe 14 or 15, who'd just passed on the sidewalk in front of us did an about turn, and came to stand in the bus shelter with me. The guy left as soon as it became clear the kid wasn't going anywhere, and the kid went over and sat in the next bus shelter until my bus came.
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