Most of the time, strong women are quite capable of just minding their own business and ignoring people.
You would have to do something VERY rude for them to put their foot down and say “Enough of this!”
Want to know what behaviors strong women won’t tolerate?
Here are 12 of them:
1. People commenting on their bodies
People can be quite insensitive sometimes and just blurt comments about our bodies without regard for how we might feel. Remarks like…
“Whatever happened to you? You’ve become as thin as a praying mantis!”
“Wow, you’ve gained a lot of weight. Do you stay in the kitchen all day?”
“Why do you still have pimples at 25?”
You would ask, should strong women just smile and become the “bigger person” here?
Hell no! They’d firmly let the other person know that they are being rude, and to cut it off. And, in doing so, make it known that they are not to be messed with.
They might say something sarcastic—something with an oomph—but most of the time, a strong woman would simply say “Hey, that’s rude. Don’t ask me that again.”
2. Colleagues not giving them proper credit
Women have been denied proper credit for the good we do all throughout history. And that continues even today, with people underestimating us wanting to keep us in our place.
Strong women don’t stand for that. If someone fails to give them the credit they’re due, they’ll speak up.
It’s infuriating, and so they’d speak up (as politely as they can at first), address the issue properly…and if things don’t improve, they’d tell their higher ups about it.
Even if it won’t change anything much in the long run, they’re at least making it clear that they are not easy to take advantage of.
3. Parents treating their partners rudely
Sometimes, parents find pleasure in making the lives of their children’s boyfriend or girlfriend a living hell.
They use their “power” to intimidate the partner because they think their children deserve better. It’s simply power tripping in the guise of “helping” and “protecting” their children from choosing bad partners.
When a strong woman finds herself in this situation, she’d not only tell her parents off, she’d do it in front of her partner.
To her, if her parents are really good people, they’d just tell her about their opinions in private instead of treating her partner horribly in the open.
4. Nosy aunts asking them why they’re still single
I’m sure a lot of us can relate to the experience of having family REPEATEDLY ask us why we’re still single, or not married, or why we don’t have kids… or even why we don’t have more.
Sure, they might have done it without intending to annoy or pressure you, but that doesn’t change the fact that these statements are annoying and make people feel ashamed or pressured.
Strong women don’t give free passes for these “innocent questions”—they would try to politely ask them to stop asking those questions first, but if people choose not to comply and keep asking, they are more than happy to walk away.
5. Neighbors who don’t know boundaries
Whether you live in an apartment or own a house of their own, neighbors can easily make daily life heaven or hell.
Living with kind and respectful neighbors is nothing short of heaven, and there’s no arguing that.
On the other hand, living with neighbors who play loud music all night long, like to gossip and spread rumors, and get up to your nose complaining about your lawn or the color of your curtains is hell.
Strong women might not pick fights unwarranted, but they aren’t just going to stay nice and quiet around neighbors like these either.
They’d assert their rights for privacy and boundaries. They would try to communicate clearly (and nicely) to their neighbors first, and if that fails try, well…they ask the authorities for help.
6. People who are passive-aggressive
A lot of people are simply too immature to handle their negative feelings towards others. And so instead of being honest about their feelings or simply backing away, they act passive-aggressive.
Strong (and mature) women not only find this behavior assholish. They also see it for what it is—cowardice.
Why can’t people simply be honest when they’re hurt or offended instead of being passive-aggressive? Why can’t they just disengage and not associate with the person who offended them?
For that reason, mature women say “hold on” when they see blatant passive aggression and then cut straight to the heart of the matter.
They’d ask “Tell me the truth, did I do something to offend you? Because I can sense you’re being passive-aggressive.”
7. Friends who spread rumors
Gossip is harmful, and is good for little other than getting people hurt—often emotionally, but sometimes even physically.
Strong women know this, and for that reason they HATE gossip and rumors, especially when their friends do it.
So if they find out that one of their friends is talking about them behind their back, they’d drop everything and confront their friend.
Spreading secrets and making up stories is rude, of course, but by gossiping about a friend they’ve also considered themselves untrustworthy.
They’ll let their friend speak and, if it’s still in their heart to give their friend a second chance, warn them not to do it again.
8. Higher-ups who enjoy bullying those below them
Strong women hate bullies in general. But they particularly can’t stand those who have power and use it to intimidate and toy with those below them.
When they overhear someone “jokingly” asking for favors from their subordinates, strong women would tell them off and remind them it’s unethical…even if it could cost them their friendship.
When they see their boss dangling a carrot to tease their employees, strong women can recognize that it’s just manipulation and refuse to play along.
And they don’t care if they will get heat for being “loose-lipped” but if they see their superiors harassing a colleague, they will go out and talk to HR about it.
9. People who cut in line
This is a pet peeve of many people but what separates strong women from others is that they actually express their abhorrence towards it.
They won’t just let it pass because not only is it annoying, they know it tolerates bad behavior…and why should they keep allowing rude and disrespectful people?
So they’d talk to them and express firmly that they’re cutting in line. And if they won’t budge, they’d talk to the authorities.
10. Male motorists who look down on “woman drivers”
Despite all the work that feminism has done and won, women are still seen as the weaker sex to this day… especially when it comes to “manly” activities like driving.
Everyone makes mistakes when driving, but when a woman does it people blame not her inattentiveness or lack of instruction, but her gender.
There’s a study that shows that when a woman performs badly on the road, people would rate her worse than they would if she were a man instead.
Strong women know when they’re facing this kind of discrimination and will defend themselves tooth and nail to be evaluated as fairly as possible.
11. Strangers who patronize them simply for being a woman
That is to say, they have no patience for people who make jokes about women being the weaker sex, or imply that women are “naturally” going to think like this or act like that.
It’s the 21st century and men have absolutely no excuse to act like that, and no free pass if they say “I was just joking!”
Strong women know that these men are just being assholes and treat them accordingly.
That’s not to say that they go out of their way to call out or attack every guy who acts this way. They know how to choose their battles.
Some people are just better off ignoring or excising from their lives, and others deserve a more substantial warning, like being reminded that they can be given hefty fines for it.
12. People who try to shame them for being in control
Whether it’s their own career, their sexuality, or their relationship, strong women are in control over their lives… and naturally, of course, there are people who do not like that and would try to shame them for it.
Someone might tell them “Why are you using Tinder? Are you thirsty for sex?” or “Why are you wearing skimpy shorts?” or “Are you sure you want to be a scientist?”
Strong women will happily flip the bird at these people and call them out for even having the audacity to try.
So what if they’ve decided to take charge of their dating life by using a dating app, or trying their luck at something they’re truly passionate about? That’s their own business, and no one else’s.
Last Words
Strong women are who they are because they refuse to be shamed into submission, in this world that has always been keen to shame women for simply being themselves.
They stand up and speak up not because they are insecure or have something to prove, but because they are confident in who they are and that they need to speak up and be heard.
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