This Commercial Totally Nails the Double Standard for Men and Women

[libodem]

7. Thanks for bringing this

It makes a good point. The gender can make a difference on how words apply. I was talking to my friend this afternoon and she said she had to backtrack and smooth out a misunderstanding. She called her friend Betty a mean woman. She took offence. I may have too. But my friend meant it as strong, capable, and able to get stuff accomplished. So we continued the talk and I said funny how it's different if a man is called mean, it doesn't seem as shameful. Guys might even be proud to have the perception of being tough no nonsense types. Say like a mean boss. I said something like women don't like to be seen as mean in the usual sense of the word. And then she said something interesting.

When men are mean they might be rough or physical to the outsides of each other but when women are mean they try to hurt each other on the inside, emotionally. She said she thought that could be worse. I thought it was an interesting observation.