39 People Are Sharing What Double Standards In Our Society They’re Tired Of Hearing

November 01, 2021

It often feels that some people have an entitlement to think that some rules just don’t apply to them. Sometimes, it comes in the form of an unfair policy run by the workplace, schools and universities, and other kinds of organizations that treat people differently. Don't let me even start with how the job market behaves towards men and women, where the inequality and unfairness is so obvious you need no magnifying glass.

So when someone asked “What double standard are you tired of?” on r/AskReddit, it spiraled into an illuminating thread with people sharing unfair examples in our society that they are totally fed up with. Think of basic laws not applying to people with money or power, star student athletes who seem nearly untouchable, or entry-level jobs that require experience—there’s a lot to uncover.

Scroll down below and be sure to share your thoughts on the double standards that have been bugging you lately in the comment section!

#1

People telling fat people to lose weight but then getting angry at us when we dare show our face in gyms and laugh at us while we exercise, get upset that companies make work out clothes for us because it’s “promoting obesity”, or making comments on every little thing we eat even if it is considered “healthy” when a skinny person who has a metabolism as fast as the flash could post themselves eating an entire pizza and people would be like, “mood” or “that’s so cute!” Or get angry at us for legitimately just existing. I’ll post a picture that isn’t promoting binge eating or ANYTHING of the sort, it’ll be just a picture of me in a dress, and I’ll be bombarded with vile comments for… posting a picture.

Image credits: queenlesbian99

#2

Your boss getting angry if you're a couple minutes late but then expects you to have no problem regularly staying on 2+ hours after your shift is meant to end.

Image credits: Entire_Ad9420

#3

Celebrities lecturing about climate change when they have the carbon footprint of a small town..

Image credits: Thinking2Mush

#4

Religions preaching love while inciting hate filled conflicts.

Image credits: hyteck9

#5

Parenting double standards. The gender of the parent does not make the parent. Dads are not "babysitting" their children, they are parenting.

Image credits: f_this_life

#6

Politicians being able to openly violate the law and nobody does anything.

Image credits: TheGrandExquisitor

#7

Billionaires calling poor people lazy.

Image credits: Ollie_Offie_Outie

#8

As a male I cannot take my son to a playground without getting a few strange looks. It's annoying.

Image credits: boxedcrackers

#9

Consumers are expected to curb the use of their plastic waste and carbon by corporations and regulatory bodies alike while Nestlé will destroy a natural habitat to make bottled water in plastic bottles and dump the waste into your grandma's urn if its affordable.

Image credits: Aledeyis

#10

When women get shamed for sleeping with a lot of people but men get applauded for it

Idk I find it gross

Image credits: NegativeAscending

#11

Why is dental insurance diffrent from "health insurance" aren't teeth part of my overall health wth!!

Image credits: talwen69

#12

To borrow from Matt Haig: people being ok with mental illness until someone shows symptoms of one

Image credits: guyinspace

#13

After swim practice when I was 11 my "friends" pushed me out of the shower room and held the door closed when a bunch of older ladies were getting together for water aerobics. One of em was my teacher. They laughed and I just stood there naked pushing on a door. Nobody got in trouble.

If they pushed a girl naked out of the locker room and held the door it'd be on the news.

Image credits: deleted

#14

Defending yourself. The fact that someone can punished for defending themselves when no one else would, in my experience worse, is bullsh*t to me. Example a former bullied kid that punched back and got screwed

Image credits: Refurbished_beast

#15

Corporations can take advantage of employees, but employees can’t take advantage of corporations.

Image credits: anonymous4obvsreason

#16

I have to be exactly on time for an appointment or risk a fine and no appointment. Yet a doctor can make you wait hours sometimes without even a "thank you for waiting" or "sorry about the wait"

Image credits: cutiegirl88

#17

Some people I know who are strongly against gender norms told me that I shouldn’t have a say in my wedding since I’m a man…and that my fiancé alone makes the decisions.

It was pretty freakin confusing.

Image credits: vajapocalypse

#18

There are a lot of double standards between the genders that need to die, many of which have been touched on in the thread, but I'll share one from quite literally a few days ago.

I'm male and have a pretty good-sized beard. At a social gathering the other day, a woman complimented it but then asked "Do you ever let people stroke it?" I replied that I did not, but then another woman spoke up with "Well why not? Isn't it flattering? Wouldn't you like the attention?" Not at all hostile, just blatantly "Why not?"

To that I replied "How would you feel if someone walked up to you and said 'Oh I love your hair, can I run my fingers through it?'" while miming making a stroking motion.

She recoiled and said "Of course not. That's super creepy." Followed almost a second later by a round-eyed "OH."

Ladies/Gentlemen, if you don't want someone doing it to you, then why would you think it would be okay for you to do it to someone else?

Image credits: vikingzx

#19

Star student athletes are nearly untouchable. If they make the school look good the school will almost never take action against them.

Image credits: HonoraryCanadian

#20

How it’s perfectly okay for a potential employer to ask your salary expectations even before an interview, but a candidate asking what the job pays is somehow a red flag for HR and a big no-no.

Like, if all the employer cares about is what I will cost them (before learning anything else about me), then I should be able to f*cking ask too. But no, I’m branded as only caring about money. And you don’t you corporate prick?

Image credits: CrieDeCoeur

#21

"Entry level jobs" that require experience

Image credits: Arctinii

#22

Young adult women: old enough to decide that they permanently want to have/raise a child, not old enough to decide whether they want to permanently NOT have children. I lucked into a good doctor that gave me a hysterectomy at 29, but that's an extreme rarity.

Image credits: grocerygirlie

#23

It's perfectly acceptable for women to wear short skirts and no sleeves on the workfloor if a man does it it's seen as a big no no. If's it's 34degrees outside plz don't make me wear long sleeves and pants i'm melting away.

Image credits: Amelsander

#24

Men not being allowed to be feminine without being labeled as gay.

I am gay, and the amount of times friends, family, and coworkers will point at a man being mildly effeminate and whisper "I think he plays for your team" is nauseating. Like, dude, he's literally married to a woman and has kids. Just because he talks in a slightly higher pitch does not mean he wants the D.

Image credits: Tumblrhoe

#25

Me, a non smoker, being told off for being 5 minutes late to work. While smokers spend 30 mins at least a day on smoke breaks.

Image credits: insanechemistry

#26

Men being able to go topless but women can’t.

Image credits: randallnotjr

#27

Struggled with social interactions growing up. Half of my life was people telling me not to take things so personally. The other half was being told to conduct myself a certain way so I don't upset people.

Image credits: Cuesport77

#28

In regards to the NFL, a head coach was fired because of racist and homophobic emails. He ABSOLUTELY deserves to be fired, absolutely. However Desean Jackson openly said Hitler was right about Jews, Antonio Brown has multiple assault allegations against him, Richard Sherman has an assault case against him, Tyreek Hill has audio of him threatening his child and GF with violence, as well as beat the brakes off his college GF, and SO MUCH MORE. These men are still in the league.

The double standard that I am sick of is that in the NFL for some reason words are treated way more harshly than actual physical violence.

I love football and am a die hard fan, but I truly dislike the double standard in the league today.

Image credits: Popwar789

#29

I’m a teacher and called my wife smoking hot at a football game. My principal reprimanded me for it. I told the principal my wife calls me her smoking hot hubby to her class sometimes. She said it’s different because it’s perceived different when a girl says it.

Image credits: Postmade

#30

When company’s say they are family friendly but don’t want you to work from home or help with child care.

Image credits: Pewcachan

#31

My principal taking days to read and reply to my emails, if ever, VS me being told at 8 in the morning that I should have known something because he sent me an email at 10 in the evening the night before.

Image credits: mljb81

#32

Apparently, politicians are allowed to disrespect the citizens of the country they serve but it's frowned upon to tell a politician to "go f*ck yourself" to their face.

Respect is respect. No matter if it wears a suit or what language it uses