The Most Demeaning Expectations of Women

Make no mistake - expectations of women have changed, for the better, in recent history. Opportunities once unavailable to our grandmothers, or even our mothers, are now accessible to women everywhere. Deep seated sentiments that girls and boys are inherently different are fading fast. Then why do we still see advertisements of pristinely dressed women Febrezing their living rooms while waiting for the iron to get hot and the cookies to finish baking in the oven? Sure, Liz Lemon is a more realistic manifestation of female experience than Carol Brady. However, there remain many subtle and not-so-subtle ways society places unreasonable expectations on women. Whether it's walking down the street and having a stranger ask you to smile or having a romantic partner chastise you for not shaving your legs, women still experience sexism on the daily. Society has some super strange - and entirely impractical - expectations of the female gender.

Some absurd presumptions about female behavior pertain to physical appearance. Women should wear makeup, always be freshly shaven, and dress in clean, fashionable clothing. Other societal assumptions relate to a woman's behavior and personality. Women are expected to be jealous of other women, submissive to men's desires, and always smiling and cheery. Even women's hobbies and interests are sometimes nitpicked - females cannot be interested in stick shifts, mechanics, sports, or raunchy comedy! 

If you're ready to stick your middle finger up to these lazy and outdated expectations, read through this list. Vote up the expectations that fire you up the most!