Upon careful self-reflection, these men realized they weren’t being fair to women and decided to change.
Steps in the right direction
Reddit user rocketbot99 posed a question on r/AskReddit that launched into a particularly thought-provoking conversation about self-awareness.
The question was: “For men who used to be ‘creepy’ towards women and have since stopped, what was it that made you realize you were creepy that prompted you to change?”
These men’s responses show how society is changing and, most importantly, how self-awareness can help us all become better human beings.
Catcalling is unacceptable
For instance, Barfignugen wrote about how calling out his friend for catcalling ended up influencing him to change.
Lockboy28 came to a similar conclusion about catcalling.
Learning to be respectful
CrushHazard was able to think differently about how his behavior impacted women when he heard someone share an adage.
Despite the childish username, this Redditor got a taste of the fear women feel every day.
Esosorum learned that women can feel intimidated by men, regardless of their sexual orientation.
Weird_Mood_6790 learned that social awkwardness is no excuse for manipulating women.
And Ghetto_Pinocchio came to terms with his abusive behavior after a lot of internal work with the help of a therapist.
Change is possible
Is it sad that many men grew up without realizing how hurtful and creepy they were being towards women? Of course. As a man myself, knowing that there are still men out there who don’t know catcalling is wrong is truly embarrassing.
But what these responses show is that with careful reflection, education, and even therapy if necessary, change is possible. And that’s unquestionably a positive step in the right direction.
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