Sexism can – and does – happen everywhere. | Source: Shutterstock.com

As I was just looking around today, I came across a feature in the The Telegraph where short experiences of sexism were shared. The stories were from another site called the Everyday Sexism Project and this having been the first time I came across it, I just thought it was definitely worth a share with you all.

When it comes to the “where” and “when” you’re likely to run into sexism, this project is a reminder that the answer is women are open to experiencing sexism in some form everywhere and every day. To address this, the Everyday Sexism Project invites women to share stories of sexism that they’ve encountered in their lives.

The stories women share cover a range of incidents and locations. Some were leered at, some followed, some physically assaulted, some had assumptions made about them. That’s just a few examples. Reading these stories is disheartening and depressing. These women should never have had to experience the things that they went through. The fact that so many women have a story to share is saddening.

But here is where the Everyday Sexism Project hopes to turn these negative circumstances into hopefully one that can make for a more positive future. The site writes: “By sharing your story you’re showing the world that sexism does exist, it is faced by women everyday and it is a valid problem to discuss.” I mean, it definitely got me talking about with you all here today.

While I know many of us can speak firsthand about casual sexism (more on that in a second), I hope a project like this keeps us focused on the widespread nature of the problem. Perhaps it could even open the eyes to someone who doesn’t find this casual sexism as obvious.

It can also be really hard to internalize the humiliation, frustration or fear that comes about from casual sexism. This project offers one forum to know that you aren’t experiencing it alone. It gives this feeling that there is strength in numbers. As the site points out, as people share their stories, the more apparent it is how many women are affected by a whole array of sexist behavior daily. Hopefully that can inspire shifts in attitude and redefine what is considered “the norm.”

I feel like my friends and I encounter casual sexism all the time. I remember walking on the street a couple weeks ago and had two different guys make sexist comments about my appearance. I felt so disgusting that I started crying and actually weighed the possibility of going all the way back home to change, even though it would make me late for work. I never should have been put in a position like that.

Reading these stories from other women, I found myself going through a whole host of emotions – annoyance and disgust, then often empathy, eventually solidarity. It’s a UK-based project, but it says they welcome stories no matter where you are from. It’s definitely a forum worth checking out and a reminder that there’s never such a thing as “minor” sexism. Everyday or not, it’s not welcome.

Would you submit a story to a site like this? Do you find that you encounter sexism on a daily basis? Tell us in the comments.

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