How has your view of women evolved over the years?

Started out as “girls deserve to be pampered.” Instilled in me by my mother. Made me a “Nice Guy.” It was awful.

Then I got horribly burned by one as a teen (my fault for being a doormat), sent me into a “girls aren’t worth the time” phase. Stopped seeing them as partner material.

Eventually found a girl I got along really well with, mentality became “they aren’t all bad, you just gotta find the right one.” Loved her “girliness.” Then we broke up pretty badly (my fault again).

Now it’s “Girls are trying their best just like guys.” I see how much influence society has on both genders. And we may not be the same, but we can all still come together.

It’s been an interesting change.

Around the early 2010s, the whole “nice guys finish last” thing was going around, and I bought into the whole friendzone mentality. I’ve outgrown that now, and I’m glad of that.

Now, women feel like regular people to me, because surprise-surprise – they are. They have their own agency, their own right to choose a guy they’re into, their own struggles etc etc. Currently, my issue is that they feel too regular. I see everyone as people, as in I relate to them too much to see them in a sexual or romantic light. I’m worried that I’ll never get into a relationship, but I’m also wondering whether I want a relationship in the first place.

I was raised by all women so they always kind of hammered in this view point that women are like innocent and rarely if ever do anything wrong etc. Thats bs women are just people and jist as shotty as anyone else. Women cheat just like men. Abuse just like men. Mistreat children just like men and are superficial just like men. Women aren’t supreme beings and once i shook off that bs teaching i found that i became way more successful with women and was much happier in general

When I was a teenager I tended to put them on a pedestal, when I was in my early 20s I cared way too much what they might think of me.

Now in my mid 30s I can to some extent share their anger and frustration about the everyday social bullshittery that they got to endure. But I also have less patience and understanding for women who play into the whole “I aM a PrInCeSS!”-archetype and reinforces other unhealthy stereotypes.

I went from caring what women thought about me to not caring at all.