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15 Times Women Delivered Intensely Satisfying Comebacks To Sexism

Women and girls fighting against sexism, one smart quip at a time.

1. When a self-described woman in tech responded to a harassing email with this hilarious response.

I got a harassing email today, and decided to respond with this letter. Feel free to RT.

2. When Tumblr revealed a woman told by a man that she "probably hadn't even played" a video game replied: "I wrote the game."

Mansplaining trolled like never before. Man : "I bet u didn't play this game." Woman : "I wrote it."

3. When a meteorologist slammed a sexist man on Facebook who described her as a "weather girl".

4. When Ellen DeGeneres hilariously ripped into Bic for designing pink and purple pens "designed to fit a woman's hand".

View this video on YouTube

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"This is all true. 'Designed to fit a woman's hand,' what does that mean? Like, so when we're taking down dictation from our bosses, we'll feel comfortable and we'll forget we're not getting paid as much?

"I don't know. I mean, just think: Over the last 20 years, companies have spent millions of dollar making pills that grow men's hair and fix men's sex lives, and now ladies have a pen."

5. When then Australian prime minister Julia Gillard delivered a brilliant speech on sexism, slamming opposition leader Tony Abbott for his misogyny.

View this video on YouTube

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"The leader of the opposition says that people who hold sexist views and who are misogynists are not appropriate for high office. Well, I hope the leader of the opposition has got a piece of paper and he is writing out his resignation. Because if he wants to know what misogyny looks like in modern Australia, he doesn't need a motion in the House of Representatives, he needs a mirror."

A full transcript can be read here.

6. When Yelena Serova, a Russian cosmonaut, responded to a reporter's question about her hairstyle by saying: "Can I ask a question too: Aren't you interested in the hairstyles of my colleagues?"

View this video on YouTube

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7. When Everyday Sexism asked its Twitter followers to share their comebacks to sexist comments and the responses were perfect.

Today we are celebrating brilliant and witty comebacks to sexism of all kinds. Check out our timeline for some great ones and send us yours!

@EverydaySexism when I get harassed I always pretend I didn't hear & say "what?" The more they have to repeat the sillier they sound.

@EverydaySexism "A woman's place is in the kitchen" you know what you're right. Lemme grab a knife.

@EverydaySexism Managed to stop white van full of men mid-catcall by shoving a big powdery donut into my mouth then smiling with mouth full

@EverydaySexism Man: "Nice tits." Me: "If you're going to be a sexist pig at least be accurate. I have fantastic breasts." Silence....

@EverydaySexism Male colleague: "Don't mind her, she's on her period." Me: "If I had to bleed to find you annoying, I'd be anaemic."

@EverydaySexism A man once pointed out loudly that I have huge boobs. I looked down at them and screamed like I'd never noticed them before

8. When a 12-year-old girl masterfully shamed a basketball catalogue for not including women, signing off her letter with "Sincerely, McKenna Paterson, The Fabulous Basketball Player".

My 12yr old basketball loving daughter got the latest @DICKS catalog & had a big problem with it. She wrote a letter.

9. When Serena Williams, the world's current No. 1 women's singles tennis player, called the Russian Tennis Federation president “extremely sexist” and “racist” for describing her and her sister, Venus, as the “Williams brothers” and "scary".

10. When Neko Case called out Playboy for describing her as a "woman in the music industry" instead of just a "musician".

Artist @NekoCase is breaking the mold of what women in the music industry should be: http://t.co/FuzLFphuFF

@PlayboyDotCom Am I? IM NOT A FUCKING "WOMAN IN MUSIC", IM A FUCKING MUSICIAN IN MUSIC!

And no, I didn't read it. Wouldn't be able to get past "Woman in.." if I had no idea who I was, which is the point; women NOT a niche market

11. When this parody video of Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" was made.

View this video on YouTube

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"You think that you're so slick

Let me emasculate ya

Because your precious dick

Can't beat my vibrator

We're feeling the frustration

From all the exploitation

Prepare for your castration

[Hook]

So we can fuck this man's world

With all its bullshit

Girls don't deserve it

And that's why we quit

We ain't good girls

We are scholastic

Smart and sarcastic

Not fucking plastic

[Chorus]

Listen, mankind

If you wanna get nasty

Just don't harass me

You can't just grab me

That's a sex crime

Yeah we don't want it

It's chauvinistic

You're such a bigot"

12. When The Vagenda asked its Twitter followers to improve sexist headlines.

Headline subversion: why should a woman be "hot" before "successful"? #thevagenda cc @VagendaMagazine

These stories are already non-news in my opinion: even better when you call them out #thevagenda @VagendaMagazine

13. When Scarlett Johansson called out a reporter for asking questions about her underwear.

14. When Anne Hathaway did the same thing in response to a question about her fitness routine.

15. When Indian actress Mallika Sherawat shut down a reporter for asking her to stay silent on the issue of women's rights.

View this video on YouTube

“Indian society is regressive for women. With female feticide, infanticide happening on an almost daily basis; with gang rapes making the headlines of almost every newspaper; with honor killings… I think it’s a very, very regressive state for women.

"As a woman, I should lie about the state of women that’s in our country? So I didn’t lie. I said the truth."