This Woman Inspired A Dialogue About Agreeing With Men's Compliments And People Are Nodding

"Because for some reason women are required to be beautiful, but also oblivious to it."

Feminista Jones is an author, activist, and full-time social worker based in Philadelphia. She often uses her social media channels to affect discussions about women's issues, particularly for women of color.

On Friday, Jones jokingly tweeted a challenge "to piss off a man today." "Tell him you agree with his compliment of you," she wrote.

Piss a man off today: Tell him you agree with his compliment of you.

She told BuzzFeed News she was compelled to talk about this idea online based on numerous articles written about this dynamic and her own experiences, with a "tongue-in-cheek" approach.

"It's not a new idea, but in my own experience when [a man] complimented me and I say, 'I agree,' they get upset," Jones said. "It’s the idea that they bestow the compliment on you, and you’re not supposed to be aware of it."

In her thread, she further explained that numerous men in her real life have taken offense to her simply accepting a compliment, and/or agreeing with them.

I've had SEVERAL men tell me they found "thanks" an offensive reply to a compliment given to a woman 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

I see it every day because that's my usual response. "Thanks" and keep walking. I get yelled at. Cursed at. "That's all you gonna say?"

"Generally we’re taught that we’re not supposed to compliment ourselves," Jones added. "When a woman does that, she needs to be humble."

She said she found this assumption that society subscribes to profoundly "interesting."

A woman immediately responded to Jones' tweets with a screenshot of an exchange she had with a man who direct-messaged her a compliment. When she agreed with him, he retracted his compliment.

@FeministaJones Works every time

Another woman shared and screenshotted an old Tinder conversation she had.

@FeministaJones old but still relevant

And many more women were inspired to share their anecdotes.

Ill always remember when I was 12 and my guy told me I was smart and I said 'thanks I know' and he goes "Ew youre s… https://t.co/5BvxMtMkWs

@FeministaJones This dude, trying to talk to me at a bus station last summer: "You're very pretty." Me: "I know. T… https://t.co/4sSbN7GPBp

Most others were simply nodding their heads along vigorously.

@FeministaJones EVERYTIME! DUDE: You look nice today. ME: Thank you! I completely agree... DUDE:

Reminds me of all those repulsive pop songs with the premise that a woman is beautiful because she lacks self estee… https://t.co/vuWFUeOw0O

@DetroitQSpider @FeministaJones @absurdistwords Because for some reason women are required to be beautiful, but also oblivious to it.

This is my favorite thing, they get so confused and frustrated lmao https://t.co/PnFcHjIUIa

Jones said she thinks she is "an excellent writer," but "people tell me that it’s not for me to decide. ... You’re not supposed to have that confidence about yourself," she said.

I am so here for every reply of a woman who says "thank you, I do look good" 🗣️ Yes girl you do!! 🌻💃💅💥 https://t.co/HLpAgjCies

"Why are people so bothered by someone having self-confidence and self-love?" Jones asked rhetorically.

If you've never done this, you should. It is both scary and hilarious https://t.co/TF5di15FSM

"We have a culture that says it’s 'rude' — we obligate people to be appreciative of a compliment," she added.

Jones acknowledges that NOT ALL MEN do this. However, she challenged men who don't subscribe to this idea, or who've never observed it, to simply "listen to what women are saying."

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