‘Women in male fields’ TikTok trend exposes the realities of modern dating

Women are flipping the narrative on relationship double standards

Olivia Hebert
Los Angeles
Wednesday 20 November 2024 20:31 EST
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The ‘women in male fields’ TikTok trend hilariously highlights toxic relationship behaviors often experienced when dating men
The ‘women in male fields’ TikTok trend hilariously highlights toxic relationship behaviors often experienced when dating men (TikTok)

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The “women in male fields” trend on TikTok has gone viral, shedding light on the realities many women face while dating men, and inspiring men to create their own spin-off of the popular trend.

Often using Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” among other songs as the soundtrack, women are flipping the narrative on relationship double standards by humorously proclaiming to reenact stereotypically male behaviors themselves in their own dating lives, resulting in a mix of dark humor, and collective catharsis.

From casual ghosting to impersonal one-liners, the trend’s viral success has ignited a wave of relatability and recognition among women.

“He sent me a paragraph explaining how he felt, and I replied with, ‘idk what you want me to say rn,’” wrote one user in the overlaid text.

“When I started punching the ground and bawling my eyes out because I cheated,” another wrote.

Someone else joked about ghosting, captioning her video: “Made plans to meet him at 7 pm, so I switched my phone off at 6 pm.”

Another video captioned: “He was crying in bed, so I said ‘here we go again’ and turned around and fell asleep.”

The comments section quickly lit up with users sharing similar experiences, including one person who wrote, “ARE WE ALL DATING THE SAME MEN?”

Another added, “This trend makes me realize I’ve never had a unique experience.”

But some have noted the trend isn’t just poking fun at modern dating, it’s helping many women feel seen.

“The ‘women in male fields’ trend is teaching women that it’s not our fault,” one TikToker summarized its impact. “It’s the subtle guide to red flags.”

Not one to let the internet have all the fun, men have created a response trend: “men in female fields.”

This spin-off flips the perspective, with men sharing their experiences of dating women. While some posts are tongue-in-cheek, others are more serious, suggesting the trend has struck a nerve among the opposite sex.

“When I have a bad day, so I keep complaining about it to her and try to pick a fight with her because I just feel like arguing,” one man wrote. “But she’s cool and that makes me even more mad #meninfemalefields.”

“When she asks me where I want to eat, and I tell her [I don’t know],” another added. “So she starts naming off different places and I get mad and I say no to every single one.”

The trend has blown up not just for its humor but for the way it resonates. Many women are realizing the behaviors they’ve tolerated are shared experiences. “This trend is helping so many people realize that they were in fact NOT crazy,” one commenter noted.

While men have added their own relatable stories to the conversation, many have also shown solidarity in the comments, rallying behind the #meninfemalefields tag to underscore that questionable behavior exists on both sides. Whether through satire or self-reflection, both trends bring attention to problematic relationship dynamics and toxic dating behaviors.

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