The Women in Male Fields meme and TikTok trend are ironic videos or stills of women recounting their participation in habits or actions associated with bad male behavior, concluding with the catchphrase, #womaninmalefields.
Meme basics:
- Meme Creator: @RealPattyWap
- Meme Type: catchphrase, ironic
- First Appearance: May 17th, 2023
- Origin Source: X
- Used to convey: satire, women's empowerment, ironic humor
- Peak Popularity: Nov. 2024
What is the Women in Male Fields meme?
The Women in Male Fields meme involves a woman recording herself in a familiar space (be it an office, a car, her home, etc.). Over this visual is a text caption of a personal anecdote, illustrating actions or habits that are stereotypically associated with "bad" male behavior. Often a sped-up version of Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda serves as the soundtrack to these videos and memes, and all include the hashtag, #womaninmalefields.
What does the Women in Male Fields meme mean?
The Women in Male Fields meme seeks to turn bad male behavior on its head, putting the women in the position of enacting poor, sexist, and insensitive choices but doing so under the guise of being "trailblazing," and brave—integrating themselves into a "field" that was traditionally dominated by men: being bad people, daters and partners.
The meme's language (the hashtag and catchphrase) is a satirical play on corporate diversity and inclusion rhetoric, including the inferred congratulatory tone around women who have "broken into" these male-dominated spaces.
Origin and spread
One of the earliest instances of "I love seeing women in male dominated fields" being used as a joke was on March 19, 2022, when X user @RealPattyWap used it to reference parallel parking.
Cultural context
This meme is a reaction to a patriarchal culture that rewards men for bad behavior, and a "failing upwards" culture. These posts' specificity and pointedness are a clear message to the recent rise of conservatism both socially and politically: women can be just as bad, and it feels kind of...good?
Male backlash to #WomenInMaleFields: #meninfemalefields
Taking back these male toxic tropes didn't feel good for everyone. In mid-November 2024, some men on TikTok began reacting to this trend, reversing it yet again to comment on women's stereotypically bad behavior. In these posts, male TikTok users will use #meninfemalefields to enact habits that they think are toxically feminine.
This meme and trend continues to give hilarious, specific and cutting commentary on the state of male behavior, inspiring women all over the world to break that glass ceiling, smash the patriarchy, and of course, integrate into traditionally male spaces (even the bad ones). #womeninmalefields.
More TikTok trends:
- What is a ‘Pink Tote Mom’ and why is it a TikTok trend trend?
- What is the ‘I Understand It Now’ meme on TikTok?
- The Blue Friendship Bracelet Movement on TikTok is making people feel hope, anger, and 2016 whiplash
- What does ‘Face Card Never Declines’ mean?
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
