The 11 Dumbest Things Said About Women In 2013

Well, there are probably too many to count, but here are 11 of the most memorably sexist things said in public this year.

1. That our chances of getting pregnant from rape are "very low."

AP Photo/Matt York

In June, Republican Congressman Trent Franks made the following (scientifically inaccurate, to say the least) comment during a committee hearing on a potential abortion ban: "You know, the incidence of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low."

2. "Isn’t it time for a women’s publication that puts world news and politics alongside beauty tips?"

businessinsider.com

When Bryan Goldberg announced the launch of women's website Bustle.com, he seemed almost impressively unaware of the many already-existing sites with the same mission he stated above. Also, there was this: "Knowing the difference between mascara, concealer, and eye-liner is not my job."

3. That we shouldn't wear pantsuits because we're women, not men.

huffingtonpost.com

Other gems from this piece on women's fashion trends guys "hate" include hating on red lipstick because "gross you're going to get that on me," and "strapless bikinis, they just make your shoulders look like a linebacker's."

4. "You will never see as many great women investors or traders as men — period, end of story."

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Hedge fund investor and billionaire Paul Tudor Jones told an audience of University of Virginia students in May that there would never be as many great women investors as men, because once they have children they lose focus: “Every single investment idea ... every desire to understand what is going to make this go up or go down is going to be overwhelmed by the most beautiful experience ... which a man will never share, about a mode of connection between that mother and that baby."

5. "[Rihanna promotes] the sort of fashion sense on stage that surely invites rape at worst, disrespect at least.”

buzzfeed.com

Liz Jones, columnist at the Daily Mail, wrote an article shaming Rihanna for her apparent (according to Jones) failure to be a role model for young women. Jones also wrote: "Is it fair that we berate female stars for being bad, when we don’t admonish men in the same way? Yes, it is fair. Because young women are far more impressionable than young men."

6. "Women no longer need to be beautiful in order to express their talent. Lena Dunham and Adele and Lady Gaga and Amy Adams are all perfectly plain, and they are all at the top of their field."

vice.com

The above comes from writer Stephen Marche, in a profile of Megan Fox for Esquire's February 2013 issue, which also includes a number of totally insane descriptions of Megan Fox's appearance: "Megan Fox is not an ancient Aztec. She's a screen saver on a teenage boy's laptop, a middle-aged lawyer's shower fantasy, a sexual prop used to sell movies and jeans."

7. "Women are forced to pretend to be men. They're feigning this toughness. They're miserable. Study after study has shown that feminism has made women less happy."

vimeo.com

In October, during a HuffPost Live conversation about the meaning of contemporary masculinity, Vice co-founder Gavin McInnes argued that women don't really want to work, and what they "naturally" want to do is raise families.

8. "Some women’s bodies just actually don’t work [in yoga pants]."

business.financialpost.com

After a Lululemon recall of see-through yoga pants, founder Chip Wilson blamed the women wearing them: "Quite frankly, some women’s bodies just actually don’t work. It’s about the rubbing through the thighs.”

9. "When you look at biology — when you look at the natural world — the roles of a male and a female in society and in other animals, the male typically is the dominant role."

policymic.com

In May, Fox contributor Erick Erickson called it "anti-science" to reject the idea of male breadwinners as the only sustainable model for the nuclear family. He went on to say that "having mom as primary breadwinner is bad for kids and bad for marriage.”

10. "A woman in public life is getting past her sell-by date at 69."

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Wesley Pruden, in the Washington Times finds Hillary Clinton's age "not particularly old for a man," but inexcusable for a woman.

11. "Know your role and shut your mouth."

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During a June debate on the Fox program Hannity, conservative radio host Bill Cunningham told Fox contributor Tamara Holder: "Wait a minute. You shut up. Know your role and shut your mouth." Holder asked, "My role as a woman?" and Cunningham responded, "Yeah. Yeah," and subsequently asked if Holder was "going to cry."