A huge literary pet peeve of mine is the way some male authors describe women. With just an excerpt of a character description, you can immediately find out if a man wrote it, thanks to the sexist prose. More often than not, the existence of these female characters in real life would be anatomically impossible, but that doesn’t stop them men. Have you seen r/MenWritingWomen?
Recently, this tweet by @jelenawoehr blew up and I participated too, but it was too fun to just stop with one example.
Since I also have a penchant for writing things that make my mom ashamed, I’ve written a few examples of how it would be if male characters were described the way women are by male authors.
Content warning: Graphic descriptions of certain appendages. Hide your mom.
General disclaimer: My writing is not usually this bad, I swear.
And away we go.
1. Let’s go globe-trotting.
I couldn’t help but be hypnotised as he bounded up the stairs, the twin globes of his butt rippling and bouncing in sync. He wasn’t young, but the youthful grace about him proved that he had the pelvic stamina to create a satisfying symphony out of stirring & thrusting, enough even to make up for the failings of the male species as a whole.
2. There really is everything at this store.
Chad had a plain face and was not much of a looker, but it was obvious he was well-endowed even when he was fully clothed. Visitors of his convenience store almost always did a double take upon first laying their eyes on him. Good thing he was behind the counter most of the time, effectively hiding the front of his pants from prying eyes, for how the ladies would get their shopping done otherwise, no one knew.
3. Sorry, Star Wars fans.
My mouth went dry at his shapely nakedness, at the 200 pounds of delectable flesh stretched out on my satin sheets. I couldn’t help but notice how everything about him was big. He had a thick neck, a torso like a cement mixer, and thighs strong enough to carry the weight of the world. But the best of all was his member, a protruding lightsaber blinking at me with a come-hither motion. “Oh, come I will,” I exclaimed before pouncing on the bed.
4. Men, ugh.
The CEO I was expecting wasn’t who was waiting for me when I stepped into their office. When I fixed an appointment with Avery’s assistant, I had been expecting your typical CEO — a confident woman who knew what she wanted. I had been expecting a woman, period.
But the Avery waiting for me was decidedly not who I was expecting.
a. He was a man. Ugh.
b. He seemed too young to have accomplished all that I’d read about.
I quickly cast my eyes around the room to see if this young thing was in fact who I was supposed to consult with.
5. “Upward trend”.
As he moved around the conference room discussing the upward trend in the graph onscreen, my eyes remained glued to the very obvious outline in the front of his pants. How was I supposed to focus on my team’s performance this quarter when I could only think of how men like him got anything done when they had an all-powerful rod rearing to go between their legs?
6. Good ol’ Gary.
Gary worked sixteen hours a day and had no social life. Each time Riya ran into him, he seemed to have aged a decade, his hands calloused, and his hairline receding. But what did looks matter? At 32, Gary was past the age of marriageability anyway.
7. Had to throw in a bad pun here.
His testicles burst forth like twin pool balls and his aching member stood up like a cue stick he couldn’t wait to use to sink into her hole.
8. A powerful woman and her husband.
The Mehtas were an odd couple to say the least. Mrs. Mehta was tall, assertive, and had a voice that could command the attention of everyone in any room she spoke in. Mr Mehta existed and that’s all there is to say about him.
9. “Traffic cone”? Drive me crazy, why don’t you.
For me, the male form is delectable. The way the thick muscles constrict around their necks, the sinewy ones on their back that ripple when they stretch. I love how their torso tapers into a V, much like an inverted traffic cone.
The best poets have tried and failed to write about the thin veins that meander around the penis and the warm balls adorably settling on either side of the rod, like a supportive bra. Take care of it well enough and it will languidly grow to its majestic size. Well, for some. Adorable, no?
10. And finally…
He wore a fitted neon green jersey, tight shorts, a Nike headband, and white running shoes. His nose was a bit on the bigger side, but his full, moist lips, smiling in a way that showed he knew he looked good, very much made up for the plainness of his face.
Honestly, I’ve never laughed at my own writing this much before. This was delightfully bad and I think I’ve permanently ruined by writing style with this cursed post. Oh, well.
As much fun as this was, there really are books out there which describe women in much worse ways than this post. It really makes me hope that a writing conference like the one I made up in an old satirical article actually did exist. Until then, satire will have to do.
This is both amusing and eye-opening. I’ve also gotten put off by how the physicality of a female character is over exploited, so this was a lot of fun for me to read! great post
Thanks so much, Shruti! ❤️
These are very creative examples, and you have captured very well the sexism that exists when some male authors write female characters. I really hate when authors describe women in such disparaging ways.
I’ve had the misfortune of reading several such instances in books before. It was fun to write this post, though. 🙂
BAHGAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA—*chokes on own laughter* I CANTS. CANTS. ABLE. TO. DNAJAKAKAKAMAK.
As I’d mentioned earlier to you, I’d like to please turn back time and write this post instead of you ‘cos this level of genius only happens once and you’ve hit it on the head and sunk it into the hole. Every single pun you need right there.
Take the world by storm Shruti and never stop! *pumps fist in the air*
Gosh you’re like Hanuman. If I had one percent of your gumption, I’d be CEO of some company or the other. ♥️🥰
AHANA, you’re gonna give me a huge ego. 😭❤️❤️
Brb, gonna frame this comment to come back to when the impostor syndrome kicks in.
You deserve a huge ego. You got all the muscle to back it up! ♥️♥️ frame always 🤣♥️
STAHP 👀🥰
This is too funny!!
Ahh, thanks, Sumedha! ❤️
First of all i salute your brain….and second of all i beg of you to spare your eyes from reading erotica written by men. Twice i have read ”romance/erotica” by men, a HUGE mistake.
Ahhh thank youuu! ❤️
Holy cow, I’ve never read erotica written by men and I have no intentions to start! All this was based on other genres. I remember reading this one thriller where the female MC takes off her clothes and struts around because the hair dryer made her hot. 👀 How even? 😭
The male brain…. fascinating this eh
IKR 😂
this is the most creative thing i have ever read.
You’re too kind! ❤️
I couldn’t stop laughing as I read through the descriptions of men in your post! Well done!😂
Ahhh thanks, Prachi! 🥰
Shruti! I can’t tell you how much I laughed on reading this post. Seriously, it was so funny, and by no means bad. If male authors can describe female characters so badly, female authors should also have a go at the same. After all, men and women should get equal opportunities. 😀
Haha, thank you, thank you, Debjani! ❤️❤️
I know I have a fallback job now if marketing doesn’t work out. 😂
Very funny, yes I’ve read some bad ones too.
Love how we all immediately can think of books with similar writing! 😂
Bwahahahahahahah! This is too damn good. I love reading Mills and Boon books. Apart from that, I read a lot of romances and yeah, most of them are authored by women. If you’re familiar with smut writing, then you will know that these books definitely describe make anatomy, but definitely not as distastefully as authors who are men do or if I must say not always. This is hilarious! 😂
Ahhh, thank you! Glad it made you laugh! ❤️
And yeah, I’ve been telling everyone I have a glorious future as a bad smut writer now. 😂
SHRUTI, THIS IS GOLD XD
What I wouldn’t do to read novels that objectify and demean men like this, lol. I wish we could mail this post to every male author who writes like this and then see their reactions hehe.
Lmao they’ll probably cry publicly about an angry woman attacking them oops 😂
I had such a great time reading this. This is comedy gold.
This post is genius and I’m so glad to see sexism being brought out in this way because THIS IS IMPORTANT and also, it was so funny and I loved it.
Ahhh, thanks so much, Jayati! ❤️
I laughed so much at some of these! I completely agree with you that the way many male authors portray women in books is disgusting and it’s so different but necessary to see this reciprocation. I like how you added an element of humour in as well!
Humor is my coping mechanism for everything. I HAD to do this, Darina! 😂
I think I haven’t laughed so much in a while! Thank you, Shruti!
Ahh Mansi, I’m glad you liked it! ❤️
This was delightful! #Team-Good-ol’-Gary
Poor Gary! 😂
hahahaha this is hilarious!
OMG Shruti!!!! How did I miss this post?? you had me laughing so hard I nearly fell from my chair! This is priceless girl!
Ahh, Sophie I’m so glad you liked it! ❤️
This is hilarious!
Thank you! ^_^
This is both well-written (in the sense of prose) and hilarious! I can’t believe women are depicted like this in novels … but wait, actually I can! Really great post!
Thanks, Vee! ❤️
Sadly, I’ve read quite a lot of books where women are depicted this way. Smh.
It’s a shame, honestly, but with more female writers who are willing to clap back, I’m anticipating a change in the right direction!
I love this!, it’s too hilarious😁 A necessary topic brought out in a light way, well-done!
Thanks so much! 🙂
This was so funny and so true. Loved it !
I’m cackling. Genius.