Something struck me when I was perusing my Threads feed last week.

Wedding photographer Kelsey Combe posted May 27: "Here's the thing. I am lectured daily on here--by older (and predominantly white) men. My actions are scrutinized. My 'behavior' is ridiculed. I am told I'm not polite enough. Or that I need to be more 'clear' in my posts. That my jokes aren't funny. Or that I'm supporting organizations that are 'bad.'

"Guys. It's not 1835. It's also not 1965. It's 2025 and we are not your property. We are not yours to order around. We are (and always were) our own people. Leave us alone."

A lot of women (and more than a few enlightened men) just nodded their heads, exactly as I did last week, having recognized my own life.

This is what women who put themselves out there in any public manner at all, whether it's performing to sellout crowds at concert venues, writing books or columns, fulfilling the role of public servant, teaching, or even just posting on social media have to deal with. Every. Single. Day.

While the bulk of people are polite in how they deal with us, there's a segment of the population that just can't. They belittle us, talk down to us, make up lies about us, all in an effort, I suppose, to make them feel manly and........

© Arkansas Online