"God forbid women do anything"
| Meme | |
|---|---|
| Synonyms: | |
| Date Started: | 2020 |
| Related: | |
| See Also: | Fandom Mom, Misogyny in Fandom, I stand with my cancelled wife |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
"God forbid women do anything" is a facetious or sarcastic phrase often used to refer to the actions of problematic women and female characters.
History
The phrase "God forbid women do anything" initially surfaced in a January 2020 Tumblr post. It emerged from discussions about adult women, including mothers, who actively participate in online fandoms despite their real-life domestic responsibilities and are therefore perceived as problematic by some people. The phrase was interpreted by some as racist, misogynistic and ageist[1], appearing to gatekeep these groups from engaging in fandom culture.
Others argue that the phrase critiques toxic behaviors like "ship discourse" and "suicide baiting," especially when adults engage in these behaviors with minors. They contend that it's essential to differentiate between criticizing specific toxic actions and broadly condemning participation in fandom culture
Additionally, "God forbid women do anything" has been used sarcastically to defend female characters who commit egregious acts like murder or cannibalism, mocking the idea that women should be exempt from criticism. This meme later inspired a similar phrase, "God forbid women have hobbies," which gained popularity in 2023. This newer meme satirizes the criticism women face for engaging in hobbies or behaviors deemed frivolous or irrational, emphasizing societal double standards.
Original post
[tonysopranobignaturals formerly death2america]
speaking of the reylo therapist I get genuinely concerned when I learn some of these self identified fandom moms have children. can you imagine being 5 and your mom is busy arguing with teenagers on tumblr about shipping[2]
[starsarefire824]
God forbid women do anything after they have children 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄if we are in fandom we obviously are naked at the computer harassing children while our children are drinking chemicals. 🙄🙄🙄[2]
Criticism
There were also those who commented that if one were to complain about such behavior in a women, the parameter should also be applied to men:
[thegoatsongs]
Stephen King has kids and he keeps writing underage sex in his books, tons of male writers are fathers and write rape and incest btw[3]
Examples
[cynassa]
When will I get a post about how SHE committed atrocities but SHE’S my special little guy and also SHE looked hot while doing it#god forbid women do anything[4]
The Yellowjackets fandom — the canon of which involves cannibalism, murder, chaotic attempts to cover up said murders, and other mayhem caused by a multitude of problematic faves — uses this phrasing and variations quite frequently:
[ordinarybarbie]
god forbid women have hobbies like braiding their dead best friends hair to cover up that she’s missing an ear or putting makeup on her corpse to make her look less necrotic or hallucinating a bacchanal feast while cannibalizing her[5]
The meme was recently used by the Goncharov fandom in favor of its female characters:
Resources
References
- ^ jeza-red (2021-02-10). "Just admit you can't stand the idea that someone may not be as invested in your argument…". Tumblr. Archived from the original on 2023-09-19.
- ^ a b c starsarefire824 (2020-01-08). "God forbid women do anything after they have children 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄". Tumblr. Archived from the original on 2023-09-19.
- ^ thegoatsongs. "Stephen King has kids and he keeps writing underage sex…". Tumblr. Archived from the original on 2023-09-19.
- ^ cynassa (2022-09-17). "When will I get a post about how SHE committed atrocities but SHE'S my special little guy…". Tumblr. Archived from the original on 2022-09-22.
- ^ ordinarybarbie (2023-03-31). "god forbid women have hobbies like braiding their dead best friends …". Tumblr. Archived from the original on 2023-09-19.