A rock climber has gone viral on TikTok after catching two men making sexist comments about her while recording her climb.
The TikTok, which was posted on Feb. 28, has amassed 2 million views in just one day.
Captioned “Just don’t be that guy,” the video shows Jess (@hiker.jess) climbing a steep rock while her camera records her at a distance. In the background, two men off-screen seem to be having a discussion about her—making several assumptions about her physical strength due to her gender.
Appearing to discuss the woman’s climbing activity, the first man says, “But yeah, I’ve been interested in this but I don’t have the strength. This has gotta be harder for women because women carry more weight.”
The second one responds, “Well, a lot of people think that you just need a small upper body but you also need a lot of footwork, and thought too. And body position.”
“It’s like she’s probably not stronger than me, I could grip better than her, but look at her go,” the first man adds. “And women normally have more weight.” He then went on to describe how women “carry more weight” in certain areas before the TikToker stopped recording.
@hiker.jess Just don’t be that guy #sexist #toxicmasculinity #strongwomen #gorgeousgorgeousgirls ♬ original sound – Jess
Several users took to the comments to defend the climber, criticizing the man’s attitude.
One comment with over 47,000 likes read: “Let me make up a reason why she can do this problem but I can’t”
In reference to the growing meme of “men’s podcasts,” which in internet terms has become a synonym for sexism and toxic masculinity, another user joked in a comment with over 50,000 likes: “male podcasts taking a field trip to go climbing.”
“It’s the way men just be talking nonsense with each other like this and think they’re all making solid points,” another TikTok comment read.
Jess also expanded on her thoughts about the experience in the comments. When one user asked, “Why is he talking like you’re not there? Why is he talking?” she said in response: “Right? Why are words even coming out of his mouth? Unnecessary.”
In response to another user, who mocked the man saying “she’s probably not as strong as me,” the TikToker said, “He couldn’t even get off the ground.”
A subsequent TikTok by the user shows one of the men trying and failing to climb the same wall the woman did, remarking that it was “hard.” The TikTok was captioned: “This guy is all excuses.”
The user did not immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok comment.
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