Posted on July 07 2026
Welcome to this weeks blog post of our series Shit Men Say Online, where we excavate the internet’s most confidently incorrect male commentary, break down the psychological insecurities driving it, and teach you how to respond with petty, informed precision.
If you've been following along, you know we're using this space to build your ultimate database of actual data. The next time a man pipes up on the timeline demanding a "source" because a woman or feminine presenting person shared their lived experiences, you’ll be prepared with the exact proof required to either piss them off or shut them up.
Today, we are looking at a post from this insecure loser
"Tattoos on women/ girls? If the tats are visible I say no thanks. I’m not interested."
Ah, yes. The classic "unsolicited announcement of dating preferences to police women's bodies" routine. Let's look at the actual psychology behind why men post things like this, and how to shut it down.
Men Who Rage About Tattoos Are Just Terrified of Female Autonomy
We already knew this, but here's the data.
When men fixate on a woman having visible tattoos, they attempt to frame their critiques as a harmless personal preference or concern for traditional aesthetics. In reality, digital sociology and psychological stats point to something much more fragile:
They're Performing "Mate Signalling" to Hide Their Irrelevance
Psychological research shows that when men feel like they are losing leverage in the modern dating market, they start looking for cheap ways to reassert control (Mifflin, 2013).
On the internet, a guy who obsessively announces what he finds unattractive in a stranger isn't actually just sharing a preference. He is performing what evolutionary psychologists call mate signalling. By loudly broadcasting that he won't date tattooed women, he is trying to enforce a behavioural tax on women's bodies, penalizing visual expressions of autonomy that do not cater specifically to his approval.
The Authoritarian Mindset (Losers can't handle a world they can't control)
Social psychologists have found that people who are obsessed with watching and punishing anyone who steps outside traditional gender roles score incredibly high in measures of right wing authoritarianism. Peer reviewed data shows that while tattoos have become mainstream, tattooed women are still judged far more harshly by traditionalists than tattooed men are (Broussard & Harton, 2018). To these men, a woman making permanent aesthetic choices independent of the male gaze actively breaks down what they see as a strict patriarchal hierarchy. They hide their fear of a changing world by trying to force women back into traditional boxes through public shaming.
Misinterpreting Appearance to Shield Fragile Egos
Experimental behavioural studies show that men frequently misinterpret visible tattoos on women, incorrectly stereotyping them as indicators of high sexual availability or promiscuity (Swami & Furnham, 2007; Guéguen, 2013). Because these misogynistic men view women through a purely transactional lens, they get deeply uncomfortable when a woman's appearance doesn't signal submission to their specific long term relationship expectations. They intentionally turn a complex choice of personal self expression into a moral failure to convince themselves that they still hold the power to reject women who never asked for their attention in the first place.
Hostile Sexism Masquerading as Preference
According to the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory, anti woman attitudes operate on a spectrum of hostile and benevolent sexism. Unsolicited public declarations against tattooed women perfectly expose this. It uses hostile sexism to insult and lower the social value of women who challenge traditional "purity" scripts, while relying on the underlying premise of benevolent sexism: the outdated belief that women are decorative property who must keep themselves pristine for male consumption.
How To Shut A Misogynist Down
When men start crying about visible tattoos on your timeline, don't waste your energy trying to prove that ink is art. Misogynists don't care. Hit them right where it hurts: their fragile egos.
When crafting an online response to these types of men, it is important to use simple, yet effective language. While name calling is fun and easy, you don't want to be penalized by the social media overlords for bullying or harassment.
Dismantling the "Authority"
Instead of getting defensive, hit them with a comeback that exposes their lack of control over their own lives. We have sifted through the data for you, a simple:
"Fun fact: men who broadcast their dating preferences unprompted feel irrelevant. Have you tried therapy?"
Or if you want to be especially condescending and target their high authoritarian scores:
"Based on social psychology data, feeling publicly threatened by a woman's choices isn't very masculine."
If you want, you can provide the name of the research papers (all references are listed below), but it's not necessary; the onus is on men if they want to be educated.
Men and their constant need for validation
Instead of arguing with these guys about what makes someone attractive, just call out how embarrassing their own logic is. A guy stating his preferences unprompted always acts as if his preference is a prize women are actively competing for.
In reality, he's the one begging for attention. His comment is just a sad attempt to play judge and jury over a stranger's body, demanding women change how they look just to please him. Since he's clearly the one craving validation from the algorithm, flip the script and ask him why he thinks his opinion is relevant to anyone but himself.
Over to You...
We could hand these guys a peer reviewed dissertation on their own insecurities and they’d still blame feminism. If we can't change their minds, we can at least disrupt their peace.
So how do you handle these entitled losers when the algorithm insults you with their presence? Drop your favourite ways to piss off men online in the comments. Let us build the ultimate cheat sheet.
If you want the next edition of Shit Men Say Online dropped directly into your inbox instead of hunting for it on your timeline, make sure you sign up for the newsletter.
P.S. If internet warfare is not enough and you want to piss men off in real life, we have plenty of audacious feminist and political t-shirts over in The Shop. Just saying.
References
- Broussard, K. A., & Harton, H. C. (2018). Tattoo or taboo? Perceptions of a tattooed woman. The Journal of Social Psychology, 158(5), 521-533.
- Guéguen, N. (2013). Effects of tattoos on men's behavior and attitudes towards women: An experimental field study. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 42(8), 1517-1524.
- Mifflin, M. (2013). Bodies of subversion: A secret history of women and tattoo. powerHouse Books.
- Swami, V., & Furnham, A. (2007). Unraveling the mystery of the tattooed woman: An exploratory study of the effects of tattoos on perceptions of attractiveness and personality traits. Body Image, 4(1), 94-96.
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