30 Things Normalised By Society Which People Refuse To Play Along With
It wasn’t too long ago that the epitome of normal life was lauded as being married with two kids, a white picket fence, two dogs and a cat. But nowadays, this is not everyone’s life goal as different choices are gaining more popularity and traction.
Redditor u/avaspark initiated an interesting discussion online when they asked folks to share the things they felt were normalised by society but they absolutely refused to do. The answers poured in, so much so that nowadays, there are quite a few ‘normal’ things which people are rejecting outright in droves, as you can see from the responses below.
#1 Hustle 26 hours a day, grind to be successful, etc. I just wanna do my job I enjoy, come home for dinner, play with my dogs, listen to music and sleep. YOU can be the billionaire. I’m good where I am brah.
Image source: adminofyourlifenow, Andrea Piacquadio
Snorky The Pig: THIS^^^^
#2 Influencers. I have a hard time articulating the depth of their collective uselesness.
Image source: Brilliant_Pun, Mizuno K
Hokuloa: Not really a “norm,” but I certainly agree with their general uselessness.
#3 I’m tired of so many people trying to normalize teens dressing like grown women
Image source: Prestigious-Phase131, Céline
#4 Child beauty pagents
Image source: oldmanghozzt, tlc uk
Snorky The Pig: Honestly🤢 Breeding grounds for pedophilia
#5 Ghosting
Image source: VirtualTaste1771, Ketut Subiyanto
WindySwede 3 days ago
Sometimes needed? Say a women experiences many red flags from “nice guy” and realised ge will not stop the nagging or worse. Block and go on with something healthy.
#6 Worshipping people, I don’t really get the concept of looking up at actors, politicians religious figures or “influencers”, just feels wrong, and 99.9% of the times, this “figures” end up being s**t
Image source: chocolombia, Aline Viana Prado
#7 Using punctuation and proper spelling on text messages or chat applications. I don’t care if you don’t do it, I will still write my text properly. Edit: I meant to say, it is now normalized to NOT using punctuation and proper spelling.
Image source: ReadyFyre1, Tim Samuel
Mr. Nurse Man: I’m petty enough to refuse to answer people if they don’t use reasonable grammar and punctuation. I can understand trying to use abbreviations like lol and stuff, but the amount of run-on sentences and misspellings (their, they’re, there) drives me mad.
#8 Wearing makeup to work, I used to because I felt like I had to. The transition got me comments that I look tired and/or sick, but now I throw on mascara only when I want to ? I’m not good at make up and am lazy so I’m glad that women aren’t expected to as much anymore ?
Image source: Odd_Information_6082
Ece Cenker (edited):
On one morning preparing for work, I remember thinking, “Oh, my under eyes are dark again. I look tired, I should use more concealer.” And it hit me. I AM tired. I am working six days a week and I do not get enough sleep and I AM TIRED! Who am I hiding it from? My co-workers who are in the same condition? My boss who should know that we are not getting enough rest?! I started putting on less make up from then on, especially in the eye area. If I am tired and it shows, it shows! I don’t have an obligation of pretending I am well and energetic and all chipper when I am not. Live with it.
#9 Replying all to work emails just to say congratulations to someone.
Image source: ARowzFocuz
#10 Tiktok
Image source: Disastrous-Custard10, cottonbro studio
Kat Lyle: Or as I like to call it “the darwin award app”
#11 Going into debt for a wedding. I do like marriage even if the benefits are next to nothing these days but the normalization of a $20-$30k wedding in America is ridiculous. We just went to the court house and had a small party afterwards. No need to spend all that cash just to start your life together in debt
Image source: Adorable_Cuckquean, Jonathan Borba
#12 Sketched on eyebrows and bee sting lips… ugh.
Image source: Interview-Guilty
Sea Squirrel: I only hear half of what women with airbrushed eyebrows say. To me those things are even more distracting than spinach between teeth.
#13 Hook up culture
Image source: ChaoticCherryblossom, cottonbro studio
#14 Monetize all my hobbies and produce “content” for social media.
Image source: Dr_Girlfriend_81, Malte Helmhold
Kim Kermes: I find a ot of sewing and craft Reels very helpful. We love to share, and the money probably just helps support hobbies.
#15 Vaping – it’s so disgusting ?
Image source: idiot-of-the-year
Ellie Hope 3 days ago
Cigarettes are more disgusting, vaping helped me stop. Now I need to stop vaping.
#16 Plastering your life on social media
Image source: salloumk, Afif Ramdhasuma
Ansi: Especially your kids. I had a friend of a friend posting daily updates what her kids was wearing that day. Put them up against a wall for a photo and explaining what different brands the clothes were. It was weird.
#17 Filming and photographing everything I do or experience and putting it online for attention from family and strangers.
Image source: rebelbasestarfleet, cottonbro studio
Mycroft1967: No one cares what you had for breakfast.
#18 cheating/infidelity while in a monogamous relationship. Also social media.
Image source: NoBrightSide, https://www.pexels.com/photo/gold-bitcoin-844127/
I will never understand cheaters, unless the partner is abusive. How can you betray the one you love, your best friend? Totally alien concept to me.
I have had friends that cheat, I usually ask them why do u want to be with somebody that u do not respect enough to be faithful to, do u think they are stupid because they trust u and if so why do u want to be with somebody that is stupid??? What does that really say about u?? It has actually turned a couple of them around instantly.
#19 Working over 40+ hours in a week without getting paid for it. F**k that….
Image source: No-Assist63
#20 Normalizing obesity
Image source: Brekins_runner
AnonymousApple: People are enormously cruel to overweight people and it’s just unnecessary. The number of people I’ve talked to who think bullying overweight people is “good for them” because it’ll motivate them to lose weight… JFC. I totally understand why there’s a body positivity movement. I don’t think it’s normalizing obesity; I think it’s saying people deserve love and respect regardless of their weight.
#21 Alcohol
Image source: mutohasaposse, Fred Moon
October: This! Never understood why drugs are frowned upon, but it’s okay to drink yourself into a stupor.
#22 Religion/teaching my kids to be religious. I live in the Bible Belt so when I tell people I’m not religious nor plan to teach my children to be religious they always look at me like I told them I beat my kids with a metal bar.
Image source: Ok-Ad4375, nappy
Snorky The Pig: Meanwhile, they probably beat their own kids just the same. Indoctrination just leads to mental health problems later in life, and anyway, kids naturally develop an aversion to anything pushed upon them against their will. If they will be religious, let it happen naturally. It is a personal choice, and your kids should not have to think and live exactly like you do. Leave them be.
#23 Hating on the person your partner is cheating on you with. I see so many girls hate “the other girl” when yk, your bf/husband should care more about your relationship/marriage than some random girl they decided to f**k. Make it make sense.
Image source: 12kindsoftrouble, RDNE Stock project
#24 Call the drinks at Starbucks anything other than small, medium, or large.
Image source: ishitmypamts
WindySwede: What are they called?
Ozymandias73: Tall, Grande, Venti/Vente> I only know thanks to my wife. If I order something I just say small, medium, or large. They know what I mean.
#25 One thing? ? Theres so many. But probably the biggest is having kids.
Image source: Cool_Relative7359, Yan Krukau
Corvus: The thing that shouldn’t be normalized is the social/peer pressure to have kids at any cost.
#26 Crypto
Image source: Middle-Wrangler2729, Worldspectrum
#27 Getting extremely long eyelashes or nails
Image source: black93sunshine
Snorky The Pig (edited): Not against personal taste, but what I wanna know is how my long-nailed sisters text, wipe their bums and pick their nose. 😂 Seems impossible. Ouch.
#28 Amazon. Jeff does not need more money. I go straight to the company sites.
Image source: CtForrestEye, jean-louis Zimmermann
WindySwede: I don’t buy from here mostly because of either crappy quality, crappy working conditions, lack of union, or just don’t need to sponsor giant clocks in mountains nor huge space penis.
#29 Consumer debt. Don’t care if it’s electronics, vehicles, or anything else – if I don’t have the money to buy it outright, I won’t buy it.
Image source: bacon205, Pavel Danilyuk
Edit: to exclude a mortgage
Edit 2: the comments have been interesting to see the 2 different schools of thought on the matter.
1 hand is the people who take a similar approach and mention how much of a relief it is to not have debt and the freedom it awards.
On the other is people telling me how I’m missing out, foolish, “good luck getting a loan” (which is funny because that’s the whole point is to *not* get one), or how I must be privileged because I don’t have debt (even though I have a very modest income, I just choose to approach purchases differently and delay them so i can and pay myself the interest over several years to pay cash at the time of purchase vs getting that item now and paying someone else later).
It definitely takes a different mindset than society pushes and a lot of financial discipline to maintain that lifestyle, but to me it’s worth it. I don’t have to stress over small hiccups life throws at me because I’m not burdened by monthly payments.
#30 subscription services
Image source: lsnik, Andrea Piacquadio
Kim Kermes: I do find my cat food and litter subscription convenient.
Surenu: I don’t go to Starbucks, but I assume Too Many Dollars, Entirely Too Many Dollars and A Ridiculous Amount of Dollars