While mindlessly scrolling through Tik Tok one afternoon, I came across several videos discussing two boys who believe that women have no hobbies. At first, I thought this had to be an exaggeration, but unfortunately, I was wrong. The podcast “No Focks Given” was created in January 2021 by Tanner Fox and Maverick Leonard. In season one episode seven, Leonard laughs and says, “Ok this might be the most sexist thing I’ll ever say, because I don’t really agree with it, but at the same time like, when I start looking around I’m like, ‘you’re right,’ but do girls have hobbies?” As the podcast continues, Leonard and Fox discuss this further:

 

Leonard: “Like, no girl, I feel, okay, there are some select few, but it’s rare for a girl...” 

Fox: “To have a hobby?” 

Leonard: “Like a comradery hobby, a hobby that revolves…like us, we go to the skate park…there are the skater girls, the…girls can do everything guys can do, and so and so forth, but they don’t choose the hobby. That’s not a…that’s not a common hobby in their culture or our culture.” 

 

There is already so much to unpack here. Clearly, Leonard is correct. All women do is stare at walls all day long. No hobby done by women is a legitimate hobby, even if it’s something also enjoyed by men, because that’s just the minority of women.

 

Hopefully, you can sense my extreme sarcasm here. There are many hobbies enjoyed by women: sports, music, art, fashion, reading, science, gaming—to just barely scratch the surface. These hobbies can be enjoyed by anyone of any gender. It is also not a rarity for women to have hobbies. This comment by Leonard makes me wonder if he has ever actually spoken to a woman about her interests. If he had, I imagine he would believe differently. I also have to wonder what Leonard meant when he said that women “don’t choose the hobby.” If this is in reference to skateboarding, I would have to assume he means that women only skateboard to be appealing to men. To that I would ask, do you also believe men choose to skateboard just for women’s sake? I believe for most that answer would be no, you skate because you enjoy it-just as women do. All of Leonard’s beliefs in this part of the conversation can be traced back to the misogynistic viewpoint that everything a woman does is for a man because of course, no woman could actually have interests that don’t revolve around men.

 

Now, let’s look at the rest of Leonard and Fox’s conversation:

 

Fox: “I, like, slightly understand what you’re asking, but yes I think girls have…I think girls…humans have hobbies. Doing your makeup is a hobby.”

Leonard: “Yes it is.”

Fox: “Drawing is a hobby.”

Leonard: “Yes it is.”

Fox: “Playing guitar is a hobby.”

Leonard: “I agree one hundred percent, but there’s no, like, as in hobby I mean, like, going to the skate park, doing something that involves, like, friends, you know?”

Fox: “There are a lot of girls that, just like, kind of vibe around. Like that is their hobby.”

Leonard: “Or you know how many girls that I meet that are like ‘I have no friends,’ like what do you think that is?”

 

Despite Leonard’s belief, it is not rare for a woman to have a hobby she enjoys with her friends. Just like men, women often base their friendships on people who have similar interests to them; whether they’re interested in sports and have met their friends on the basketball team, or love the art of makeup and made friends through displaying their work on social media. Of course, not every hobby is done with friends, but I believe men could say the same. Later in the conversation, Fox also makes this point, explaining, “You’re surrounded by friends, like you, so all your friends have similar hobbies to you. But, like, think of how many dudes there are that do the same thing and just sit and chill and, like, wait for their friends to hit them up, so I think it goes both ways.”

 

Lastly, before Fox changes the subject, Leonard states, “Uhh you’re right, I just feel like guys have more…more options…more society-brought options.” I would have to agree with Leonard on this. Society does tend to have more options for hobbies that are deemed “socially acceptable” for men. However, this is not the fault of women. This is the fault of the patriarchal system that has told women that they can only partake in certain activities, such as fashion or makeup. There is nothing wrong with women partaking in any hobby or interest, whether it is deemed acceptable for women or not. Despite this, many women are made to feel ashamed for enjoying hobbies typically deemed as being “for men.”

 

It is important to address Fox’s bystander behavior in this conversation. While he does make efforts to display that he does not agree with Leonard’s misogynistic beliefs, he does not hold him accountable. It is crucial to hold people accountable for their actions when they express misogynistic ideas in an attempt to teach them that what they are saying is not only offensive but also incorrect.

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If this article ever reaches Leonard and Fox, I would like to ask them to think for a minute. What do you believe women do all day? Sit and stare at the wall?