Coworker’s Disgusting Overreaction to Feminine Products
The Original Post
This little moment happened at work a year ago and I cant stop thinking about it its so dumb they reacted this way. But now I see this behavior everywhere from so many people and I hate it
A year ago at the office A woman in her 20s there just got back from maternity leave. She needed to pump. She and I shared a cubicle but it was pretty easy to be back to back. No big deal she just let me know when it was happening and I just didnt turn around while it was going on. Even if I did you’d barely notice because she wore a sweater the size of a poncho while she did it. Seriously no big deal.
One day i notice on a community table theres a hunk of plastic charging. I’ve never seen it so I pick it up and look at it. She says “oh thats my pump” and my reaction was “oh neat.” And set it back down. I would have completely forgotten that entire interaction if it wasnt for 2 days later our coworker shows up. Now he and I are the same age. Difference is he’s got a wife and daughter with another kid on the way. It any man should be familiar with this kind of stuff its him.
He does the same thing as me. He gets in the morning he sees a weird hunk of plastic charging he picks it up to figure out what it is. She says the same thing “Oh thats my pump.” His reaction to it was to immediately throw it pretty hard, thankfully didnt break it. Scream “UGHHHHHHHHHHHH OH GROSS GOD I CANT BELIEVE I TOUCHED THAT!!!!!!” And sprinted out of the room and made a big show of washing his hands. He even went to go grab the stuff the doctors use to wash his hands and make sure everyone knew. Keep in mind this thing is like the outside shell of a pump i’m pretty sure this whole piece likely doesnt even touch her skin.
This is now all he talks about the entire day and he brings it up for a month straight after even after I pulled him aside to tell him to cut it out. Even later in the day when she had to inevitably use the pump he made a big deal out of it and ran out of room. She was clearly annoyed that we had to put up with this from our lead. This guy is 30 with a wife and daughter how is any of this desserving of that reaction.
And now I see in so many posts and just in life guys over reaction to feminine care products and being unwilling to buy them look at them or even learn what they do. Fucking get over it. This still annoys me even after a year.
Edit to add more because I’m just mad: until i got promoted and could take over purchase orders. I or a woman had to go to his computer to add the tampons to cart because he didnt want to be the one to buy them. ITS AN ONLINE OFFICE SUPPLY ORDER DUDE WHO CARES. God it made me so mad. Do you not go to the grocery store and get these for your wife? AHHHH!
What Reddit Said
Redditors were absolutely disgusted by the coworker’s behavior. Most commenters called him an “idiot” and expressed frustration that grown men still act this way. However, many noted this isn’t an isolated incident – they’ve witnessed similar childish reactions from adult men.
The consensus was clear: this behavior is completely unacceptable in a workplace. Moreover, commenters were particularly appalled that a married father would react so dramatically to basic feminine care products. In fact, many questioned how he functions as a husband and father with such an immature attitude.
The Verdict
Reddit overwhelmingly supported OP’s frustration with their coworker overreacts feminine products situation. This represents a broader cultural problem where some men refuse to mature about women’s health needs. The behavior was deemed especially inexcusable given his role as both a workplace leader and family man. This falls squarely into workplace drama territory with serious sexism and misogyny undertones.
Original post from r/TrueOffMyChest (2,531 upvotes, 153 comments)