Men Think They Built Us—And Bestie, That's Their Cutest Delusion Yet

MJ Wynn
Mar 17
5 min read

Updated: May 25

passes you the cozy blanket and lights a candle

Okay bestie, get comfy because we need to have a heart-to-heart about something that's been living in my head rent-free lately: this absolutely wild phenomenon where men genuinely think we need their stamp of approval to deserve success. Not earn it. Not work our cute little butts off for it. Not power through those endless 3am recording sessions fueled by nothing but determination and our third oat milk latte. But deserve it—as if our worth needs to be cosigned by the male gaze before it counts. Like, sir? Did we ask? The audacity is honestly kind of iconic 💅✨

takes a deep breath and settles in

And girlll, let me spill this piping hot tea because we see this literally everywhere—from that one male coworker who keeps mansplaining your job to you (honey, I literally wrote the manual while you were trying to figure out how to turn on your computer), to sports, to the music industry, to the way men have somehow convinced themselves that women's success comes with an asterisk. The delusion is giving... everything. Like, it's kind of cute how wrong they are? 🤭

The Taylor Swift Situation (Or: Why Men Can't Handle That She's Their Boss Now)

Let's address the sparkly elephant in the room: Miss Taylor Alison Swift isn't just eating the music industry—she's having a whole michelin-star feast with dessert. She's not just an industry leader; she literally is the industry. Your fave could never, bestie. She's out here making the GDP look like pocket change, her tour is literally shifting the global economy (like, hello?), and yet—there are still men absolutely losing their minds trying to explain why this doesn't count somehow? The mental gymnastics deserve an Olympic medal, I'm literally crying 😭

"She's only famous because she writes breakup songs about men."→ First of all, the NERVE. Last time I checked, every male artist since the beginning of time has been writing about their exes too. The way y'all praise Drake for being in his feelings but come for Taylor... the math ain't mathing, bestie 🧮
"She wouldn't be here without Scooter Braun."→ sips tea aggressively You mean the man who tried to gatekeep her own music? The one who found out the hard way that you don't mess with a woman who knows her worth? The delusion is astronomical, bestie. Like, the stars could never ⭐
"She's only breaking records because of the media machine."→ Oh sweetie... you mean the same media that spent a whole decade trying to paint her as boy-crazy and "calculated"? That media machine? I'm gonna need you to pass whatever you're smoking because that's some next-level revisionist history. Like, are we even living in the same timeline? 🌿

But here's the real tea, bestie (and it's scalding): This isn't even about Taylor anymore. This is about control. Men don't just want to watch women succeed—they want to be the main character in our story. They want to be the reason behind every win, because the idea that we could build an empire without them makes them absolutely spiral. And honestly? We love to see it. It's giving... everything we deserve 💅✨

adjusts crown

It's giving the same energy as them still trying to push that narrative that Kanye "made" Taylor famous in 2009 (she already had a Grammy, babes, but go off I guess), or claiming female artists only get famous by "selling sex" while their fave male rappers have been recycling the same three topics since '99.

The cognitive dissonance is almost impressive. Like, are you okay? Do you need to lie down? 🛋️

The Audacity of Men Undermining Women's Success (While We're Literally Winning)

This isn't just a music industry thing, bestie. It's the whole vibe. Look at how they treated Serena Williams—literally the GOAT of tennis, period. The second she started serving too hard and winning too much, suddenly it wasn't about her legendary skills anymore—it was about her "attitude." And don't even get me started on how they try to come for Queen Bey, acting like she's just vibes and aesthetics when she's out here working harder than their faves could even imagine in their wildest dreams. Like, the delusion is almost cute? Almost. 👀

The pattern is so predictable it's actually kind of hilarious (grab your popcorn, bestie):

Step 1: She starts winning.→ "It's just a phase." (Sure, Jan. And the moon is made of cheese 🧀)
Step 2: She keeps winning.→ "Someone must be helping her." (Yeah, her talent. Ever heard of it? 💅)
Step 3: She dominates the industry.→ "She's so overrated." (Translation: She intimidates me and I'm not emotionally equipped to handle it 😌)
Step 4: She cements her legacy.→ "She didn't actually deserve it." (Die mad about it, bestie. We'll be over here thriving ✨)

The way these men will do everything except admit maybe she's just that girl. Because if they did, they'd have to face their worst nightmare: that women can be powerful, legendary, and absolutely untouchable without asking for their permission first. The horror! Like, imagine being that fragile? Couldn't be me 😱

The Male Ego vs. Women's Independence (Spoiler: We're Winning)

Here's the thing about this whole situation, bestie (and take notes because this is important): male validation has been marketed to us like it's the newest luxury bag we absolutely need. Since day one, society's been trying to convince us that our worth comes from how much men want us, hire us, or think we're talented. But when a woman builds something so massive it doesn't even need their little gold star sticker of approval? That's when men absolutely lose it. And I mean, completely short-circuit. 🔌

They literally malfunction trying to process women's success without making it about themselves. Because if they're not the reason behind it, then what are they? Irrelevant. And nothing, and I mean nothing, scares the male ego more than realizing we don't actually need them. Imagine that. Let that steep like the finest tea, bestie. 🍵

So what's their response? They try to rewrite history. They gaslight. They throw shade. They look at a woman absolutely crushing it and go, "Well, she's not that special." Sir, your opinion wasn't in the group chat, and we didn't send you an invite. Like, read the room? 📱

But here's the gag (and it's a good one): We don't need their think pieces about whether we deserve it. We already own it. Period. Point blank. End of discussion. 💁‍♀️

Taylor Swift didn't need Kanye's interruption to become a legend. Beyoncé's crown wasn't courtesy of Jay-Z. Women everywhere are showing that success isn't something men bestow upon us—it's something we claim, period. Like, sorry not sorry? 👑

And once you stop seeking that validation, once you stop asking for permission to take up space? Baby, that's when you become unstoppable. That's when you truly start glowing. That's when you enter your final form, and it's absolutely beautiful. ✨

So let them talk their talk. Let them come up with their little theories about why your success doesn't count. Let them cling to their fragile little delusions. And then? Keep collecting your wins like Pokemon cards. Gotta catch 'em all, right? 😌

Because honestly bestie, the sweetest revenge isn't just succeeding—it's succeeding so hard they can't even pretend it's about them anymore. Now that's what I call a serve. That's what I call iconic. That's what I call absolutely legendary. And they can stay mad about it. ✨👑

🌷 Signed, MJ