Charlie Sawyer
Published November 24, 2025 9:57am
Updated November 24, 2025 9:57am
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Smart women have got men seething on social media (Picture: Getty)
Women are dominating the higher education sector — but in a strange retaliation, men on X have become doctors in misogyny.
For decades now, women have outpaced men in academia. So much so that in 2022 (among 25 to 29-year-olds), it was found that 44% of women had completed a bachelor’s degree compared to only 35% of men.
And this is clearly a cold hard fact some men are still not able to come to terms with.
Last week, Dr Juliet Turner, an ecologist and evolutionary biologist, posted an image on X announcing that, following four years at Oxford University, she’d officially defended her thesis and received her PhD — becoming a fully-fledged doctor.
Whether you’re best mates with Dr Turner or not, you’d assume the reaction might be a quick ‘like’, or even just a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. After all, let’s not forget that women weren’t even allowed to graduate from the prestigious institution until 1920.
Alas, not so much. Richard Cooper, author of the book ‘The Unplugged Alpha’, re-shared Dr Turner’s post, accompanying it with the caption: ‘Just look at the degree on that chick’ — No man ever.’
This one tweet ultimately ended up becoming a life of its own.
And so, in the same week that Donald Trump decided it was appropriate to call a female reporter ‘piggy’ during a press conference, a group of men online launched their own attack on women for celebrating their academic successes.
Misogynistic abuse towards women has spiralled on X in recent years (Picture: Getty)
Pipe down, woman
Within hours of Dr Turner’s post, her comment section came alive with misogynistic vitriol — questioning her credentials, accusing her of sharing the image solely to get male attention, and degrading her as an individual.
A theme that became immediately apparent was Juliet’s apparent biological failings as a woman.
@CommieCarney wrote ‘Congrats on successfully becoming a biologist, but failing at biology. You are 30 years old with no husband or kids — a genetic dead end in an unbroken line of succession from your ancestors since the beginning of time.’
@NormalPerson5D0 added ‘Them eggs aren’t getting any younger.’
Soon, this wave of abuse caught the attention of fellow female PhD, Dr Daisy Dixon, philosopher of art and aesthetics at Cardiff University, who subsequently repackaged Richard Cooper’s comment, with the ‘just look at the degree on that chick’ trend — a movement dedicated to showcasing women at the top of their academic field.
Hundreds of women got involved — posting graduation pictures and celebrating their wins. And predictably, with each new feminist post that appeared, a new sexist tribute act followed.
POV: you are a young woman celebrating a recent academic success pic.twitter.com/x8aZJvl4ZG
— Dr Juliet Turner (@juliet_turner6) November 17, 2025
Speaking to Metro, Dr Dixon says she wasn’t surprised by the backlash.
‘We wake up to rape threats, men commenting on and ‘predicting’ our fertility levels, shaming us if we don’t have children, for how we look, for what our degrees are in, or indeed for having a degree at all.
‘They show how vicious sexism still is, and that in many dark corners of the internet lurk men who believe we are second-class citizens, existing simply as reproductive vessels.’
But why is it these posts of women achieving spark such rage? Is there a sociological reason, or is their behaviour just a reminder that we’re all totally doomed?
Women have been outperforming men in academia for some time now (Picture: Getty)
Successful women will always be a threat
Sociologist and gender studies expert Dr Stephen Whitehead told Metro ‘Certain men now launch into toxic tirades against successful women with astonishing ease.
‘Particularly when those women project what I call independent femininity. The hostility once directed at feminists has widened to include almost all women, and often LGBTQ+ people too,’ Dr Whitehead continued.
In the specific cases of Dr Turner and Dr Dixon, the sociologist states that the backlash they’ve faced isn’t really about their PhDs — it’s about what their successes represent.
‘They symbolise independence, choice and control. These men fear women who no longer depend on them; they feel inferior to women who are confident, accomplished and in command of their own lives.’
One such woman is Aalisha — a musician and composer who participated in the trend, boasting an incredibly impressive two Bachelor degrees and a Master’s.
‘I wanted to get involved because the source of the trend was so hilariously ridiculous to me,’ Aalisha explained to Metro.
‘Misogyny isn’t surprising, but it’s funny to see how far backwards some people still are. Plus I’m very proud of the work I put in to earn those degree.’
“Just look at the degree(s) on that chick” 👀Two different Bachelor’s degrees from WashU in St. Louis ♥️& a Master’s degree from NYU 💜 https://t.co/6I2jXp6crt pic.twitter.com/WunIIMQnlt
— aalisha (@aalishamusic) November 18, 2025
‘When these men attack,’ Dr Whitehead says, ‘they are really trying to drag down every woman who embodies independent femininity.
‘The wider backdrop is the gender revolution of the past 70 years, which has left some men adapting and others deeply insecure or even dangerous.’
Is sexism more acceptable today?
A lot of women won’t find this entire debacle shocking, given the fact that every day we’re confronted with new sexist abuse seeping into each corner of society.
Figures like Andrew Tate might not be featuring as prominently on our TikTok feed, but his impact and influence can be clearly seen in young boys today.
In fact, a recent survey presented to Parliament revealed that 32% of boys do not think that women’s rights are very important.
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Polling 1,032 boys across 37 British schools during the last academic year, the survey also found that 79% of participants were not clear on what masculinity is, with one boy stating, ‘It’s toxic, that’s all I ever hear.’
Shows like Adolescence captured a very real fear circulating at the moment. And while the men engaging in this tirade online don’t represent the entire flock, it’s another stark reminder of the environment women are currently having to navigate.
In Dr Whitehead ‘s view, while these men might have pretty fulfilling lives on social media, the reality of their futures off-screen is much bleaker: ‘Women will not knowingly engage with men who demean, threaten or abuse them, so these male fundamentalists are isolating themselves.
‘If they continue on this trajectory, their future relationships are likely to be with AI companions, not real women.’
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