【2019 Archives】

It's a tale that's all too familiar for many women. You share your idea at work019 Archives but you're met with silence and an almighty shrug.

Immediately after, that very same idea is put forth by a man. He claims it as his own. And, everyone loves it.

Well, there's a new word for this age-old practice: "hepeating." And, it's almost certainly happened to you.

The term was coined by friends of astronomer and professor Nicole Gugliucci who tweeted the word's definition and how to use it. Her tweet garnered almost 200K likes and 65K retweets, which gives an inkling about just how widespread hepeating is.

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Gugliucci defines hepeating as "when a woman suggests an idea and it's ignored, but then a guy says the same thing and everyone loves it."

When it comes to saying the word in everyday conversation—which we will absolutely be doing—Gugliucci included a note on usage. "I got hepeated in that meeting again," is one suggested usage, along with: "He totally hepeated me!"

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While many who've experience hepeating first-hand will be nodding their heads and muttering "same!" the reality of this practice is frustrating. And, it feels like a move to undermine and discredit the intellectual property of women in the workplace.

Gugliucci also noted that hepeating doesn't just happen to women. It also happens to women and men of colour. And, she believes that many people aren't willing to admit this uncomfortable truth.

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One woman responded to Gugliucci's tweet, adding that she was coining the term "rewhite" for every time "a person of color says something and is ignored until a white person says it."

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Myriad women chimed in on Twitter to say that hepeating happens to them on a daily basis, and some even said it's been happening their whole life.

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So, next time you find yourself having your ideas repeated back to you by a male employee, classmate, friend, or family member, you now have the perfect word up your sleeve to call them out.

"Don't hepeat me."