While her partner felt she was being a touch too sensitive about the gag, many online felt she was right to leave given the “sexist” undertones of what was said.

Sexist jokes are no laughing matter. Psychologists from Western Carolina University found exposure to humor of this kind can lead to a toleration of discrimination and hostile feelings toward women. As Professor Thomas E. Ford put it, “sexist humor acts as a ‘releaser’ of prejudice.”

“It can affect men’s perceptions of their immediate social surroundings and allow them to feel comfortable with behavioral expressions of sexism without the fear of disapproval of their peers,” he explained.

Perhaps that’s why one woman, posting to Reddit as BeautifulTraffic3197, has been earning so many plaudits online after walking out on her boyfriend for laughing at a crude remark made at her expense.

According to her post, which has been upvoted over 10,000 times, she works as a gymnastics coach, having had to retire from the sport at 25 due to the strain it put on her body.

She and her 29-year-old boyfriend of 10 months recently attended a party where she met several of his friends for the first time. “Most of them were really nice,” she wrote. “But a few got gross when they learned of my profession. and I’m sure many of you can guess the comments that followed.”

According to the woman, there was some “speculation” on her “flexibility” and comments on their “bedroom activity” together.

While the remarks left her “very uncomfortable,” she was dismayed to see her boyfriend “laughed along with them.” Unhappy at the jokes and his reaction, she decided to speak up. “I told them I didn’t like that kind of talk and it degraded my sport,” she said.

However, her boyfriend refused to back down, telling her to “relax” and insisting it was “a joke.” The comments then continued until she decided enough was enough and began making her way home.

Though he tried to stop her, she continued on, telling him he and his friends could “enjoy” making remarks without her for the rest of the evening.

After she got home, she received several messages from her boyfriend telling her she “overreacted” and “embarrassed him” with her reaction. He also told her she should “expect those kinds of comments.”

“I usually have a thicker skin about this stuff,” she wrote. “I’ve heard it all before… but I was stressed about meeting his friends and making a good impression and then ambushed by this so it got under my skin.”

While the woman appeared unsure over whether she was right to react in the way she did, for many on social media the situation was far more cut and dried and they praised her for taking a stand.

Academic_Snow_7680 said: “The boyfriend laughing and then telling her that she should expect and take those comments because she’s a female gymnast reveals his misogyny and ingrained sexism…I can’t see how any woman with self respect would date a guy like that.”

MuppetJonBonJovi agreed, writing: “his response was the typical ‘boys will be boys’ s*** that some men use to explain away sexist and misogynistic behavior, and that’s frustrating.”

StonyOwl, meanwhile, added: “If her boyfriend doesn’t realize how sexist and gross the comments are, then she should dump him as he’s showing her he’s just fine with gross, sexist behavior, will laugh at it, and he will not have her back.”

Elsewhere, Plastic-Artichoke590 wrote: “I pole dance and if someone made insinuations like this about me to my partner he would tell them to shut their f***ing mouth.”

Newsweek has contacted BeautifulTraffic3197 for comment.

Update 07/05/22, 5:58 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include a new picture.