As a Ukrainian, I’ve heard countless myths and stereotypes about Slavic women throughout my life. These myths sometimes portray us as easy, capricious, submissive, or even dangerous girls.
But after years of hearing such stereotypes, I’ve realized how misleading they can be. Whenever I reveal my Ukrainian heritage, people say things like:
“Do you always drink vodka there?”. — Sure, we’re always drunk
“You must be a spy?” — Of course, that explains why I work in a cafe as a waitress.
Naturally, all Slavic women are different, and there are indeed those who correspond to the common stereotypes, but these are very few.
In this article, I’ll reveal some myths about Slavic women, not with the intention to offend non-Slavic people, but to create a more accurate understanding of who we are.
Let’s debunk some of the most common stereotypes about Slavic women!
Why aren’t you a tall blonde girl with blue eyes?
Every time I mention I’m Ukrainian they wonder why I’m not 180cm (5′ 11″) with long blonde hair.
That’s only a stereotype!
It probably comes from people who have watched many films about Russian spies, where the main characters were tall blonde girls with long hair who always wear heels.
Unfortunately for some of you, the average Slavic girl is way shorter!
You’ll find Slavic girls with different heights, eyes, and hair colors. That said, don’t expect very tall girls since the average height of Ukrainian and Russian girls is around 165cm (5′ 5″)
Also, there isn’t a common pattern as I’ve seen in countries like Germany, and Denmark, where girls most often have dark blond hair or dye their hair blonde.
Where are your high heels?
I hear this myth more than I hear about Slavic people drinking vodka for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Once I had this foreign friend who said:
“I heard all Slavic women learn to walk in heels before they even learn to walk properly.”
Honestly, I wasn’t even surprised because I’ve heard some variations of this a hundred times before and after that.
I think it’s just some stereotype that probably started from movies, those Slav pics on Instagram, or maybe someone met a Slavic girl who liked wearing heels all the time.
But here’s the thing, it’s not true! Slavic women wear heels as often as any regular woman in Europe.
Now that I live abroad, I see foreign girls wearing heels way more often than my Slavic friends here (or in my own country). We wear heels when we want to look nice for events or when we’re going to a fancy restaurant.
That said, wearing heels isn’t an everyday thing. Comfort is key.
Will you marry me and become my housekeeper?
I think this stereotype comes from the leftovers of the post-Soviet era when women were expected to do nothing but take care of the kids, make a feast for their men, and clean up without saying a word.
My grandma was around back then, and that’s how it was, but even she had to work.
Europe got out of that way of living earlier than the post-Soviet countries. Ladies in Europe got their independence and equality with men while my parents and other Slavic folks were still living like in the Soviet Union, where women stay home, and men work.
But that‘s a thing of the past. Things are different now.
I hardly know women without a higher education and job. Most Slavic women work (sometimes more than men)
Those few Slavic women I know who don’t do anything but cook and clean all day are usually women who grew up with that Soviet-era thinking, or their moms and grannies taught them that way.
Unfortunately, divorce is a big thing now, and it’s dumb to only rely on men and not work. Someone once said
Learn, develop, work. Relationships break down way too often, but it’s better to have one turret fall than the whole castle
“Slavic girls are easily accessible for foreigners”
Some foreign men think they’re the ultimate match.
They think they have it all. They have cash in a strong currency, can help you become a resident faster, etc.
But it seems they forgot that there are also Slavic men in this world.
And, by the way, they aren’t that bad. Some Slavic men impress their dates by picking them up home, driving to a restaurant, giving them compliments, paying the bills, etc.
For a lot of non-Slavic men, that’s a whole new level of culture shock.
Unfortunately, nowadays there are many Slavic dating sites that give foreign men the wrong idea about Slavic women. On such sites, anyone can contact “Slavic girls” who after a couple of messages would ask for cash for any silly reason.
But come on! Most of those girls in such sites aren’t even real (let alone Slavic!) It’s only a major scam that gives foreign guys the wrong idea about Slavic women.
No, you’re not the first foreigner I met in my life
For Slavic women, marrying a foreigner was really a thing 20 years ago when our countries were just getting out of the “iron curtain” and everything new (including guys from other places) was interesting and exotic.
Back then different cultures, languages, and traditions were just so fascinating. Moving abroad was so cool and if you had a foreign boyfriend, it was like hitting the jackpot!
But now, many young Slavic people have gone abroad, learned multiple languages, and have access to the internet.
Do you seriously think you’re the first foreigner I met in my life?
Unless you meet a Slavic girl who lives in a very isolated region, meeting foreigners isn’t a big deal anymore. Plus, we all know that there can be major differences in mentality and behavior when it comes to relationships with foreigners.
…
Some people tend to think that Slavic girls are submissive, gold-diggers, easy, materialistic, and uneducated. Those are only myths and I can tell you that Slavic girls are actually a diverse group of individuals with different personalities, lifestyles, and values.
When you meet one in real life, you’ll be able to recognize more stereotypes on your own!
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Photo credit: Ransford Quaye on Unsplash
