Would you rather be stuck with a man or a bear? The TikTok trend sparking an important conversation
A hypothetical question has spread across TikTok, sparking a dialogue about the concept of danger, particularly for women.
The question, originally asked by Screenshot HQ in a TikTok viewed 13.5 million times as of this article publishing, is this: Would you rather be stuck in a forest with a man or a bear?
The news brand took to the streets in early April asking women to answer with their choice in the theoretical scenario. And when confronted with the prospect, the women featured in the TikTok responded heavily in favor of being stuck with ... the bear.
"Bear. Man is scary," one woman replies
"Well, I've heard about bears, they don't always attack you, right?" another woman reasons in the video. "Unless you like f--- with them. So maybe a bear."
"Depends on what ... but probably a bear," was one other reply.
"Oh, 100% a bear, which is terrifying to say," another woman replied. "Definitely a bear. Some men are very scary out there."
Since the TikTok was posted April 10, others have flooded the social media platform posing the same question to family and friends. The answers have sparked discussions regarding the reality of the challenges women face when it comes to safety in our world.
Meredith Steele, who goes by @babiesofsteele on TikTok, turned the camera on her husband and asked the same question.
“Would you rather our daughter be stuck in the woods with a bear or a man?” she asks in the video.
Her husband grimaces and appears to have a long moment to debate this internally. “What kind of man?”
“I don’t like either,” he answers. “I don’t know. I don’t know.”
“What about woman or bear?” Steele asks.
“Woman,” he replies, his answer fast.
“I’m leaning towards the bear,” he says scratching his head. “Maybe it’s a friendly bear.”
“What if it’s a friendly man?” Steele counters.
Her husband flinches. “Oh, that’s worse!”
TikToker @anaidmargo pointed out the hypothetical also speaks to the broader issue of support and victim-blaming that many women encounter, especially in cases of assault or attacks. She went into detail as to why one explanation in particular left her speechless.
"I was asking my sister-in-law about this. I asked her the question, you know, just for giggles," she explained in part of her post. "She was like, 'You know, I would rather be a bear because if the bear attacks me, and I make it out of the woods, everybody’s gonna believe me and have sympathy for me. But if a man attacks me and I make it out, I’m gonna spend my whole life trying to get people to believe me and have sympathy for me.' And that left me speechless."
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
