The focus of this dossier is the initiative/anti-award for the most sexist statement of the year called “bodeča neža”1. It is awarded since 2013 by the Slovenian feminist and queer collective Red Dawns and the editorial board of the web page spol.si. The (broader) public submits the candidates and eventually also chooses the winner. We identify “bodeča neža” as one of the methods of resistance against sexist speech in Slovenia, i.e. as a praxis of recognition, problematization and discussion of sexist acts. Our (discursive) analysis shows that individuals with high public visibility spread and normalize sexism through heterosexist, essentialist, and ethno-nationalist statements. They use stereotypes and verbally attack, discredit and demean individuals and groups, under the pretence of humour. “Bodeča neža” focuses on statements made by prominent individuals, because their words have a bigger reach than the words of other people, so they (should) carry a bigger ethical responsibility for what they say. By normalizing sexist speech, they also reproduce the androcentric social order and patriarchal patterns. At the same time, their neo-conservative, populist, and subtle sexism is becoming more and more immune to problematization.
