HuffPost's Candidate Confessional: Michele Bachmann On The Sexist Crap Hillary Clinton Has To Endure

Last week, HuffPost' Senior Politics Editor Sam Stein and Investigative Reporter Jason Cherkis launched "Candidate Confessional" a one-of-a-kind podcast interviewing those who ran for political office...and lost. 

In this week's episode former Rep. Michele Bachmann details the challenges posed by her gender during her whirlwind run for the White House in 2012. Her experience gave her an unexpectedly empathetic take on Hillary Clinton's current presidential campaign. Despite their diametrically different politics, as Bachmann put it, "I really do have great empathy for what Mrs. Clinton is going through, because the hill that she has to climb on -- appearance -- it's just a different hill than men have to climb. I'm not whining about it. It's just reality. It is what it is."

To hear more from Bachmann about the sexism female politicians face check out "Candidate Confessional" here

HuffPost Women: 48 Things Men Hear In A Lifetime (That Are Bad For Everyone)

Earlier this month, HuffPost Women's viral video "48 Things Women Hear In A Lifetime (That Men Just Don't)" showed the subtle sexism women are subjected to throughout their lives. However, since sexism doesn't exist in a vacuum, the same team is turning the idea around with a new video entitled "48 Things Men Hear In A Lifetime (That Are Bad For Everyone)."

This video shows that the messages men (young and old) hear - "be a man!" "boys don't cry!" "pink is a girl's color!" - all boil down to the same idea: "don't be a woman." Telling men they're not "real men" unless they're tough, financially successful, strong and authoritative not only hurts those that don't fit into these confined parameters but hurts women too. 

The cycle of sexism will never end if we continue to equate traditionally "feminine" qualities as "bad." To hear from the men themselves check out HuffPost Women's video here .