Faithful readers (like us) of 20-something compost heap Thought Catalog may know the feeling of wondering, upon a reading a Thought Catalog essay, "Is this shit real?" Funny you should ask.

Here you will find a March 15 thread on a Bodybuilding.com forum in which (shirtless gym bro) user AryanofValhalla writes:

I can't believe my eyes misc, I was bored one evening a week ago and so I wrote a satire article from the perspective of a twenty something feminist woman and sent it in to Thought Catalog,

A few minutes ago I got an email saying they published the article



My penname is Anne Gus , as an homage to the misc



It's happening

And here it is: "5 Things Women Need to Do in Their 20's (Or Else the Suffragists Died For Nothing)." Shirtless gym bro AryanofValhalla, a.k.a. Thought Catalog author Anne Gus ("I'm a feminist. I'm a woman. I'm strong. I'm in my twenties. I'm beautiful. I deserve love. Give me it.") adds, "HAHA look at the phucking comments I can't breathe right now, I didn't ever think they'd publish it !"

Were there any clues in the text that this piece might have been less than sincere?

You're young, you're free and you're empowered. Nothing is stopping you from espousing a carefree attitude and and embarking on fun adventures! As young women in 21st century, the world is truly our fragrant oyster.

Hmm.

3. Major in Women's Studies This one is a no-brainer. If you don't agree you're probably an ignorant, sexist, transphobic, slut-shaming mysogynist cis white male and possibly a rapist... Women's studies gives you invaluable tools to have in life and makes you feel so empowered that nothing can stop you, not only your future career in whatever prestigious field you may choose, but also in your daily life. I last used the rich arsenal of feminist weapons that Women's studies gave to me this morning to call out a disgusting male Mcdonalds employee. I was feeling peckish so I ordered three happy meals, the order was placed on two trays, and even though I was on the phone, that loser thought it was OK to talk to me. Rape apologist. He asked me if I wanted help carrying the trays to my kids. I quickly put the call on hold and gave him a lesson in not practicing fat-shaming and sexism anywhere in my presence, and nowhere else for that matter. I got him to check his privilege and I felt a warm glow of satisfaction spreading through my body as I sat down, drenched my fries in Ketchup and went to town on my first burger.

No, everything here seems to be on the up and up. In related journalism news this weekend, a Thought Catalog editor offers her advice for writers who want to be published on Thought Catalog: "The beauty of Thought Catalog is largely in its freedom, and there's no editorial line or theme that I could encourage you to draw from because we truly publish everything."

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