Illustration: Xia Qing/GT

When you are a woman who is fairly versed on lewd jokes, you hear puns and innuendoes everywhere, in a café, in the food market, and in your meeting room, and you feel it's so strange that others don't pick up on it.

I often realize that whenever people get together to talk there's always something in what someone would say that I would pick up on and laugh at, but others wouldn't get until a few minutes later - if they get it at all.

And you know what it is like when you are drinking, and somebody tells a slightly dirty joke and people just get excited and tell theirs.

My male friends are like, "Lady, when I tell you a dirty joke, I want to see you get all shy and blush. I don't intend for you to tell me one that is even dirtier!"

I have several girlfriends that are just like me. Usually, we could easily identify each other with a knowing smile or look. We would start our own little chat group on WeChat and share such jokes, dirty pictures or novels.

I did a quick survey about what it feels like to be a woman who is often more "dirty minded" - that is, more alert to sexual innuendoes than men, and everybody agreed that it feels "lonely."

"I feel most of the boys who tell dirty jokes when I am around are still too silly and naive," one of them said. "[It's] as if you are undefeated and keep seeking someone who is better than you are [in realizing the dirty innuendo immediately or telling dirty jokes]," said another.

But, it would be better if you don't laugh, because your friends and colleagues will either have no idea why you were laughing, or they will think you are a total slut - neither of which will help with your social life as a respected adult.

Yes, they can be judgmental like that.

The stereotype is that men think about sex and tell inappropriate jokes all the time, but women shouldn't. People still expect women to be innocent and "pure," especially in the Chinese culture. This type of women is also more preferred in the dating and marriage market as well.

Sure our minds could immediately come to an innuendo or a sexual situation, but it doesn't mean that we are easy, and we will sleep around.

Sometimes I get worried that if I make or laugh at too many dirty jokes, some guys will think I am one-night stand material instead of girlfriend material. But then again, if a guy is stupid enough to get "she will sleep with me" from "she enjoys dirty jokes sometimes," then he is not dating material for me.

Why can't women enjoy themselves? A few jokes don't hurt.

So, don't go on Quora or Zhihu to ask silly questions like, "Can women be as dirty minded as men?" because man, you might not be able to handle the truth.

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.