A mat placed outside a door to wipe feet on, or figuratively, a person who lets others mistreat them without standing up for themselves.
Simple combination of 'door' and 'mat.' The figurative meaning came about because just as a doormat gets walked on literally, such a person allows themselves to be treated with disrespect.
The metaphor of 'doormat' is so powerful because it's visual—the moment someone says you're being a doormat, you immediately picture yourself lying flat while people walk over you, which captures what it feels like to be disrespected.
Doormat as a dehumanizing insult is disproportionately applied to women and effeminate men, conflating passivity with emasculation or female servility. The gendered abuse reflects historical power dynamics.
Avoid as an insult in professional/formal contexts. If critiquing someone's behavior, be specific: 'not asserting boundaries' rather than gendered name-calling that implies weakness is feminine.
["pushover","non-assertive","conflict-avoidant"]
Women historically coerced into compliance are not inherently weak; reframing refusal to dominate as moral choice, not feminine failure, honors agency.
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