Whether it is comments about their hair, marital status, or even their faith, Malaysia’s women leaders have said public criticism often crosses the line into personal attacks – something their male counterparts rarely face.

Faced with relentless criticism, three women approached by Malaysiakini - an activist, an MP, and an assemblyperson - are choosing not to disappear, but to push back, reclaim space, and challenge the double standards that seek to keep them small.

For activist Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam, the harsh realities of online vitriol and gendered harassment hit early and hard.

She recounted that when...