Aine
Geraghty
“Go make me a sandwich.” Well of course dear, but
only if you promise to choke on it. Newsflash Mr. Suave, my gender does not
make me your slave. Yes, I am a woman. I can be delicate and sweet, and even
put together one hell of a sandwich. But I also can also be intelligent,
strong, and venomous when I’m treated like less of a person because I wear a
bra.
I
am a feminist. Not because I’m trying to be a part of the latest social
movement or because I hate men and would like to see them trampled into the
ground. I am a feminist because I can no longer stand by and do nothing with
the knowledge that my gender puts ridiculous restrictions and false judgment on
me. I am desperately searching to achieve the same opportunities as men and to
know that the body I live in is completely my own to make decisions for. Not to
mention the fact that females and their bodies are enormously over sexualized,
making one of feminists’ goals to be ensuring that women feel powerful and that
they are more than a pair of boobs. The fact alone that feminists are
stereotyped as being “butch” or “crazy” or “lesbians” only further proves the
point that feminism is needed. Women are diverse, but I assure you that the
majority of us, no matter what we look like or who we love, want to be treated
like equals to men. But I mean, who is surprised that a movement run, for the
most part, by women is mocked? NO ONE. And, notice that I didn’t say the
movement’s participant were all women. There are male feminists too, both gay
and straight, that fight for the genders to be equal.
Now, let me take a moment to address some of the
main issues women face in their daily lives. First off, women are treated as
jokes. The fact that there are still people who believe the “Get back in the
kitchen” line is humorous makes me sick to my stomach. Men treat women as
objects, as machines that are only good for two things: chores and sex. How can
people believe the human race is so advanced when half of our species is
treated with less respect than a household pet? For God’s sake, black widows
have more female empowerment than humans do.
Then, we have the infamous catcalling. Neanderthal
minded men whistle and call to women passing by on the street, women who are
just trying to get to work or enjoy their day without being made to feel
uncomfortable. The most ridiculous thing about this action is that some men
can’t comprehend why women would be bothered by this. Why are they being so
stuck up? What, they don’t like compliments? Um, no. If I were standing at a
bus stop in a nice new dress and a man waiting for the bus as well saw my
outfit and told me he thought it looked stunning, I would be flattered. But if
he were to make a comment about how “sexy” I was in the dress or say something
about how short it was, I would feel wildly uncomfortable. There is a
difference between paying a woman a nice compliment that will make her day as
she passes by you and acting like a caveman as you shout sexual or suggestive
comments at her when she is trying to go about her day. I work in retail and
customers, some being male, often tell me I’m a beautiful young girl and
compliment my buzzed haircut. That makes me feel so nice. But when creepy male
customers come in and ask for my number, I usually try to get away from them as
soon as possible.
There are so many more female issues, but the last
two I will make a point to address are abortion and rape. Human bodies are
sacred. They are our own private temples that we live in. It is up to us to
decide who gets to see inside, but when someone forces entry into it, you can
imagine that it feels like your beautiful temple has turned into a pile of
rubble. That is exactly what rape does to a person. Their bodies have be
trespassed upon and vandalized. That’s bad enough, but then imagine being
blamed for what happened to you. Insane, right? Well that’s usually the reality
of the situation. Blaming the victim has become somewhat routine in rape cases
and that is highly unacceptable. Women get blamed for their sexual assaults
because of what they were wearing or how they were acting. The bottom line is
that if the woman does not consent, its rape and the blame falls completely on
the rapist. The idea we should be planting in people’s head is that you
shouldn’t rape, not that you should always be cautious so you don’t get raped.
Imagine someone robbing your house only to be told it was your fault because
you left the lights on. That would never happen. The same should be true for
our bodies. Then to add on to the absurdity, it actually has to be voted on if
women can get an abortion. It’s okay to stick to your religious beliefs and
have a personal opinion on the matter but that has to stay separate from our
government and our bodies. It’s honestly laughable to me that men think they
have the right to a say in the matter when they’re not the ones carrying
another human in them. And it’s not like babies just quickly make their way
into the world with no stress. These women have to carry them around for nine
months with all the fun side effects of pregnancy, and we all know child birth
is a breeze. The worst is when rape and abortion come together. Sometimes rape
victims get pregnant from their attacker, and then they are made to feel evil
when they don’t want to keep the baby. I don’t want to hear that “God works in
mysterious ways” garbage, how about you address the fact that these women then
have to walk around with the horrible reminder of what happened to the for nine
months. Yes, perhaps that child could have cured cancer, but so could the
mother who would have less of a chance if she kept the baby, especially if it’s
a teen pregnancy.
Out of all of this, my biggest problem lately lies
with the women who stand against feminism. I can’t wrap my mind around it.
These women like being made to feel inferior to men? They like being sexualized
and treated like an object? Their reasoning is “It’s just a fact that men are
smarter and stronger than women. Get over it.” I hope you’re joking, because
the only thing I’m going to “get over” is my test scores over those of my male
peers. I’m not saying I’m smarter than every man, nor am I saying women are the
stronger sex. I realize that due to the way our bodies are built, men tend to
be physically stronger. Does that make them better than woman? Not in a million
years. Women need to realize that we aren’t trying to ruin their dream of
having a muscular Prince Charming sweep them off their feet and treat them like
a flower petal for the rest of their life, if that’s what they are in to.
Feminists just want equality. And some ladies that claim to be feminists need
to realize that cannot be true if they are tearing down other women. This
movement is about empowering females, so when such things like “slut-shaming”
occur, it only belittles the progress we have made as a sex.
Feminism is for everyone because it’s about
equality, which effects everyone in some way. Females are worth admiring, just
as men are, and it’s about time that everyone realized that. Girls will
eventually reach the level of respect and rights that men have, and I assure
you that everyone who made their fight to be equal more of a struggle, they
will be tasting the bitter sandwiches they had to make with their own hands.
