I am a woman but I am not weak

Women are put down solely for their gender; especially in high school when sports, popularity, and grades come into play. I know how hard this can be on a growing teenage girl…trust me, I’ve experienced it. This week I talked to Talia and Lauren, two girls who have also experienced it, on the false stereotypes placed on women.

I asked what they thought the stereotypes were that accompany being a woman. “I think a lot of the stereotypes placed on women are that we are weak or not able to live up to the standards that society holds men at” says Talia. “Yeah, people believe that we can’t do what men can do but that’s not true. By saying woman are weaker you are categorizing almost half of the population, it doesn’t make sense. Also these stereotypes aren’t even applicable.”

Lauren

Talia

I then asked why they think these stereotypes are present in society. “I think a lot of it has to do with the patriarchy” says Talia. “Yeah, f*** the patriarchy” says Lauren. Talia laughs adding, “I also think it has to do with the standards that men are held to. Men are supposed to be violent and strong, not vulnerable. So people expect woman to be vulnerable and dependent on men.” “Anything else?” I ask. “Yeah, why is being a women associated with so many negative terms?” asks Lauren, she continues “being too ‘girly’ is a problem…that doesn’t even make any sense. ” “Yeah, or like being a bitch. What does that even mean. What do either of them mean?” Talia said while agreeing with Lauren. “Another thing is ‘man-up’ , what does that one mean? My english teacher said it a few days ago and thankfully she realized what she said and apologized to our class but too many people say it all the time and think nothing of it. Or know what they mean by it but don’t care.” stated Lauren.

To wrap it up they both said “Women are always kind of used as a synonym for weak but we are not. We are strong and we are powerful. We can do anything that a man can do.” So, I am a woman but I am not weak.

I am a feminist but I am not a man-hater

I talked to two of my closest friends, Grace Johnson and Cassandra Hughes, on a topic they are both very passionate about…feminism. We covered a large range of labels put on feminists, but through listening to them talk I think the most apparent stereotype was that feminists hate men. “A lot of people think that we hate men. That we believe women should be superior while men should be inferior, but that’s not true. We believe in no superiority or inferiority, just equality.”

“When people think of feminism they choose to think only of the radical feminists, who might hate men, but thats only a few out of so many people. Most feminists, emphasis on most, are striving to achieve equality between the sexes.” says Cassandra. “I agree. They are categorizing a huge a group of people in a negative way and it just isn’t fair.” adds Grace.

I asked them if anything specific had ever happened that made them realize the magnitude of sexism in our society today, and they were both able to answer quickly. Cassandra talked about her trip to New York when she was 12 years old. “I’ve been going to New York every year with my family for as long as I can remember, but it was when I was about 12 years old that I started being cat called. Every street I would walk down people would whistle, or say things that made no sense to me. I didn’t understand what was happening. I remember feeling so objectified and confused. My dad sat me down and told me I was becoming a woman, but I still didn’t understand. Is it okay for this to happen to a woman? At what age is it ‘fine’ to feel uncomfortable walking down the street? My answers have always been no and never, and that is why I am feminist.” answered Cassandra. Grace realized why feminism is so important through observation. “I listen to the people I go to school with talk and more often than not the conversations lead to them putting woman down. Whether it is through slut-shaming, name calling, or saying men are dominant in sports or school women are constantly discriminated against in such a casual way. High school is already such a vulnerable time in someone’s life, you are growing up and trying new things, and shaming girls only makes this time harder for them.  I think the problem of gender inequality is much too present in high schools and because of that I am a feminist.”

“We don’t think women are better, but we also don’t think men are better. We think everyone is equal and deserves to be treated that way” says both Grace and Cassandra. So, I am a feminist but I am not a man-hater.